As many of you expressed, it may be more important than ever to get outside and write, to sit in communion with others and tell stories, and to create with what is in front of us and then give that back to the world.
Write Out, therefore, is not going away but is simply going to stay put for a while and breathe, allowing us all to catch our breath and reflect on what is possible. The resources gathered, including the prompts from Park Rangers, storytelling assets, bookshelf and writing marathon resources, are here for your continued use and remix. Share via the #writeout hashtag and tag us at @writeoutconnect—we are excited to see what you still will do. And don’t forget, the Park Rangers and Storytellers would love to receive postcards or letters in response to their writing prompts!
Here is some inspiration from writers, students, teachers, and Park Rangers from across the country to help keep you going…
Plus a couple special shout outs to the @NorrisTigers and @NewTechCoppell for their constant sharing every year with #writeout—3-years running!
And a final thank you to the number of National Park Service Parks from across this vast country that added their place and prompts into the mix.
Finally, here are quick links to the Write Out 2020 resources still available for your use and remix:
Daily Sparks
Writing Prompts with Rangers
Gather Around
Listen to a Story and Make your Own
Beacons
Write Out Writing Marathons
Browse Write Out Bookshelf
Pull a few books or stories off the Write Out Bookshelves to take to your gathering. Featuring a collection of Indigenous Authors, these shelves are filled with stories of nature, national parks, writing outside, and more.
Build Safe Campfires
With Stories Around the Campfire as our theme, we gathered a few things that might be helpful, whether you are creating your gatherings inside, outside, or online.
Place-Based Writing Resources
Over time, Write Out educators have gathered many resources to support writing outside, place-based education, and National Park Service links to support place-based work and writing. Check out the growing collection and find readings, podcasts, and more.
Keep Connecting
Join the Write Out Facebook Group, keep sharing, and remember, if you search #writeout on social media, you will see all the great things parks, teachers, and participants have contributed.
Tell Us What You Think
We are thrilled by all the amazing #WriteOut activity we could see online and want your help to learn more about what happened in your local communities, schools, and parks. We also value your input on Write Out for its future development. Below is a link to a short survey. If you’d like to send us any resources that we could share for future events, please email them to writeout@nwp.org.
Thank you for your time and contributions.
With roasted marshmallows on our minds, until next year,
— The Write Out Team