NWP Radio National Writing Project

Civics for the World to Come is a call to action, encouraging us all to reimagine our roles as educators and shift the purpose of schooling together. Providing a framework with suggestions for dialogue along with case studies from the classroom, this book is offered as a resource for teachers to start this journey, pragmatically but urgently. Listen to this NWP Radio interview with Drs. Nicole Mirra (https://gse.rutgers.edu/faculty/nicole-mirra/) and Antero Garcia (https://ed.stanford.edu/faculty/anterog) about their new book, Civics for the World to Come: Committing to Democracy in Every Classroom.

Dr. Muhammad (https://education.uic.edu/profiles/muhammad-gholnecsar/) is an Associate Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and she has previously served as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, school district administrator, curriculum director, and school board president. She studies Black historical excellence in education, intending to reframe curriculum and instruction today. Dr. Muhammad’s scholarship has appeared in leading academic journals and books. She has also received numerous national awards and is the author of the best-selling book, Cultivating Genius: An Equity Model for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy. She also co-authored Black girls’ literacies: An Edited Volume. Her newest book, Unearthing Joy, is the sequel to Cultivating Genius and provides a practical guide for putting culturally and historically responsive education into curricular practice.Dr. Muhammad is interviewed by Stacey Joy (https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-joy-7077a93/), a National Board Certified Teacher, Google Certified Educator, and 2013 L.A. County Teacher of the Year. Stacey has taught elementary school for 38 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Currently, she teaches 5th grade at Baldwin Hills Pilot and Gifted Magnet School. In addition to cultivating the genius and joy in her Joyteam scholars, she also mentors novice teachers and is a teacher-leader in her school district. Stacey is a UCLA Writing Project fellow and a dedicated writer with Dr. Sarah Donovan’s community of teacher-poets at Ethical ELA. Stacey is a self-published poet and she has poems published in various anthologies: Out of Anonymity, Savant Poetry Anthologies, Teacher Poets: Writing to Bridge the Distance, and Rhythm and Rhyme: Poems for Student Athletes. Stacey is a proud mom of two adults, Kenneth and Noelle.

This episode of The Write Time features Don P. Hooper (https://donphooper.com/), a writer and filmmaker of Jamaican heritage (and a programmer in a former life). His short story “Got Me a Jet Pack” is part of the New York Times bestselling anthology Black Boy Joy. His directing work has been featured in the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, the NY TV Film Festival (award winner), the New York City Horror Film Festival, the New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival (award winner), and more. He does voice-over in video games and documentaries. True True is his debut novel.Don is interviewed by Abimbola Cole Kai-Lewis (https://www.abimbolakailewis.com/) who is an Ethnomusicologist and educator with the New York City Department of Education and an adjunct assistant professor at York College–City University of New York.

NWP’s The Write Time will “Write Out” this month by welcoming poet and author Nikki Grimes (https://www.nikkigrimes.com/) discussing her new children’s book, A Walk in the Woods. She is interviewed by elementary school teacher and poet Willeena Booker and Park Ranger Maryann Zujewski.New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2022 CSK Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the ALAN Award for significant contributions to young adult literature, the Children's Literature Legacy Medal, and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. The author of Coretta Scott King Award-winner Bronx Masquerade, and five Coretta Scott King Author Honors, her most recent titles include the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults title Between the Lines, companion to Bronx Masquerade, NCTE Notable Words With Wings, the much acclaimed Garvey's Choice, One Last Word, Printz Honor and Sibert Honor Ordinary Hazards, ALA Notables Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance and Southwest Sunrise, Kirkus Best Books Bedtime for Sweet Creatures and Playtime for Restless Rascals,

Write Out (https://writeout.nwp.org), a program of the National Writing Project and the National Park Service, welcomes the poet-Ranger team of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument (https://www.nps.gov/bicr/index.htm): Alabama State Poet Laureate Ashley Jones (https://ashleymjonespoetry.com/), Magic City Festival Earth Poet Nabila Lovelace (https://nabilalovelace.com/), and Park Ranger Kat Gardiner. They share their work with youth and other community members exploring the intersections of poetry, prose, and place.Related links/resources:* Podcast - Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument (https://www.nps.gov/bicr/learn/photosmultimedia/podcast.htm) (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)* The Watsons Go to Birmingham (https://www.nps.gov/bicr/learn/education/the-watsons-go-to-birmingham-1963.htm)—1963 - Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)* Magic City Poetry Festival (https://www.magiccitypoetryfestival.org/)* “One-Way Ticket” by Langston Hughes (PDF) (https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/ows/seminars/tcentury/gmigration/Hughes_OneWayTicket.pdf)* Junior Ranger Booklet (PDF) (https://writeout.nwp.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BICR_Jr_Ranger_Book_2022_pages_with_bleeds.pdf)For more information, inspirations, and prompts for writing outside, visit http://writeout.nwp.org/ (http://writeout.nwp.org/).

Don’t miss this episode of The Write Time featuring Kate Dickerson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-dickerson-1561a78/), executive director of the Maine Discovery Museum, interviewing Meghan Wilson Duff (https://www.meghanwilsonduff.com/), about their children’s book, How Are You, Verity? in which Verity, a neurodivergent child with a love for sea creatures, interacts with neighbors to discover the true meaning behind greetings and salutations. Like many authors interviewed on The Write Time, Duff says they wanted to make the book they wish they’d had when they were a child. The show contains references to many more books with neurodivergent characters written by neurodivergent writers.