NWP Radio

This NWP Radio conversation features Writing Project teacher-leader Meenoo Rami and her recently published book A Teacher’s Guide to Using AI . Offered as a companion for teachers in support of their agency in the classroom, this book offers interviews and stories from teachers across the country, important questions to consider when bringing AI into the classroom, along with clear guidance for ho...

This episode features a discussion with Troy Hicks and Kristen Turner, authors of Teaching Writing in the Age of AI . They discuss the ethical and practical challenges of using AI tools in writing instruction and offer strategies that nurture student thinking, creativity, and academic integrity.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Torrey Maldonado is an acclaimed author and educator whose work impacts middle grade, young adult, and elementary school literature. He approaches thirty years teaching and has been celebrated by two NYC Chancellors as a top culturally responsive educator. Named “Best Books of the Year” by NPR, The Washington Post, Oprah, and the New York Times, Hands , What Lane? , Ti...

In this special episode of NWP Radio, Stephanie Jones interviews Cara Furman , author of Teaching from an Ethical Center: Practical Wisdom for Daily Instruction , about bringing ethics, philosophy, and body-centered practices into teaching. They explore how children's literature can expand students' ethical thinking, the importance of care and love in teaching reading and writing, and how educator...

NWP Radio sits down with Katie Wood Ray and Stella Villalba to discuss the new edition of Wondrous Words , Katie's landmark 1999 book on responsive writing instruction. Twenty-five years later, the authors explore how teaching has changed—and why their message about writer agency, teacher decision-making, and the joy of teaching is more urgent than ever. In an era of mandated curricula and scripte...

Hena Khan has been publishing books for children, including many that center Pakistani American and Muslim characters, for over two decades. She writes award-winning books in a multitude of formats, including picture books, middle-grade fiction, pick-your-path adventures, and graphic novels. Her stories are often centered around her culture, community, friendship, and family, and draw from her own...

Tony Weaver, Jr. is a storyteller who creates diverse worlds where every reader can find their place. His debut graphic novel, Weirdo , sold out of its first printing in seven weeks of publication, received multiple starred reviews, and was named one of the best books of 2024 by School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, People Magazine, The New York Public Library, and the Childre...

Rob Walker  is a journalist covering design, technology, business, the arts, and other subjects. He writes the BRANDED column for Fast Company and has contributed to The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Atlantic, NewYorker. Com, Design Observer, The Organist, and many others. He is the author of  The Art of Noticing  (Knopf), and writes its spinoff newsletter of the same name. Walker is...

James Fester has worked for more than two decades as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, technology director, and curriculum specialist. His writing spans many different areas and includes Edutopia, ISTE, and National Geographic. His most recently published book titled The National Park Classroom which focuses on how classroom teachers can benefit from the educational resources and experts c...

Derrick Barnes is a National Book Award Finalist for his graphic novel Victory. Stand!-Raising My Fist For Justice , which also won the YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Award, and a Coretta Scott King Award Author Honor. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning picture book Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut which received a Newbery Honor, a Coretta Scott King A...

NWP Radio visits with Jessica Rubin, author of " Embracing gentle resistance to the slow violence of traditional English curriculum ." The article explains how a secondary English teacher, Kristen, maintained a commitment to nonviolence in her teaching through "gentle resistance" to the subtle violences embedded in her school's curriculum and practices. By making purposeful, small-scale changes ov...

Cosmic Writers provides accessible creative writing education while having fun and building friendships. Cosmic Writers partners with the Philadelphia Writing Project on its Friday Night Writes while also providing regional and online professional support. Listen in to learn more about Cosmic Writers’ commitment and approach to creative writing and why it is so important from a Cosmic Writer herse...

Catherine Con Morse’s debut novel, The Notes , is a 2025 Chinese American Librarians Association Best Book Honorable Mention for Young Adult Fiction, a 2026 Panda Book Award nominee, and was shortlisted for the CRAFT First Chapters contest. Her newest book is The Summer I Remembered Everything (April 2025). A Kundiman fellow, Catherine received her MFA from Boston University, where she taught unde...

Cameron Roberson, who writes under the pen name Rob Cameron, is a teacher, linguist, and writer. Rob is also lead organizer for the Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers and founder of Constellations Mentorship for the Octavia Project. He has poetry, stories, and essays in StarLine*, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Foreign Policy Magazine, Tor.com , New Modality, Solarpunk Magazine,...

Ellen Oh is an award-winning author and editor of middle grade and young adult books such as The Colliding Worlds of Mina Lee , YOU ARE HERE , Haru Zombie Dog Hero , Finding Junie Kim , The Dragon Egg Princess , The Spirit Hunters series (Books 1, 2, and 3), and the Prophecy trilogy ( Prophecy , Warrior ; and King ). She is also the editor of WNDB's middle grade anthology Flying Lessons and Other...

This special episode of NWP Radio features many of the educators behind Empowering Youth to Confront the Climate Crisis in English Language Arts , a co-published book from Teachers College Press and the National Writing Project. Recorded in three parts, you won't want to miss this comprehensive overview of this important book. 00:00 - Introduction/Systems Thinking with Richard Beach and Fawn Canad...

Tina Cane is the founder/director of Writers-in-the-Schools, RI, and, from 2016-2024, served as the Poet Laureate of Rhode Island where she lives with her husband and three children. In her capacity as poet laureate, Cane established her state's first youth poetry ambassador program in partnership with Rhode Island Center for the Book, and brought the Poetry-in-Motion program from the New York Cit...

Mahogany L. Browne is a Kennedy Center Next 50 fellow, writer, play-wright, organizer, and educator. Browne received fellowships from ALL ARTS, Arts for Justice, AIR Serenbe, Baldwin for the Arts, Cave Canem, Poets House, Mellon Research, Rauschenberg, and Wesleyan University. Browne’s books include A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe , Vinyl Moon , Chlorine Sky (optioned for Steppenwolf...

This episode of NWP Radio features an insightful conversation with Cynthia Ballenger , author of the new book Teaching Is Inquiry . Ballenger shares her teaching journey and the core ideas in her book about the power of inquiry-based learning, which encourages teachers to honor students' unexpected questions and ideas as opportunities for deeper exploration. Ballenger also discusses the challenges...

Our guests discuss their book, Teaching with Arts-Infused Writing Pedagogies , which features the work of a multigenerational collective of K–12 educators, students, and teaching artists seeking educational justice. About Our Guests Kelly Wissman is the director of the Capital District Writing Project and an associate professor in the Department of Literacy Teaching and Learning within the Univers...

Keenan Jones is an author who currently resides in Plymouth, Minnesota, who spent his childhood in northwest Indiana (Gary, IN) and south suburban Chicago (University Park, IL). He comes from a family of educators, pastors, athletes, and musicians. After suffering a career-ending injury while playing college basketball, Keenan switched paths to pursue a career in education, serving as an elementar...

In today’s episode we will talk about the recently published book, Going the Distance: The Teaching Profession in a Post-COVID World . This comprehensive study of teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic has a lot to teach us about creating a healthy, resilient teaching profession able to face future crises. Our Guests Lora Bartlett , Associate Professor of Education, University of California, Santa...

Join this special Write Out edition of The Write Time! Born in Louisville, Mississippi, Jermaine Thompson learned language from big-armed women who greased their skillets with gossip and from full-bellied men who cursed and prayed with the same fervor. Jermaine earned his MFA in poetry from the University of Missouri Kansas City in 2018, and he currently teaches 9th–12th grade Humanities at Build...

Join The Write Time featuring Kate Messner , Write Out Author Ambassador and author of award-winning picture books like  Over and Under the Snow ,  Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt , and  The Brilliant Deep  as well as books for older readers like  Breakout  and her forthcoming novel in verse, The Trouble with Heroes. Kate will be interviewed by San Diego Area Writing Project Director and ear...

This episode of NWP Radio features Tomas Moniz , a member of the NWP Writers Council and the author of All Friends Are Necessary , a tender and open-hearted novel that explores the power of friendship, community, and the families we create for ourselves.