What is The Project?

    The Mountain Writing Project is a branch of the National Writing Project and the Kentucky Writing Project Network, and it boasts a unique partnership with true collaborative spirit. The MtWP was the first writing project in the nation to locate on the campus of a community college. Since there is no public college or university located in the mountains of Southeastern Kentucky, a partnership was formed between Eastern Kentucky University, who agreed to offer the graduate course and award the credit, and Hazard Community & Technical College, who agreed to serve as the location. The project has been led by Dr. Charles Whitaker, EKU, and Professor Lisa Maggard, HCTC. Grant funds come from the National Writing Project and the Kentucky Department of Education. The willingness of these four organizations to work together has increased educational access for place-bound mountain teachers.

How did the Project start?

    During the 1995-96 academic year, Dr. Charles Whitaker, then the director of the Eastern Writing Project at Eastern Kentucky University, along with Dr. Richard Sterling, Director of the National Writing Project, visited Hazard Community & Technical College to determine the feasibility of developing a new site of the National Writing Project. Dr. Whitaker believed we needed a location in the mountains to make participating in a Writing Project more accessible to teachers in a traditionally underserved area. From this meeting, state funding brought the first Mountain Writing Project summer institute to the campus of HCTC in 1997. In the years to follow, the developing initiative gained national support, and since its conception, the MtWP has served over 250 teachers in summer institutes, study groups, and workshops. The MtWP continues to "grow" writing leaders for Eastern Kentucky through multiple initiatives sponsored by a leadership team of K-14 teachers who have experienced the Project's Summer Institute. Many former Fellows believe their teaching is stronger and their classrooms are better because of their efforts with the Mountain Writing Project.