2019 News Stories

Tampa Bay Area Writing Project announces summer programming for K-12 students, teachers

Tampa Bay Area Writing Project Logo

TAMPA, Fla. (March 27, 2019) – The Tampa Bay Area Writing Project has announced its Summer 2019 programming for both K-12 students and teachers across the Tampa Bay Area.

Each summer, the Tampa Bay Area Writing Project hosts a series of professional development workshops and summer camps to inspire both teachers and students to extend and enrich their writing practices.

Summer 2019 programming is listed below. For more information, please contact Pat Daniel Jones, Ph.D. at pdaniel@usf.edu.

The Invitational Leadership Institute

The Invitational Leadership Institute is a two-week long professional development workshop hosted at the University of South Florida’s College of Education. The program is open to educators across the Tampa Bay area who wish to grow their skills as English and writing teachers and who aspire to become mentors to their peers.

Participants will engage in extensive writing experiences and in reflection on their own writing, as well as in sharing their expertise with other teachers. After successful completion of the program, participants will become Tampa Bay Area Writing Project Teaching Consultants for the 2019-20 school year.

The Invitational Leadership Institute will be hosted at the Å·ÃÀÈý¼¶Æ¬ Tampa campus from June 10-21, 2019. An additional meeting for the institute will also take place on May 18.

Young Writers Camps

The Tampa Bay Area Writing Project’s Young Writers Camps provide an environment in which writers feel safe to explore their abilities and receive feedback on the writing process from their peers and Tampa Bay Area Writing Project Teaching Consultants.

Imaginative Creative Explorers (I.C.E.)

I.C.E. camps are open to students ages 8-16 and are fast-paced and vigorous, with writing lessons that are both in-depth and challenging. Each session lasts two weeks and takes place Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tuition is $400 and includes a t-shirt and a copy of an anthology containing a collection of the campers’ writing produced during the program.

  • June 3-14 – Trinity Oaks Elementary Schools (Trinity/Pasco County) –
  • June 17-28 – Palma Ceia United Methodist Church (South Tampa) –
  • June 17-28 – Corbett Prep of IDS (Tampa/Carrollwood Area) –
  • July 8-19 – Shorecrest Prep (St. Petersburg Area) –
Elevating Anthologies to Reach Today’s High-standards (E.A.R.T.H.)

A newly launching program in 2019, E.A.R.T.H. works in conjunction with other young writers camps to help publish the Youth Programs Annual Publication, an anthology of works created by the young authors participating in the Tampa Bay Area Writing Project’s summer programming.

The E.A.R.T.H. program is designed for students entering yearbook, newspaper and literary magazine classes and will feature numerous guest speakers and opportunities to explore various forms of journalism and publishing. The program will meet on Wednesday evenings in June and July at the University of South Florida’s iTeach Lounge. Tuition is $300.

Fiercely Imaginative and Remarkably Expressive (F.I.R.E.)

Inspired by the success of the I.C.E. programs, F.I.R.E. is a two-week program that provides an environment in which writers feel safe to explore their abilities and receive feedback on the writing process from their peers and Tampa Bay Area Writing Project Consultants. Tuition is $300 and includes a t-shirt, a copy of an anthology containing a collection of the campers’ writing produced during the program.

June 17-27 — Weightman Middle School (sessions are hosted Monday through Thursday with a Friday field trip) –

Writers And Teachers Engaged in Revision (W.A.T.E.R.)

Open to students in grades 6-12, W.A.T.E.R. is a week-long program in which students explore different writing themes to help them produce their own fictional stories. Participants also receive one-on-one help with their writing from teachers participating in the Invitational Summer Institute. Tuition is $200 per session.

  • June 10-14 – Theme: Choose Your Own Adventure –
  • June 17-21 – Theme: World Building –
Writers In Need of Direction (W.I.N.D.)

W.I.N.D. is a program designed for high school and college students. The program includes activities that are almost entirely feedback based, with participants sharing their writings and providing constructive responses to their peers. W.I.N.D. will meet each Tuesday and Thursday in June and July from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. on the Å·ÃÀÈý¼¶Æ¬ campus.

About the Tampa Bay Area Writing Project:

The is a nonprofit professional development organization that works to create lifelong writers. Founded in 1998, the project is modeled after the , an organization comprised of nearly 200 local sites that utilize a professional development model of teachers teaching other teachers how to improve their writing instruction. The program is housed in the David C. Anchin Center for the Advancement of Teaching at the University of South Florida’s College of Education.