Dear Emily, 

This month, we find ourselves moving through the multifaceted nature of uncertainty — moments that can feel heavy, shifting, and unpredictable across our local, regional, and national landscapes. Yet even in these unsettled times, we can return to the power of writing, community, and care as both anchor and compass. 

I’m reminded of Ada Limón’s poem, Instructions on Not Giving Up, which offers a quiet and steady reminder that, despite the mess and hurt, there is still continuous living, still greening, still becoming: 

Instructions on Not Giving Up by Ada Limón 

More than the fuchsia funnels breaking out of the crabapple tree, 

more than the neighbor’s almost obscene display of cherry limbs shoving 

their cotton-candy-colored blossoms to the slate sky of spring rains, 

it’s the greening of the trees that really gets to me. When all the shock 

of white and taffy, the world’s baubles and trinkets, leave the pavement 

strewn with the confetti of aftermath, the leaves come. 

Patient, plodding, a green skin growing over whatever winter did to us, 

a return to the strange idea of continuous living despite 

the mess of us, the hurt, the empty. Fine then, 

I’ll take it, the tree seems to say, a new slick leaf 

unfurling like a fist to an open palm, I’ll take it all.  

Please let us know how our network can support you — with space, resources, or simply connection. We are grateful to navigate these seasons together, with writing and each other as guides. 

In solidarity and care, 

Khirsten L. Scott, PhD 
Director, Western Pennsylvania Writing Project 

As always, thank you for taking the time to receive and review this newsletter. We are grateful to be in community with you. Feel free to share this information with others.

If you have any updates, ideas, and/or concerns, we’d like to hear from you. Email us at wpwp@pitt.edu.

This past Saturday, the WPWP hosted the Surviving the Ides of March convening. 

We would like to express deep gratitude to WPWP Fellow Hannah Lewis for her beautiful planning and care in bringing this convening to life.

We began by reading and discussing poetry selections from Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life by Cleo Wade.

We invite you to reflect on the poems here. Thank you to everyone who attended Saturday’s session!   

Do you want to help shape global learning for youth in Pittsburgh?

Applications are open to all high school aged youth who are passionate about global issues, understanding cultures, and elevating youth voices.

Applications are open through March 30, 2025! Learn more here.

📅  Date: April 5, 2025 
🕘 Time: 9 - 11 a.m. ET 
📍 Location: Posvar Hall 4303 (Center for Urban Education) 

On Saturday, April 5th, the WPWP will host Professional Writing: A Port in the Storm. This workshop focuses on reflection, community, and grounding ourselves in why we do what we do as literacy educators. By the end of the session, we will all be able to describe the role of reflective professional writing, both for ourselves and for our professional communities.

We will also explore potential avenues for sharing our writing–while acknowledging that sometimes, this writing might just be for us. We will explore personal reflection, professional blogs, and conference proposals,

Participants will have time to review a variety of types of professional writing and respond to them, personally and collaboratively.

We look forward to seeing many of you in person at the Center for Urban Education (room 4303 in Posvar Hall) at the University of Pittsburgh, and we welcome those who wish to attend virtually as well! We look forward to thinking, writing, and being together. 

Our Writing Marathon will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025 from 10 a.m. -1 p.m.

Save the date and sign up if you are interested in joining us! More information will be announced soon! 

The WPWP invites you to submit a proposal to PCTELA, the PA-wide affiliate organization of the National Council for Teachers of English!

All of us have the tools and the opportunity to cultivate safe or unsafe, fearful or brave spaces for tomorrow’s leaders. If you are a literacy educator who cares about empowering your students and fostering cultures of cooperation, we want to hear what you have to share! Whether you're a curious newcomer or an experienced educator eager to inspire, this is a welcoming space for all to connect and grow together. PCTELA seeks to create an enriching experience for educators, as we learn from one another and explore how to accept our power and responsibility as literacy teachers! 

This year, the PCTELA Conference will be held in Harrisburg, PA, on October 3rd and 4th, and will be offered virtually as well. All proposals must be submitted by March 31, 2025. 

If you have an event or opportunity to share with the WPWP community, let us know! We’d love to feature it in our next newsletter. 

We are continually enhancing our communication methods by addressing any gaps in contact information.

Please complete this contact form if you haven’t already. We encourage you to share it with others who might be interested in re/connecting with the WPWP network.