Every Day I Write #EveryDayIWrite Every Day I Write #EveryDayIWrite Every Day I Write #EverydayIWrite @MarcelleHaddix @WOLSyracuse

Eleven years ago, Dr. Marcelle Haddix at Syracuse University recruited me with a question, "Crandall, you want to help with a community writing event? A conference?" We worked on a collaborative grant, the Joan N. Burstyn Award which was awarded, and as a result I received Marcelle's mentorship, new community partners and locations to work with, and a hope for 50 students. Nope. It was standing room only.

Eleven years ago! 

And Dr. Marcelle Haddix keeps the magic going.

This year, Marcelle and her team are putting the action into digital spaces, offering writing prompts everyday, and culminating the writing activities in a virtual conference. The conference is Saturday and you can keep up with the call and prompts on the Writing Our Lives ~ Believe in Syracuse Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WOLwritingourlives.

Today's prompt was to respond to #EveryDayIWrite in our notebooks, but I'm pushing 50 (an old fart in the eyes of youth) and I've been writing online EVERY DAY for 13 years. Before that, I wrote every day in composition books and journals (ask my friends and my students)(my shelves are loaded with my doodles, thoughts, quotes, stories, poems, ideas, research, autographs, and collections). The same can be said of Calendric Crandall and the other themed blogs since 2008. 

Wow. Here's the first Writing Our Lives post in 2010: a poem called Writing Our Lives. It seems like yesterday we were welcoming drenched, soaking wet kids to WOL and giving them notebooks, pens, and incredible workshops. 

#EveryDayIWrite

Each summer, we put the following list on the back of our t-shirts. Why Write? Because #EveryDayIWrite

TO EXPRESS TO REFLECT TO  GROWTO  THINK TO COMMUNICATE TO BELIEVE TO KNOW TO  TAKE A STANCE TO EXPLORE TO QUESTION TO  REPORT TO DISCOVER TO PERFORM TO SING TO INQUIRE TO DREAM TO PROMOTE TO SEEK INFORMATION TO COMPLAIN TO ENTERTAIN TO ARTICULATE TO BLOG TO SHARE TO TO BE PROFESSIONAL TO MOVE ON TO HISTORICIZE TO RAP TO RELAX TO MAKE A CHANGE TO BELONG TO PLAN TO BE PART OF THE STORY TO MANIPULATE TO FLIRT TO RECORD TO FEEL TO ORGANIZE TO FORGET TO TRY NEW THINGS TO FLY TO CREATE TO LEARN TO TAKE NOTES TO PLAN TO LIST TO FASCINATE TO PLAY TO HUMANIZE TO SING TO MAKE JAZZ TO HOPE TO ACHIEVE TO ARGUE TO IMAGINE TO VOICE TO INFORM TO CONVINCE TO REMEMBER TO JOURNAL TO DOODLE TO WONDER TO BE HUMAN TO COMPOSE TO BE ME & TO BE FREE…

Here's the the weeklong celebration, all the great ideas that are planted in notebooks, and the daily prompts. I am, because she is. We are, because they are. 

It's always been about community. Let's write for them!