In early December, BLTN celebrated Cruz Medina and Bob Sullivan's recent publications: Sanctuary and Double Exposure. On our Zoom call full of Bread Loaf students and professors, Cruz and Bob spoke to how both their books—even with such different subject matter, from Guatemalan immigrants to a Civil War photographer—raise questions about the story of "America": who gets to tell it and how. Cruz particularly asked us as teachers to reflect on the "false promises of empowerment through literacy." an idea he unpacks in his book in autoethnography about teaching English classes at a Spanish-speaking church in the East Bay.  -Kurt Ostrow (MA '22), Event planner and moderator

Robert (MA '95, MLitt '00) and Dianne Baroz hosted a BLTN gathering at NCTE Boston this year. BLTN members and friends from across the years enjoyed conversation and food and drink. 

Please consider presenting your BLTN work at NCTE '25 in Denver. Proposals  are due January 29, 2025!  Read more. 

Back row from left: Tom McKenna (MA '96), Venecia Proctor (MA '24), Dianne Baroz, Robert Baroz (MA '95, MLitt '00), Michelle Wnuk (MA '23), Angela Jones, Wangeci Gitau-Damaskos (MA '24), Rich Gorham (MA '01), Ian Wilkins (MA '19), Erin Tabor (MA '23). Front row from left: Kendra Bauer (MA ' 18), Genithia Hogges (MA '24). Present but not in photo: Brendan McGrath (MA '08) 

BLTN NextGen members confer at El Taller in Lawrence, MA.

BLTN NextGen’s Youth Advisory Board is a group of young people charged with setting network priorities and advising on communication, publications, budgets, grant funding, and agendas for cross-site meetings. The board meets monthly, online, via Zoom. Contact any of the Youth Advisory Board members for more information on their work, or contact Tom McKenna, BLTN NextGen Director, about the network as a whole. This year, the network is chaired by Jesse Cleaves (Louisville, KY), and Menna Dawelbeit and Tien Hoang (both of Henrico, VA). Chairs set the monthly agenda and facilitate meetings. 

Lakeisha and Latrisha Quintana facilitated the December 2 Writing Workshop at Santa Fe Indian School. 

As the second session in the four-session "Family and Faith: The Core of Native Identity" sequence, Santa Fe Indian School students gave attendees (in person and via Zoom) both a history lesson and a writing workshop. Under the guidance of their mentor, Michael Martinez, the SFIS twin-sister NextGen members presented “ Building a Nation: Lessons from Native American Tribes in the U.S. Constitutional Framework” (See their writing prompts below.)

The next event in the series, facilitated by Laura Jagles' (MA '04; MLitt '16) seniors, will take place February 10, 2025. The BLTN community is invited, as always. Contact Susan Miera (MA '97) with questions. 

Lena Ashooh, a founding youth member of BLTN NextGen and a What's the Story? filmmaker, has been named a Rhodes Scholar. A senior at Harvard University from Shelburne, VT, Lena will pursue a concentration in animal studies at Oxford University next year. We can trace Lena's passion for the multidisciplinary field back to her early films with What's the Story?, including "Animal Cruelty: Where Do You Draw the Line?" and "Bull". Lena reflects that her formative experiences in these two BLTN ventures were among “the most influential and important community-building experiences of my childhood/young-adult life”.

See the full press release from Harvard University. 

Tim O'Leary (MA '07), one of Lena's mentors in What's the Story, as it turns out, will be taking the helm as lead principal of Charlotte (Vermont) Central School in January. O'Leary, who has directed the What's the Story? program for ten years, reflects on the new role in the Champlain Valley School District's news release. “The opportunity to serve as principal at Charlotte Central School is both exciting and deeply meaningful...Stepping into this role inspires me to lead and collaborate within an already high-functioning team that benefits from the strengths and leadership of many. I look forward to building on the strong foundation here and continuing to develop durable and collaborative relationships with the staff and the community, all in an effort to support the success of our students.”

NEW: Bread Loaf offers Bridge Scholarships for Winter Institute participants to attend a BLSE summer session. Read more. 

Ready for another enriching weekend at Bread Loaf? This year, the Winter Institute will be February 21-23, 2025 and you can earn 13 professional development hours though workshops and creative exercises. This year’s theme is Reading Across Difference, and we have a brand-new slate of engaging workshops on offer.

You will learn how interactive performance-based teaching can work in your classroom and hear from youth about the impact of community-based learning. When the session concludes, you can choose to cross-country ski at Middlebury’s Rikert Nordic Center or downhill ski at the Middlebury Snowbowl at discounted rates! Participants can stay on campus in our historic inn or commute to Ripton.

Discover more on our Winter Institute website or reach out to us at blse@middlebury.edu with your questions.

If you haven’t yet done so, it’s time to re-enroll in BLSE!  Summer 2025 re-enrollment forms are now available on your portal, and dates and fees are posted on the website. The full list of 2025 courses and faculty will be available imminently. Keep an eye on the website. We look forward to seeing you for Summer 2025!

Happy Holidays from the Bread Loaf Teacher Network Staff! 

Image from the January page of the 2025 Middlebury College calendar. Photo credit: Brett Simison

Please notify us of accomplishments you’d like to share in the monthly newsletter. We're also interested in promoting reader resource sharing. Do you have a unit you'd like to share or a topic you'd like to discuss? Be in touch. 

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