Since 1982, the Connecticut Writing Project at UConn has worked to improve writing instruction in Connecticut's schools. To that end, the CWP sponsors several opportunities for teachers to engage in quality professional development and for both teachers and K-12 students to publish their writing. Below are several forms for applying to some of these opportunities, including the Summer Institute, Connecticut Student Writers, and Letters About Literature. Click the icon above to visit our website, or email us at cwp@uconn.edu.
The Write On, Black Girl! Contest
The Connecticut Writing Project (CWP) sponsors Connecticut Student Writers, a magazine established in 1987 by the CWP to honor excellence in writings by students from kindergarten through high school and college undergraduates. In keeping with the mission of the annual Connecticut Student Writers contest, Write On, Black Girl! provides a space for qualifying participants in Connecticut to submit their original poetry, prose, memoir or artwork to be considered for our publication. Write On, Black Girl! aims to provide authorial validation and recognize the importance of writing in their lives. For some, writing for Write On, Black Girl! will be a steppingstone for further literary endeavors. With the second issue, we will publish the second edition of Write On, Black Girl!, a collection of poetry, prose, memoir or artwork written by Black girls, Black trans-girls, and Black gender non-conforming folx across the United States in order to foreground their voices in discussions about American identity.
We believe Write On, Black Girl! will provide publishing opportunities not only for participants in the state of Connecticut but also across the nation. From this large pool of poetry, essays, short stories, memoir, drama, and art, submissions are considered for publication by a panel of judges. And though we would like to publish all of the submissions, we must be selective.
Submission deadline extended to Saturday, May 11th, 2024!
Submission deadline is Monday, April 4th, 2025.
To submit, complete the electronic form here: https://connecticutwritingproject.submittable.com/submit/276679/2023-2024-write-on-black-girl
“The best professional development you’ll ever do!”
Courtney Baklik, ECE English teacher, Lyme/Old Lyme High School.
2025 CWP Summer Institute (SI) Details:
- Dates: June 23 to July 18, 2025 (Each weekday 8:30 AM-3:30 PM - off on July 4th)
- Applications Due: April 2, 2025, 11:59 PM
- Orientation: May 24, 2025 (8:30 AM-3:30 PM)
Compensation and Requirements
Compensation: All participants will receive an Aetna Fellowship of up to $6400 to cover partial or full tuition and fees (depending on how many educators are in the cohort) for 6 graduate credits, plus a mini-grant to extend research over the next year to continue the research they began during the Summer Institute. This grant can be used for anything academic/professional, e.g., to purchase books and pay for conference registrations, hotels, or flights.
*K-12 Classroom Teachers: The credits can be used toward a current or future degree, MA, 6th year, or plus 30. The coursework also paves the way to become ECE certified, host a Writing Center in your school, or even adjunct if there are openings! You’ll receive a mini-grant to build a classroom library, go to a conference, or do anything professionally beneficial.
*English Grad Students: This Fellowship covers summer coursework that your tuition waiver does not. You’ll get an additional mini-grant for research that can be used for travel and is quite unlimited in what you can do with it.
*Education Grad Students (Including students between 4th and 5th year of the IB/M): Your programs almost all accept 6 elective credits, so these two courses can be used toward your degree. All of your credits will be paid for, plus you’ll receive a mini-grant that you can use for your research, including travel costs. The funds will be yours to use!
Required Application Material:
*1-page essay on your teaching philosophy,
*Two letters of recommendation (one may be an email recommendation from a CWP Teacher-Consultant, meaning someone who has already completed a Summer Institute),
*A résumé or CV.
Contact me or my GA with any questions: maryjane.cook@uconn.edu or margaret.mcfarlane@uconn.edu