NCTE's 1st Annual National Day on Writing

— Douglas Grudzina

How are you going to celebrate the nation’s first National Day on Writing?

That’s right, folks, Tuesday, October 20, 2009, has been designated the National Day on Writing. Congress is even considering issuing a resolution officially establishing the day (H.Res.524).

(Hey! Maybe you could have your students write a letter or e-mail to you Representative in support of this resolution!)

Conceived of, and sponsored by, the National Council of Teachers of English, the N.D. on W. is intended to “draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing we engage in and help make writers from all walks of life aware of their craft.”

On that day—again, its Tuesday, October 20—the much-anticipated National Gallery of Writing will be unveiled.

This months-long project (NCTE began accepting nominations in May) is a digital collection—or actually a series of digital collections—of writing from all across the country, from students, and teachers, and professional writers, and amateur wannabees, and office drones, and adrenaline junkies—in short, from anyone and everyone who writes in the course of his or her life.

Many schools have established their own galleries as a part of the National Gallery, and their students’ and teachers’ work will be unveiled. Many NCTE-State-Affiliates have set up galleries.

It’s a massive effort, and the fruits of the endeavor will be unveiled to the world on the National Day on Writing, October 20, 2009.

So what can you do on October 20?

Of course you want to encourage your students to write, and you want to acknowledge all of the times in their days that they do write. You can also begin to build an exhibit of the vast amount of writing you and your students consume. Even students who think they don’t consume writing (i.e., don’t read) view movies and television shows that somebody writes,listen to radio and podcasts that somebody writes, read blogs, and facebook and myspace updates that somebody writes,and so on.

So, with a little more than a week before the Big Unveiling and the national focus on “how integral writing has become to daily life in the 21st century,” let’s sharpen our pencils, warm up our keyboards, and get ready to celebrate writing!

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Follow NCTE Day on Writing at Twitter
Become a Member of the NCTE Day on Writing Facebook Group
Join the National Day on Writing Ning
Stop by the Learning Lab at this year's NCTE Convention in Philadelphia, PA