Kevin Moffett / English

So often my students see creative writing as a solitary, even selfish, pursuit: sit in a room, compose a story or poem, and then maybe share it with a few trusted people. I would love to encourage my students to use their love of writing to engage with the wider community. My dream project would be to work with 6-10 UVA creative writers to facilitate writing groups in the Charlottesville area. This could take many forms: storytelling groups at nursing homes, one-on-one writing help at local schools, helping long-term hospital patients write letters to family members, and with other life-story projects. Ideally this would begin to establish local ties and a framework that future students could step into and continue.

 I’ve already met with four students who are very enthusiastic about pursuing this, and I can imagine many more who would love to take part.

BUDGET:

The $5000 budget would be used to pay students and for materials.

If 5-10 students take part that would be $500-$1000 per student.