BLTN members joined Dr. Marianela Rivera and Kassie Infante Thursday, March 7, for an informative presentation on supporting youth activism through recognizing and disrupting adultism. Rich conversation about strategies for supporting youth expression and activism ensued. 

Congratulations to our Spring 2024 Change Action Grant applicants. We had many strong submissions for projects addressing the aims of the Middlebury College Conflict Transformation initiative.  We awarded...

Keep an eye out for a late spring offering of Dixie Goswami Action Grants for BLTN teachers. What would you fund for Fall 2024?

(Above) At the inaugural Bread Loaf School of English Winter Institute, February 16-18, BLTN NextGen Youth Advisory Board Members Farren Stainton (onsite) and Katherine Titus (via Zoom) facilitated an Andover Bread Loaf style Family Literacy Night for 50 teacher participants, plus faculty. (Below) On Saturday March 9, NextGen's Youth Advisory Board facilitated "Writing for Peace," an interactive writing program featuring guest artist Naomi Shihab Nye. NextGen youth and mentors have begun planning a July gathering on the Ripton Bread Loaf campus with What's the Story: The Young Filmmakers' Social Action Team. 

Congratulations to Mary Baillie, whose paper from her Queer 1890s Bread Loaf course has been accepted by the International Journal of Drama Education, to be published in early 2025, to Genithia Hogges who published “Answering the Call: a Case Study in American Music” in the Fall 2023 issue of the Massachusetts Music Educators Journal, and to Dr. Marianela Rivera, who with Kassandra Infante, published the chapter "Cultivating Democratic Learning Spaces: A Framework for Transformational Civics by HomePlace Collective" in Designing Democratic Learning Spaces: A Global Perspective (Macmillan, 2024).

We're happy to recognize the success of Loree Johnson's and Alex Silva's students who advanced to regional and state competitions with Poetry Out Loud.

Laura Jagles MA '04, MLitt '16 has joined the staff of Santa Fe Indian School, with a post as English Language Arts and AP Literature and Composition teacher. 

We're thrilled to announce that Kurt Ostrow MA '22 will be assisting Tom McKenna in the publication of the BLTN Journal. A prolific writer and a passionate teacher, Kurt brings great energy and expertise to the role. Kurt is completing his MFA at The Ohio State University. Before moving to Columbus for his MFA work, Kurt taught at a public high school in Massachusetts and attended Bread Loaf as a Macrorie Fellow. His work has appeared in Rethinking Schools, The New York Times, and elsewhere. For more on Kurt, visit his website.

Tell Your Story of "Teaching and Writing in the Anti-Woke Moment". Please read the 2024 Call for BLTN Journal Submissions and contact Tom McKenna, Journal Editor, with any questions, or to discuss ideas for submissions. 

Millions for Mental Health. The U.S. Department of Education recently announced a grant competition for schools to support school-based mental health with awards ranging from $500k to $3 million. The deadline is April 30.

Refugee Youth in Schools. Harvard Medical School is offering a webinar on creating welcoming school communities for refugee and immigrant youth and families. 3 - 5 pm, March 19.

Please notify us of accomplishments you’d like to share in the monthly newsletter. 

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