Outreach Programs

Letters About Literature

Letters About Literature, a contest administered by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, invites students from grades four through twelve to write a letter to an author of their choice. Each Spring the winners are given their awards at a State House reception; in 2006 more than 4,000 students participated. The winners go on to a national competition.

Calderwood Conversations

Calderwood Conversations, a series of collaborative discussions at the University of Maine-Farmington, brings together groups of high school and college teachers to discuss standards and expectations for writing students at different levels.

Boston Writing Project Summer Writing Institute at UMass-Boston

Since 1988, the Boston Writing Project has hosted and administered a popular summer writers' workshop for Boston public school students in grades six through twelve. With support from the Calderwood Writing Initiative, in 2006 the Boston Writing Project expanded its workshop offerings by adding expository writing to its creative writing offerings.

Teen Voices

Published by Boston-based Women Express, Inc., Teen Voices is a drop-in journalism program that pairs local teen editors with young writers who contribute stories from all over the country--and, increasingly, the globe. Funding and guidance from the Calderwood Writing Initiative have enabled the creation of writing-based activities to help people working with teen girls to use the magazine as a departure point for further discussion.Teen Voices Online

The Memoir Project

In 2006, the Calderwood Writing Initiative joined forces with Grub Street Writers and the City of Boston in support of a unique project that teaches the craft of writing to seniors in free workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions. Workshops took place in the North End, South Boston, Roxbury and Chinatown in 2006, and more are planned for other Boston neighborhoods in 2007-2008.The Memoir Project