NWPNH Writing Conference

It takes practice to be good at anything. Writing is no exception, and often times students and faculty alike will have to keep working at their writing to be the best they can be, especially as language changes. As a society we can help each other grow in these areas. Join Kari Allen, and others, for a conference that will better prepare educators and students to teach writing for schools all across the nation.

On November 8^th, starting at 8am and going until 3pm, the National Writing Project in New Hampshire (NWPNH) will be hosting a conference whose purpose is to improve the teaching of writing in New Hampshire schools. Kari Allen will be hosting this conference alongside PSU Professors Meg Peterson and Mary Ann McGarry, at the Merrill Place conference room.

Every fall, NWPNH sponsors a writing conference that seeks to help educators learn from each other as they grow their skills in focused workshops. The conference features presentations from teachers of local schools and fellows from the summer institutes who are fresh off the workshop train and ready to share what they have learned.

This year, Kari Allen is excited to be able to use the Merrill Place conference room to host a full day of writing workshops at Plymouth State University. When interviewed, Allen seemed very appreciative of the University for working so closely and offering such valuable help such as allowing the NWPNH to use the dining hall’s services this year for the participants' lunch.

Since this will be an all-day event, lots of workshops have been planned, workshops that will be taught by a team of teachers and educators from PSU and local schools just like those NWPNH hopes will attend. Allen claimed that these are, “Teachers and presenters who have been through five-week summer institutes,” in which they attend workshops very similar to the ones presented in this conference. After which, they come to share knowledge with their peers for an overall improvement of teaching and writing at schools across NH. 

The writing taught here isn’t just educational either. There is a creative writing presentation, as well as one for writing and community. One presenter is teaching writing through picture books, another runs a session on how writing connects to technology. There is even a session about developing empathy through writing.

Allen also stated the NWPNH looks at teachers as writers. Teachers write with their students, show their strengths and their weaknesses because in reality, “Every teacher is a writing teacher. You write in science, you write in math, and history, not just English,” Allen said. The main purpose, for the people involved in this project, seemed to be simple. Sharing knowledge. NWPNH seeks to create a community of teachers that are dedicated to each other and their students as we collaborate together to create an always improving scholastic atmosphere.

Anyone can sign up for the conference. There is a reduced rate for students as well at $65. You can register online now at, https://campus.plymouth.edu/ nwpnh/. Once registered you can have a choice to participate in any of the workshops offered. You can pay and register at the door as well however some seats in the workshops may be filled in favor of those who register online.

When asked, Allen had this to wrap up her thoughts on the project, “Thank you to the university for letting us have the conference. The National Writing Project for New Hampshire does great work with kids around the state to teach writing and these conferences are very important.”