Events
Short Story Society
Our Short Story Society events are geared to promote discussion and cultivate relationships with our participants. Our SSS meetings are held by a different facilitator each month. They choose which story or stories we will discuss. These discussions are designed to encourage the varying viewpoints of the chosen stories.
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Our Spring into Words event was the first of its kind. This event highlighted local authors who read original works. NWP-A and FOW wanted an event that got writers inspired to hone their craft and promote their writing.
To reach the Facebook event page, click here.
Event Highlights
Upcoming Events
Annual Events
Fundraiser with Festivals Acadiens et Créoles:
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Each fall Girard Park serves as the home to Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, a local festival celebrating Cajun and Creole culture. The National Writing Project of Acadiana has had the opportunity to participate in the festival by overseeing one of the beverage booths near the main music stage. This has become a yearly tradition with NWP-A Alum volunteering to work at the event as they enjoy music and help to raise money to fund our project. In past years, funds raised from this event have been used to pay affiliation dues with the National Writing Project and support student-centered writing events.
Thank you to our volunteers see y'all next year!
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2023 Writing
Marathon
at Carpe Diem!
Gelato-Espresso
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Writing Marathon
Each summer, the National Writing Project of Acadiana hosts its annual Writing Marathon in downtown Lafayette. Writing Marathons are fun-filled days of writing, socializing with others who are passionate about writing, and hearing fabulous original works by local writers. The original writing marathon model was pioneered by Richard Louth with the Southeastern Louisiana Writing Project in 1992 and took place in New Orleans. Since then, our Writing Project site the has modified the experience, while maintaining the intent and spirit of a writing marathon!
NWP-A writing marathons kick off with a group writing exercise to wake everyone up and start flexing their creative writing muscle. Then, writers are encouraged to explore downtown Lafayette and enjoy food, shops, and museums to inspire their writing. At the end of the event, everyone reconvenes to share their writing from the day. Writing marathons are a fantastic opportunity to connect with others and EVERYONE is encouraged to attend (this is not exclusive to those involved with NWP-A).
Past Events
Summer Writing Camp
For five weeks during the summer teachers work to improve their own writing and their teaching of writing. Throughout that time they are given opportunities to demonstrate and examine their approaches to teaching writing, consider strategies for using writing as a tool in all subject areas, learn about how to teach writing by writing themselves, study theory and research underpinning best practices in the teaching of writing, and prepare themselves to lead professional development programs in the schools during the academic year. Typical activities include participation in reading-response groups, discussion of recent composition research, and presentation of a 1 ½ hour demonstration of their best classroom practice. At the end of the five weeks they publish an anthology of their work.
2021 Spring Big Event
with special presenter Jack Bedell
Summer 2021 Publishing Project:
"Epiphanies Everywhere: A multi-genre chronicling of lpss gear up"
LPSS teachers and student writers interviewed individuals who participated in GEAR UP events over the past seven years. Writers then used interview notes as inspiration to write creative pieces inspired by the interviews. Finalized pieces will be organized within a final book (title TBD) for publication.
Bi-Annual Big Event
Improving the Blank Page (IBP) partners with GEAR UP and other local affiliations to put on THE BIG EVENT twice a year in the fall and spring semesters. This event is an opportunity for GEAR UP students to engage in a daylong writing workshop.
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For example, IBP partnered with the Acadiana Center of the Arts (ACA) for the Fall 2019 BIG EVENT held at the Hilliard Museum. This event is an exciting field trip that provides students with a different environment to explore their creativity in an entirely immersive experience that included a walk to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for lunch on campus. At the end of every event, students have the opportunity to share their writing in a final showcase.