Category Archives: Education

Annenberg Foundation Pledges $1 Million to Principia College for Visiting Scholars Program

Posted on October 31, 2006 by Aurel

Elsah, IL (PRWEB via PRWeb) October 30, 2006 — Principia College has been awarded a $1 million grant by The Annenberg Foundation to endow a Visiting Scholars Program within the College’s newly formed Leonore Annenberg Center for Educational Innovation. Modeled after programs at the nation’s finest institutions, the new Visiting Scholars Program will draw leading scholars, diplomats, writers, and civic and business leaders to Principia for short-term teaching and writing opportunities.
Principia sponsors a number of programs that, in recent years, have brought distinguished public servants and scholars to the College campus including George H. W. Bush, Colin Powell, Sandra Day O’Connor, Margaret Thatcher, Jimmy Carter, Thomas Friedman, and six Nobel Peace Laureates. The Visiting Scholars Program will further enrich the academic curriculum by providing students with the opportunity to interact directly with distinguished thought leaders beyond the boundaries of a one-time speaking engagement.

Posted in Articles, Education |

Profile in Courage Essay Contest for High School Students

Posted on October 25, 2006 by Aurel

The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation announced the 2007 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest is accepting submissions from U.S. high school students. A first place cash prize of $3,000 will be awarded.

The annual Profile in Courage Essay Contest invites students to write an essay about a political issue at the local, state or national level and an elected official in the United States who is acting or has acted courageously to address that issue. The contest is a companion program of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, named for President Kennedy’s 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “Profiles in Courage,” which recounts the stories of American statesmen, the obstacles they faced and the special valor they demonstrated despite the risks. The essay contest is sponsored by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and generously supported by Fidelity Investments.

Students and teachers may access the contest’s Web site at http://www.jfklibrary.org. The deadline for entry is Jan. 6, 2007.

(Read the original article here)

Posted in Awards, Education, Resources, Websites |

Scholastic Gears Up for Annual Writing Contest for Kids

Posted on October 25, 2006 by Aurel

The Scholastic Book Fairs announces the 2007 Kids Are Authors competition, a national book-writing contest for teams of student writers in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Kids Are Authors encourages students to use reading, writing and artistic skills to write and illustrate their own books. The winning books are published and distributed nationwide through Scholastic Book Fairs.

Since its inception in 1986, the Kids Are Authors competition has encouraged thousands of children to write and illustrate original books. Students develop their entries in groups of three or more under the supervision of a teacher or other faculty member who serves as the project coordinator. Entries are judged by a panel of authors and publishing experts on originality, content, overall appeal to children, quality of artwork and the compatibility ofand illustrations.

Each year, two grand prize winners are selected for fiction and nonfiction, along with 25 honorable mentions. In addition to having their books published, the grand prize winners receive a medal, a commemorative certificate and a copy of their published book. Their school receives a $5,000 Scholastic Book Fairs product voucher and 100 copies of the printed book. Scholastic Book Fairs also awards $500 in merchandise and Certificates of Merit to 25 runnerup schools.

Schools interested in participating in the 2007 Kids Are Authors writing contest can find detailed information online at http://www.scholastic.com/kidsareauthors. The deadline for entries is March 15, 2007.

(courtesy Metrowest Daily News)

Posted in Articles, Awards, Contests, Education |

NEA Launches 'The Big Read'

Posted on October 23, 2006 by Aurel

The National Endowment for the Arts has launched a nationwide program to help bring reading back to the forefront of American Culture.

“The Big Read answers a big need. Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America, a 2004 report by the National Endowment for the Arts, found that not only is literary reading in America declining rapidly among all groups, but that the rate of decline has accelerated, especially among the young. The concerned citizen in search of good news about American literary culture would study the pages of this report in vain.”

“The Big Read aims to address this crisis squarely and effectively. It provides citizens with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their communities. The initiative includes innovative reading programs in selected cities and towns, comprehensive resources for discussing classic literature, an ambitious national publicity campaign, and an extensive Web site providing comprehensive information on authors and their works.”

“Each community event lasts approximately one month and includes a kick-off event to launch the program locally, ideally attended by the mayor and other local luminaries; major events devoted specifically to the book (panel discussions, author reading, and the like); events using the book as a point of departure (film screenings, theatrical readings, and so forth); and book discussions in diverse locations and aimed at a wide range of audiences.”

(More from the Official Site)

Posted in Education, Reading, Resources, Websites |

Creative Writing May Boost Doctors' Bedside Manners

Posted on October 21, 2006 by Aurel

Findings of a recent study at Yale University, suggest that residents who complete a creative writing course as part of their curriculum may be better able to see patients as more than just another bed.

“The effect, according to the researchers, seems to stem from the fact that the residents not only reflected on their own emotions and the experiences of their patients, but also wrote it down as a story.  

“Focusing on the craft of writing, in other words, provides a means of increasing one’s powers of observation and improving one’s understanding of both self and others”

Read the full article here

 

Posted in Articles, Education |

Amy Tan Speaks at Purdue University

Posted on October 20, 2006 by Aurel

“On paper, best-selling author Amy Tan’s teenage years — having graduated from high school in a Swiss resort town nestled near the French Alps — are worthy of envy.

“It sounds so hoighty-toighty. … But we got to Switzerland through a can of old Dutch cleanser,” Tan told a large crowd Thursday night at Purdue University.

The author of The Joy Luck Club, which explores the relationship between Chinese mothers and Chinese-American daughters, was relaying the story of how her mother decided to uproot the family from California to Holland.

The decision was made after Daisy Tan, described as a “germophobe” by her daughter, found the cleaner under the kitchen sink.

The tale was one of several Amy Tan shared during her talk before hundreds at Elliot Hall of Music, the third installment in the Purdue University Libraries Distinguished Lecture Series.having graduated from high school in a Swiss resort town nestled near the French Alps — are worthy of envy.

“It sounds so hoighty-toighty. … But we got to Switzerland through a can of old Dutch cleanser,” Tan told a large crowd Thursday night at Purdue University.

“The author of The Joy Luck Club, which explores the relationship between Chinese mothers and Chinese-American daughters, was relaying the story of how her mother decided to uproot the family from California to Holland.

“The decision was made after Daisy Tan, described as a ‘germophobe’ by her daughter, found the cleaner under the kitchen sink.

“The tale was one of several Amy Tan shared during her talk before hundreds at Elliot Hall of Music, the third installment in the Purdue University Libraries Distinguished Lecture Series.”

Read Sophia Voravong’s Article here.

Posted in Articles, Author Tours, Authors, Education, Events, Interviews |

J-S COLUMN: How to bag a writing job

Posted on October 19, 2006 by Aurel

“Few appreciate the craft of composition. One of my pet peeves involves placing a subordinate clause or phrase in front of the main phrase in a sentence. I hate it when a reporter starts a sentence with “according to …” or some other introductory word or phrase. Put the horses before the carts and you’ll get somewhere. Let the main ideas lead the sentences and you’re on your way to good composition.

Now write some letters to relatives, friends and sweethearts. It’s good practice for writing potential employers. Don’t be too formal. Use vocabulary and tell concise stories that reveal your sense of humor and personality, assuming you have at least a little of either. Cut out as many first-person pronouns as possible. (Attach the letter to an e-mail. Employers hate millennium-speak e-mails from job applicants.)

A well-written one-page letter breaks you into the business. Good writing arms you with the silver bullet you need to bag a writing job.”

Steven A. Trosley, The Journal Standard

Posted in Articles, Education |

Good Writing: Essential to Career Advancement

Posted on October 19, 2006 by Aurel

“IN THE 90’s a report by the US Labor Department said that most executives cited writing as one of the most neglected skills in the business world and yet one of the most important to productivity. In the same report executives noted that most future jobs will require writing skills, and so in a labor force full of mediocre writers someone who writes well is bound to stand out. “  The Sun Star

Business leaders and school faculty are now recognizing the importance of writing skills in career advancement. 

“Writing is a continuous process where students learn to refine and improve their skills throughout life. Our role is to provide the students with a love of writing and the skills to do it as well as possible:” says CIS superintendent Mark Bretherton.

As the former governor of West Virginia said, “In the end, communication makes (things) work, that’s why its important for schools and colleges to ensure that all graduates learn how to communicate clearly and concisely in paper.”

Read the full article here.

Posted in Articles, Education, Resources |

Politics and Odds-makers in the Quest for Nobel Crown.

Posted on October 19, 2006 by Aurel

“The overriding question is how do the writer’s politics factor into the nomination and award? Is the prize for literature or for politics? More and more, critics say, the prize “has gone to a person who has the correct sex, geographical address, ethnic origin and political profile” – correct as determined by the Swedish Academy. Swedish literary critic Mats Gellerfelt, quoted in a New Yorker article in 1999, agreed: “The ideal candidate for the Nobel Prize today,” he said, “would be a lesbian from Asia.”

Get the full story from The Sidney Morning Herald

Posted in Articles, Awards, Education |

Solitude Fellowship Application Deadline Looms

Posted on October 17, 2006 by Aurel

Applications for the 2007-2009 Akademie Schloss Solitude, in Stuttgart, Germany must be postmarked no later than October 31, 2006.  The full service residence fellowship in Arts, Science or Business provides an opportunity for writers in several disciplines to receive either a 6 or 12 month residency which includes travel expenses, workshops, and a studio with all expenses paid while they work on perfecting their craft.

More information is available on the Official Site.

Posted in Contests, Education, Resources, Websites |