Teaching Artistry with Teachers & Writers Collaborative

Teachers & Writers Collaborative was founded in 1967 by a group of writers and educators who believed that professional writers could make a unique contribution to the teaching of writing and literature. Those responsible for shaping T&W’s program and philosophy in the organization’s early years included June Jordan, Rosellen Brown, Victor Hernández Cruz, Kenneth Koch, Herbert Kohl, Phillip Lopate, Grace Paley, Muriel Rukeyser, Anne Sexton, and Robert Silvers.

As a teaching artist with Teachers & Writers Collaborative from 2010-2017, I brought creative writing programs to I.S. 392 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and led professional development courses there for teachers.

Residencies:

• Poetry Residency (on poetry and music lyrics) in fifth and seventh grades (including special needs) via Teachers & Writers Collaborative, P.S. 156/I.S. 392 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY, 2014-2015.

• Creative-Nonfiction Writing Residency (on the Harlem Renaissance) in seventh grade via Teachers & Writers Collaborative, P.S. 156/I.S. 392 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY, 2012-2013.

• Creative-Nonfiction Writing Residency (on street fashion) in seventh grade via Teachers & Writers Collaborative, P.S. 156/I.S. 392 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY, 2011-2012.

In 2013, I was appointed to T&W's Common Core Leadership Team. As a team of master teaching artists, we interpreted the new requirements of the Common Core as they pertained to creative writing and taught professional development workshops within the organization.

From 2015-2017, I was a member of T&W's Editorial Board to support its publication, Teachers & Writers Magazine. The site publishes lesson plans, student writing, interviews with authors, and essays on the art of teaching.