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Why I Write: Amanda Parrish Morgan
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.
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Andy Myer: Why I Write
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.
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Why I Write: Scientist Arvind Gupta Plays with the Words of Science
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.
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Ashleigh Allen: Why I Write
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.
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Charles Yu: Why I Write
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.
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Why I Write: Marissa Moss on Bringing the Story Back into History
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.
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Frank Murphy: Why I Write
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.
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Grant Faulkner: Why I Write
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.
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Heather Mackey: Why I Write
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.
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Janie Chodosh: Why I Write
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.
Read more
Kekla Magoon: Why I Write
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.
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Kelvin Yu: Why I Write
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.
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Walking Toward the Sun: Kim Culbertson, Why I Write
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.
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Robin Newman: Why I Write
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.
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Shirley McPhillips: Why I Write
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.
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Why I Write: Scientist Timothy Ferris on Writing to Learn
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.
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Why I Write: To Awaken the Spirit in the Downtrodden
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.
Read more
Summary:
The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. As part of the ongoing celebration of the National Day on Writing every October 20, the National Writing Project has collected the thoughts of NWP Writers Council members from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers—to discover why they write.If you type the words “Why I Write” into Google, it’s surprising how many results you’ll get. Everyone from George Orwell to Joan Didion to Terry Tempest Williams and an assortment of other writers, famous and not so famous, have pondered this simple yet obviously meaningful act.
To learn. To explore the world. To keep from going insane. These are just a few reasons people have given for why they write.
Writing has been fundamental to human civilization since the first hieroglyphs, and it becomes more important every day in our world that streams with emails, text messages, blog posts, and more. We are all writers, yet the why of writing is a topic of continual exploration.
Up next
Andy Myer: Why I Write
Andy Myer is a member of the NWP Writers Council and has been in the business of creating humorous words and images his entire career. His most recent and joyful endeavor is as a children’s book author/illustrator.
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Ashleigh Allen: Why I Write
Ashleigh A. Allen is a poet, writer, researcher, educator, and Doctoral Candidate (ABD) in Curriculum & Pedagogy at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto, as well as a member of the NWP Writers Council.
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Also Recommended
Teeny Tiny Poetry: Prompts for Writing (and Sharing) Outside
This resource is available to support place-based writing outside anytime of year and comes with related resources and age-level recommendations. Originally developed for Write Out (writeout.nwp.org).
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Outside: A Conversation with Benjamin Ludwig
NWP Radio visits with Benjamin Ludwig, a teacher, writer, school librarian, and an NWP Writers Council member.
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