Missoula Writing Collaborative

TEACHING LITERARY COMPETENCE, CRITICAL THINKING AND CULTURAL AWARENESS THROUGH CREATIVE WRITING.

MISSOULA WRITING COLLABORATIVE (MWC) TEACHERS ARE PROFESSIONAL WRITERS WHO HAVE WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED MANY BOOKS IN THEIR LIFE'S WORK. ONE OF THE MANY THINGS THE TEACHERS OF MWC OFFER ARE 12-WEEK RESIDENCIES. THESE RESIDENCIES TAUGHT POETRY TO MORE THAN 2250 CHILDREN IN 39 SCHOOLS ACROSS WESTERN MONTANA IN 2020-2021. THESE TEACHINGS INCLUDE RESIDENCIES ON THE FLATHEAD RESERVATION OF THE CONFEDERATED SALISH AND KOOTENAI TRIBES. PARTICIPATING STUDENTS IN THE PROGRAMS ORGANIZE PERFORMANCES, READ ON MONTANA PUBLIC RADIO'S "PEA GREEN BOATX AND ALSO POST THEIR WORKS OF POETRY ON MWC SOCIAL MEDIA. MWC ALSO WORKED WITH BALLET BEYOND BOUNDARIES TO BRING INTERNATIONAL BALLET AND FOLK DANCERS TO SCHOOLS IN WESTERN MONTANA. STUDENTS THEN WROTE POETRY ABOUT THESE EVENTS AND PRESENTED IT TO THE DANCERS. MWC HOSTS A SUMMER CAMP "WORDS WITH WINGS" EACH YEAR FOR MORE THAN 50 CHILDREN, AS WELL AS WRITING WORKSHOPS FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN TO WRITE BOTH POETRY AND MUSIC. OUR STUDENTS PERFORME THESE WORKS ON MONTANA PUBLIC RADIO.MWC IS ALSO A FISCAL SPONSOR FOR FREE VERSE, A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM THAT TEACHES WRITING TO KIDS IN MONTANA JUVENILE DETENTION FACILITIES. IN ADDITION, TWICE A YEAR MWC HOSTS "THE WRITERS' ROOM" WHICH ARE ONE DAY AND FOUR-WEEK CLASSES FOR ADULTS. CLASSES INCLUDE POETRY, FICTION, MEMOIR AND A POPULAR COURSE ON WRITING YOUR OWN OBITUARY. FOR NATIONAL POETRY MONTH, MANY WRITING EVENTS ARE ORGANIZED BY MWC, INCLUDING A POETRY HUNT AND SCAVENGER AND OTHER POETRY WRITING ACTIVITIES.