blue green and purple poker chips

Bop ‘Til You Drop

Welcome to the October Open Write. To learn more about the Open Write, click here. To download free resources for your classroom, click here. To craft a poem today, follow along below and write when you are ready in the comment section. Our Host Wendy …

brown leaf

Ode to Change

Welcome to the October Open Write! Alex: Alexandra Garcia is from Jackson, Michigan and is a sophomore at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids. She is studying Elementary Education with a minor in Theater. She enjoys reading, hiking, traveling, and spending time with her Yorkie, Audrey. …

salt and pepper shakers in holder on table

Questionable Products

Welcome to the October Open Write! Here’s our first author bio / weather report mash-up!  Did anyone ask for this? Nope. Was this something we needed? Nope. And yet, here we are!  Hi, I’m Scott from Michigan, and it’s -288.4°F (that’s -178°C) on Saturn.  (And …

Dried leaf tree trunk

For the Sake of Strangers

Thanks for writing with us this week. We are so grateful for our teacher-hosts: Maureen Young Ingram, Dave Wooley, Tamara Belko, Larin Wade, and Barbara Edler. Please join us in October (19-23) with Scott McCloskey, Stefani Boutelier, Wendy Everard, Seana Hurd Wright, and Donnetta Norris. …

grandmother holding her grandson

Thought You Should Know

Let’s write together. Larin lives in Ringling, Oklahoma, a small town in southern Oklahoma. She teaches Spanish I and II and Honors English I to high school students at a nearby rural high school. She enjoys planning her lessons (first-year teacher joys!), spending time with …

photograph of a kid playing the drums beside a child singing

Decade Music Mash Up

Let’s write together. Tammi is Gifted Intervention Specialist and Power of the Pen writing coach. Tammi has spent over fifteen years sharing her love of reading, writing and poetry with her students.  When she isn’t absorbed in reading young adult literature, she can be found …

woman wearing brown knit cap

Mirrors for Reflection

Let’s write together. Dave Wooley is just beginning his transition into a new career as a member of the School of Education at Penn State University in Curriculum and Instruction. Previously, he taught English, Journalism, and Creative Writing at Westhill High School in Stamford, Connecticut. …

green and gray scissors

New Year Intentions: Tiny Poems

Let’s write together. Maureen lives and writes in Silver Spring, Maryland. Now retired, she taught preschool and mentored adults in their work with young children. She holds dear her morning writing practice, which includes journaling and poetry. Maureen enjoys writing about children, family, and nature. …

cakes on table

Gifts for Teachers from Teachers

It is with great joy and deep gratitude that we introduce three incredible resources that will transform your classrooms and nurture the hearts and minds of your students. These books—90 Ways of Community: Nurturing Safe and Inclusive Classrooms Writing One Poem at a Time, Words …

gray scale photography of clock near trees

Taking Time to Tell the T.I.M.E.

Welcome to Day 5 of the August Open Write. A very special thank you to Wendy, Linda, Leilya, Jeania, and Anna for taking such good care of our words. If you have written with us before, welcome back. If you are joining us for the …