Fall 2011 has been a stellar season for WITS Colorado, thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. We have included two new sites in Pueblo and Grand Junction, which means we are now across the entire state!
During a series of six to ten-week residencies we helped 675 students from elementary, middle, and high schools create writing and published it in an anthology for each school. In October our resident writers were trained by national River of Words co-founder Pamela Michaels, and they helped teachers submit their students poetry to the River of Words contest. Our anthology celebrations were a big hit, attended by parents and community alike.
This Spring we will continue our partnership with University of Denver’s Creative Writing program, training their graduate and undergraduate students in the WITS model. We will also expand the program to the northern part of the state, adding two new schools in Greeley and one more in the Grand Junction area.
by Tim Hernandez, WITS Colorado
Colorado Arts and Humanities
witsalliance.org 