Rhode Island Writing Project

05/21/2026

Seven intrepid educators braved the threat of rain last Saturday, May 9, to participate in this year’s “Urban Oasis”themed Writing Marathon. In the Valley neighborhood of Providence, we walked along the Woonasquatucket Greenway, pausing to reflect on the nature of oases, urban rivers, the arts, and community. Once a post-industrial wasteland, Valley is now a thriving arts community and resource for fresh food and job training. We started our walk at Farm Fresh RI, then followed the river and across Valley Street to the site of a fish ladder monitored by volunteers for the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council. Along the way were sculpture and murals as well as signage addressing environmental remediation — trash filters, native plantings — that fed into our writing. It was the perfect blend of people, nature, reflection, and writing. Hope to see you all at the next RIWP gathering!

05/21/2026

Register Here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfIwq9YWlQqjMHMecLCsFntDs16I9TSE_o7OPfClwFJEo-_NQ/viewform

Join us this summer at NTC for a collaborative and supportive professional development opportunity for first through third year teachers! This experience will provide you with strategies for successful teaching practices, efficient day-to-day routines, self-care, and meeting others who are on this journey with you. NTC’s camp counselors, Nora Pace and Seth Curran, are experienced teachers who will lead full-group gatherings, provide individual writing time, invite guest speakers, and offer many opportunities for learning. You can reach out to [email protected] with any questions.

July 21-23 and 28-30, 9-2
Cost: FREE

Register Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfIwq9YWlQqjMHMecLCsFntDs16I9TSE_o7OPfClwFJEo-_NQ/viewform

05/20/2026

The Rhode Island Writing Project Year-End Spirit Wear Sale has been extended and now the savings are even bigger!!! Use code BADGER26 at checkout and save up to 30% off already slashed prices sitewide!

05/17/2026

Ava Perry is a double major at Rhode Island College, specializing in Secondary Education and English. She describes caring for a disabled parent and feeling invisible in her blog, Standing in Plain Sight.

by Ava Perry

05/17/2026

Congratulations to Sean Magee, our May Teacher Feature!

05/07/2026

Happy Teacher appreciation week! Thank you to all the teachers who show up for their students and believe in them when no one else does. You make the world a better place.

Teachers make the world better in ways people don’t always see.

And yes, this also comes in poster form too. Print it for your classroom, hallway, or staff appreciation display. 💛

Grab the FREE Teacher Appreciation poster bundle in the comments. 👇

05/05/2026

Don't forget to register for our last spring event!

The RIWP's annual Writing Marathon will take place on Saturday, May 9th from 9-12. “Urban Oasis” is We’ll meet at Farm Fresh RI (10 Sims Avenue, Unit 103) to discover a part of Providence that is off the beaten track of most visitors: the Woonasquatucket Greenway. We’ll walk along the river, and get to know a part of the city that has been transformed from a post-industrial wasteland into an urban greenway and hub for arts, culture and food!

Register Here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdf9tMUiFjUxKxS7g4m17sWrcl-9mLg7tr2HuW0Q2zLWlzxw/viewform?usp=header

04/27/2026

The RIWP's annual Writing Marathon will take place on Saturday, May 9th from 9-12. “Urban Oasis” is We’ll meet at Farm Fresh RI (10 Sims Avenue, Unit 103) to discover a part of Providence that is off the beaten track of most visitors: the Woonasquatucket Greenway. We’ll walk along the river, and get to know a part of the city that has been transformed from a post-industrial wasteland into an urban greenway and hub for arts, culture and food!

Register Here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdf9tMUiFjUxKxS7g4m17sWrcl-9mLg7tr2HuW0Q2zLWlzxw/viewform?usp=header

04/27/2026

The school year Open Air Institute (OAI), usually within Rhode Island, occasionally ventures beyond the borders. Inspired by Hartford’s city motto, Post Nubila Phoebus (After Clouds, the Sun), this place-based day trip invited participants to explore the literary landscape of an historic New England city. From the Gilded Age to today, authors have shaped Hartford’s story through their resistance and revival, balancing storm and sun. We traced literary legacies, contested narratives, wrote in spaces tended by generations of immigrant hands, and walked where poets found unlikely inspiration—exploring how Hartford’s writers turned their words into action. Starting at Nook Farm, we focused on advocacy and toured the Stowe Center for Literary Activism and walked around the grounds which include the Mark Twain House & Museum. We then moved into the history of immigration, examining white flight, waves of immigration, and literary voices of immigrant communities in the shifting landscape before eating at the culinary- and culture-rich Parkville Market. We next engaged with the story of Wallace Stevens and walked part of of his daily walk to explore “13 Ways of Looking at Blackbirds” and other nuances within nature and philosophy. We ended the day at Elizabeth Park, looking at the park as a third space for residents and thinking about who tended and sowed what we see, whose names are remembered and why, how people write stories every day by living. The seven participants serve over 400 students collectively and look forward to taking the embodied learning and ways of thinking and seeing and being back to their classrooms.

04/20/2026

Join us this summer at NTC for a collaborative and supportive professional development opportunity for first through third year teachers! This experience will provide you with strategies for successful teaching practices, efficient day-to-day routines, self-care, and meeting others who are on this journey with you. NTC’s camp counselors, Nora Pace and Seth Curran, are experienced teachers who will lead full-group gatherings, provide individual writing time, invite guest speakers, and offer many opportunities for learning. You can reach out to [email protected] with any questions.

July 21-23 and 28-30, 9-2
Cost: FREE

Register Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfIwq9YWlQqjMHMecLCsFntDs16I9TSE_o7OPfClwFJEo-_NQ/viewform

04/10/2026

Brent Cheetham is a former explosives and narcotics working dog handler for the US Army. He now studies English and secondary education at Rhode Island College. Read about his canine partner, Rony, in The Life of a Working Dog:

by Brent Cheetham