WRITERS IN THE SCHOOLS

"As a child I could have not imagined meeting a writer. From what I studied in school,
I thought they were all dead. My lifelong love for Eudora Welty came because
she was the only writer we read in school who was alive."
Ann Patchett, PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author of Bel Canto
and Truth & Beauty

Writers in the Schools is an educational outreach program that features writing mentorships, guest speakers and extra-curricular activities in public schools of the Roaring Fork Valley. The goal of this collaborative program is to emphasize the importance of writing and literature to students and teachers and enhance existing curriculum in the language arts. Writers in the Schools serves more than 500 students annually and involves the participation of 15 local and national professional writers each year.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt shares lessons of his life as a "Teacher Man" with 150 Aspen High School students.

The current focus of Writers in the Schools is fourfold:

	Lead Aspen High School students in the production of the school's literary magazine, nepsaMERGE
	Direct Aspen Middle School eighth-graders in the production of the school's monthly newspaper
	Sponsor creative writing mentorships in the fifth through eighth grades
	Bring notable authors to speak at school assemblies

Sessions such as these are a unique opportunity for students to meet face to face with authors who are making a significant contribution to our modern literary landscape. What better way to inspire our next generation of writers than by exposing them to these potential role models?

Bestselling author Eric Schlosser interacts with students of Aspen High School