Here & Now

Marci Glaus Describes Wisconsin Writes Project

FROM A PUBLISHED AUTHOR TO STUDENT WRITERS WHO MIGHT HOPE TO ONE DAY BE PUBLISHED THEMSELVES, A NEW VIDEO SERIES PROVIDED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION PROVIDES STUDENTS A LOOK INSIDE THE MINDS OF SOME OF WISCONSIN’S WORKING AUTHORS AND JOURNALISTS. IT’S CALLED “WISCONSIN WRITES.”

SILVIA ACEVEDO:

WHY ON EARTH NOT, SHE ASKED.

PATRICK ROTHFUSS:

I’M JUST GOING TO MAKE A NOTE TO MYSELF HERE.

WOMAN:

SOMETIMES IT HURTS TO GET RID OF ALL THIS WRITING.

KARYN SAEMANN:

I NEED TO SIT DOWN AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER.

STUART STOTTS:

LITERALLY READ THE BOOK OUT LOUD. START TO FINISH.

MOLLY MAGESTRO:

IF YOU HAVE A SURPRISE ENDING, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE STORY IF YOU TAKE IT AND PUT IT AT THE BEGINNING.

LINDA GODFREY:

I’M GOING TO READ YOU THE NEXT PARAGRAPH JUST FOR FUN.

KIMBERLY BLAESER:

OPEN YOURSELF UP TO THE ARTS IN GENERAL.

MOY AHMAD:

WRITE TO ENJOY IT. WHATEVER GETS YOU EXCITED.

NICKOLAS BUTLER:

YOU CAN’T BE A GOOD WRITER UNLESS YOU’RE A READER.

PATRICK ROTHFUSS:

IF YOU’RE GOING TO PUT ALL OF THE TIME INTO WRITING SOMETHING, YOU SHOULD HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY. HOPEFULLY SOMETHING GOOD. SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

MARCI GLAUS IS A LANGUAGE ARTS SPECIALIST WITH THE DPI AND CREATOR OF THE VIDEO SERIES. THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

MARCI GLAUS:

THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHY THIS IDEA OF PROFESSIONAL WRITERS SHARING TIPS OF THE TRADE?

MARCI GLAUS:

SURE. I WAS PUTTING SOME PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TOGETHER LAST SUMMER AND I WAS LOOKING FOR A VIDEO CLIP OF A WRITER DOING HIS OR HER THING. AND I COULDN’T FIND IT. IT DOESN’T EXIST BECAUSE I THINK IT WOULD BE FAIRLY AWKWARD FOR SOMEONE TO SIT DOWN AND DO SOME WRITING AND FILM THEMSELVES AND THEN TALK OUT LOUD ABOUT WHAT THEY’RE DOING AS THEY’RE DOING IT. SO I STARTED ASKING WRITERS IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE, HAVING REALLY NO IDEA IF THEY WOULD WANT TO OR IF THEY THOUGHT IT WOULD BE TOO BIZARRE. BUT ALMOST EVERYBODY SAID YES. AND I INCLUDED THAT IN THIS VIDEO SERIES AND SOME OF THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THAT I PUT TOGETHER.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHY KINDS OF THINGS DID YOU LEARN OR COULD OTHERS LEARN FROM WHAT THEY SHARED?

MARCI GLAUS:

I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS — AND I THINK I ALREADY KNEW THIS, BUT TO HEAR ALMOST ALL OF THE WRITERS IN THIS SERIES REITERATE IT, IS YOU HAVE TO BE A READER IF YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER. THERE WERE LIKE LITTLE TRICKS AND TIPS THAT I TOOK AWAY, AND I HOPE TEACHERS ADN STUDENTS TAKE AWAY. LIKE SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS REMEMBERING TO, WHENEVER YOU STOP WRITING FOR THE DAY OR THE CLASS PERIOD OR WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING, TO LEAVE OFF AT A SPOT WHERE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO NEXT, TO KEEP THINGS LIKE NOTES IN A NOTEBOOK OR A TIME LINE OR SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE, DEPENDING UPON THE GENRE THAT YOU’RE DOING, LITTLE THINGS LIKE THAT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO SAY BE SURE TO SAVE.

MARCI GLAUS:

OH, THAT, TOO.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO WHO IS THIS FOR, SPECIFICALLY?

MARCI GLAUS:

I THINK IT’S REALLY FOR EVERYONE. I STARTED OUT THINKING MOSTLY OF STUDENTS AND TEACHERS. I KNOW A LOT OF TEACHERS DO SHARE THEIR WRITING. OR THEY WRITE IN FRONT OF THEIR STUDENTS IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. I KNOW SOME ARE HESITANT TO DO THAT, BUT I WOULD REALLY ENCOURAGE THEM TO DO THAT. AND THIS WAS KIND OF PART OF THAT, TO TALK ABOUT HOW TO EXPLICITLY SEE AND THINK ABOUT AND TEACH AND LEARN FROM WRITERS THROUGH VARIOUS WRITING PROCESSES.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AND SO THAT’S HOW IT WOULD BE USED IN THE CLASSROOM? WOULD THIS BE FOR HIGH SCHOOL KIDS OR WHO?

MARCI GLAUS:

IT DEPENDS ON THE WRITER. I HAVE TALKED TO A COUPLE OF HIGH SCHOOL FOLKS WHO HAVE USED IT IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. THEY’RE USING THEM IN VERY DIFFERENT WAYS. SOME OF THEM ARE JUST USING THEM TO TEACH ABOUT A SPECIFIC GENRE AND THEY BREAK DOWN A CLIP OF THE VIDEO OR THE WHOLE VIDEO AND JUST HAVE STUDENTS HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT’S TAKING PLACE. AND I TALKED TO ANOTHER TEACHER WHO’S PLANNING TO USE IT IN A CREATIVE WRITING CLASS THAT SHE HAS. SO I DON’T KNOW WHAT GENRE OR GENRES SHE’S FOCUSING ON. LIKE EVERY WRITER DOES SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT IN THE WRITING PROCESS THAT WE CAPTURED THAT DAY. I THINK SOME OF THE TEACHERS I’VE TALKED TO ARE USING THEM FOR DIFFERENT PURPOSES AS WELL.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO WHAT’S BEEN THE RESPONSE FROM TEACHERS AND THEIR STUDENTS THAT YOU’VE HEARD?

MARCI GLAUS:

I’VE ONLY HEARD FROM A SMALL SAMPLING OF TEACHERS SO FAR, SINCE WE JUST HAVE THE FIRST FEW AUTHORS OUT ALREADY. BUT WHAT I HAVE HEARD SO FAR IS REALLY POSITIVE. WHENEVER I GO TO A CONFERENCE OR A MEETING OR WHATEVER, I KIND OF GUSH ABOUT THE PROJECT AND HOPEFULLY THAT GETS A LITTLE MORE EXCITEMENT OUT THERE ABOUT IT. BUT TEACHERS AND EDUCATORS SEEM TO BE PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT IT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

DO YOU EXPECT TO ADD MORE AUTHORS AS YOU GO?

MARCI GLAUS:

YES. WE HAVE 15 AUTHORS TOTAL. I THINK WE HAVE FOUR OR FIVE OF THE SERIES OUT SO FAR. AND I’M EXCITED TO REPORT THAT WE DO HAVE THE SERIES ENDING WITH A STUDENT, A STUDENT WRITER IN THE STATE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

THE OTHER THING THAT OCCURRED TO ME WHEN I SAW “WISCONSIN WRITES” WAS IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY GOING FORWARD TO INTERVIEW PEOPLE LIKE ENGINEERS OR DOCTORS ABOUT HOW THEY USE MATH OR SCIENCE?

MARCI GLAUS:

THAT’S MY HOPE. I’M KIND OF PUTTING A LITTLE PRESSURE ON SOME OF THE OTHER EDUCATION CONSULTANTS AT DPI TO DO SO. I KNOW THERE IS SOME INTEREST IN AT LEAST TWO OTHER AREAS. THAT’S KIND OF MY DREAM FOR THE PROJECT GOING FORWARD.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

ALL RIGHT. MARCI GLAUS, THANKS VERY MUCH.

MARCI GLAUS:

THANK YOU.