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Writer-In-Residence: Sharing our Talents with Youth
By Mindy Hardwick
I wasn't always a writer. My career journey began as a middle
and high school teacher. After I left teaching to pursue writing,
I had no wish to return, but I did miss the students. How could I
work with youth and still be a writer? Was there a way to combine
both writing and teaching? Yes! Writer-in-residence programs!
What is a writer-in-residence? A writer-in-residence, sometimes
called a teaching artist, is a long-term commitment in which the
writer works in a school with one or two classes. The commitment
is usually once-a-week and runs from October to May. A writer
will be asked to work with small groups of kids, teach whole
lessons, share his/her own writing process, and commit to a
final celebration either through editing an anthology or
presenting a student reading night for the community. A teaching
background is helpful, although not always needed.
Benefits of writer-in-residence jobs include:
· Connection—Working with youth keeps writers connected to
readers and the community.
· Informs Our Work —Schools are great places to glean story ideas!
· Mentorship—Most writers are mentored by someone along the way
whether that was through a formal mentorship or studying an
author's work. Mentorship gives writers a chance to give back.
How to Become a Writer-In-Residence.
1. Non-Profits hire Writers-In-Residence--In large cities, many
non-profits hire writers to work in schools. The writer often
receives once a month workshops and training. The organization
places the writer.
WITS—Writers-in-the Schools
Located in various cities across the United States
http://www.writersintheschools.org/
Seattle Arts and Lectures
Writers in Seattle schools
http://www.lectures.org/wits.html
Teachers and Writers—New York City
Writers in New York City schools
http://www.twc.org/writingworkshop.htm#WRITERINRESIDENCE
WritersCorp
Located in San Fransisco, D.C, and New York City
http://www.dcwriterscorps.org/
2. State Arts Agencies—Many State Arts Agencies keep a
roistered list of teaching artists. These are writers who
have gone through a screening process. Teachers who apply
for grants often use these lists in order to hire their
teaching writers. There may or may not be any additional
support for the teaching writer in the form of workshops or
training. There is usually no guarantee that once you are
placed on the roistered list of teaching artists that there
will be an assignment.
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
Find your State Arts Agency at this site.
http://www.nasaa-arts.org/aoa/saadir.shtml
3. Partnerships with City Arts Councils and Educators
Many writers live in areas where there are no State Art
Agencies roistered lists. These writers have the option of
forming partnerships with educators who can apply for
education grants.
This route is not for the inexperienced. The writer will be
involved from the ground up. They will work on the grant
writing and will rarely have support in the form of workshops.
However, for writers who have connections in the schools or
strong teaching backgrounds, this route can be very satisfying!
School Grants
This data-base provides a comprehensive listing of grants
available to educators for a wide-variety of subjects. The
writer and educator will need to work together to apply for
these grants.
http://www.schoolgrants.org/
4. Mentorship--Finally, if you feel that you are not ready
yet to make the jump into becoming a writer-in-residence,
there are many other opportunities to work with youth.
Writing mentors are very needed! These volunteer opportunities
can give you the confidence for building to a writer-in-
residence job.
826 National
826 National is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping
students, ages 6-18, with expository and creative writing at
seven locations across the country including: Seattle, Chicago,
and New York City.
http://www.826national.org/
Little Owl Mentoring Program
The Little Owl Mentoring Program connects young adult writers
(13-22) with experienced adult writers who mentor young people
in some aspect of writing for a set period of time.
http://mentoring.absynthemuse.com/about.html
BIO
Mindy Hardwick is a children's writer and educator. She has
published articles and short stories for kids. Mindy works as
a writer-in-residence at Lake Stevens High School and Denney
Juvenile Justice Center. She also offers on-line story writing
workshops for youth and adults. You can find out more about
her at www.mindyhardwick.com
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