Info in English

Come with us to a quiet retreat in the Dominican Republic surrounded by nature where you will discover a new approach to writing and teaching.

7-11 August, 2017

Writing with PEN® is a life changing experience of learning and enjoying the craft of writing.

In our daily lives we always have distractions that prevent us from engaging fully in reading, writing and learning.

This 5-day workshop, in a beautiful facility located in a natural and quiet environment in the Dominican Republic with full accommodation and meals provided.

You will be accompanied by teacher-coaches who will guide you through the writing process and take you by the hand through exercises and activities to explore for yourself and in your classroom. And you will have the opportunity to meet and share experiences and writing with Dominican teachers.

Our courses and workshops are supported by the National Writing Project® and have been adapted to the Dominican Republic. This workshop offers American teachers the opportunity to share ideas with their Dominican counterparts.

Teachers of writing at all levels.
Teachers of any subject who want to learn how to include writing in their teaching.
Teachers and writers anxious to explore writing in a different setting.

Who may Come?

Location

The workshop will be held in the Centro de Formación Integral Juventud y Familia (CEFIJUFA), on the Juan Pablo Duarte II, Highway, just outside of Santo Domingo.

The program includes double-occupancy rooms, as well as all meals and snacks for the duration of the workshop. We will have full internet conection, a computer station, printers, all the required materials. It is recommended that you bring your own laptop if possible.

The rest is your inspiration…

Facilitators:

Dr. Meg Petersen is a writer and a teacher of writing at Plymouth State University, where she directs the National Writing Project in New Hampshire. Her poems have won prizes with the New England Association of Teachers of English and the Seacoast Writers Association. She was named as a feature poet by the New Hampshire Arts Council. Her poems have appeared in Concrete Wolf, Entelechy International: A Journal of Contemporary Ideas, Garden Lane, English Journal, The Leaflet, The International Journal for Teaching Writing and other publications.

Program:

40 hours of teaching and practice.

DAY ONE: Generating Ideas, Beginning Drafts

We will begin by writing together
We will review the philosophy of the institute
In a “Writing Marathon” we will generate ideas for further writing.

DAY TWO. The process of writing and teaching

We will work in writing and reading groups through exercises and protocols.
We will participate in teaching explorations to expand our practice.

DAY THREE. Teaching Explorations

You will work with your coach to develop a practice to demonstrate and workshop with the group.

DAY FOUR. Community of Writers and Teachers

We will participate in teaching explorations together
We will work in our writing groups to develop our work.

DAY FIVE. Planning for Leadership

We will plan together how to continue our writing and work with teaching through the NWP and how to keep in contact throughout the school year.

Testimonials

“I learned that writing is a tool for thinking.”

— María Cristina Germán Núñez, teacher

This year, PEN won the entrepreneurship contest THE PITCH RD, through which we received seed capital donated by the Government of Taiwan that has allowed us to reduce the cost of this specialized workshop.

This workshop is only for 20 participants and will be available to international participants from the United States for $750 per person, plus the cost of airfare.

You will need to possess a valid U. S. Passport and pay a $10 tourist tax to enter the country. We will provide transportation to and from the workshop if you coordinate your transportation through us.

Investment

Are you ready?

To receive information about payment instructions and other questions please fill this form.

Fanny Fernández is a graduate of the University of New Jersey, where she studied English.

She has more than ten years experience teaching English as a Second Language.

She teaches at the Dominican-American University, and has attended the NWPNH summer institute as a fellow and returning fellow.

She is a writer of short stories.

Diómedes Fernández has a degree in psychology and human development from the State University of New York. He has more than 20 years teaching experience. During his career he has worked for the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (Intec), the State University of New York (SUNY), the Ministerio de Educación Superior, Ciencia y Tecnología (MESCYT), the Colegio Dominicano De La Salle and the Academia Europea. Currently he Works as the coordinator of Creativity, Action and Service for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program at the Secundaria Babeque. He has been a poet for the past 25 years, although he has also written plays, short stories and songs and hymns.

Rebeca García-Gonzalez. Born in Puerto Rico, she left for the US after finishing her BA at the University of Puerto Rico. She earned her teaching credential after working with the children of Central American immigrant families in San Francisco, California. In 1994 she completed her training as a teacher consultant with the Bay Area Writing Project. After finishing her doctoral degree at the University of San Francisco she became an associate professor at Sacramento State University, where she taught education to the children of Hmong refugees and Mexican farmworkers. More recently, she has been directing programs that combine visual art and academic learning, and working with the National Writing Project in programs involving Latino teachers. She lives in Richmond, CA.