Well, Hello, Atlanta. You've Got Yourself a Mighty Fine City! #NWPAM16 #NCTE16

After a mechanical failure on the tarmac, an hour delay, my flight from Connecticut to Atlanta, Georgia still managed to arrive 5 minutes before our scheduled arrival time. A special shout out to the pilot who must have climbed to incredible altitudes to make up for the lagging departure.

And it was worth the wait. Why? Because I'm with my people now - the National Writing Project people and already with one evening I've become inspired, rejuvenated, educated, and put at ease. The network is one of a kind and it is thrilling to be surrounded by dedicated, enthusiastic, innovative educators from across the United States who understand (and believe with all their might) the healing, action, reflection, and empowerment that comes from writing with students and our colleagues.

Today, my teacher team and I are scheduled for two sessions:

Writing Our Lives Through TedTalks, Radio Plays, Blogging and Ethnographies - WE WERE HERE (Session A)

"Who Do You Think You Are? Ubuntu and the Young Adult Literacy Labs at CWP (Session B)

In our annual gathering, we'll be able to share the incredible yearlong work with did with the LRNG Innovation Challenge (inspired by Matt de la Peña's We Were Here) that united six urban, rural, and suburban high schools (N=365 students) and to highlight the Young Adult Literacy Labs (N=198 youth) who participate in our summer writing camps. There's no other word to describe the energy of NWP-supported work than AWESOME.

Here's to all in attendance, those that weren't able to make it but with they could, and the ongoing conversation about writing practices that work. It remains the best professional development in the nation and our work matters now more than ever before.

Time to present!