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Since 2017, The National Writing Project's Professional Writing Community has been active through our Kent State University site. We exchange drafts, digitally, providing feedback to one another - this allows for a growing understanding of the writing process through personal experience.
We stand by the principle that it takes a writer to guide a student through the writing process, and so teachers who engage in the writing process are the best qualified candidates.
As of 2020, participants in this cohort can earn CEUs or graduate credit hours (for a reasonable price) to apply to licensure renewal.
Members of the 2023 Spring Cohort:
Amy Hirzel is a teacher and writer from the Cleveland area. Amy is also a member of the National Writing Project through Kent State University and an active member of their Teacher Consultant Council. She is also a member of Literary Cleveland and the Ohio Poetry Association. When not working, she enjoys basking in the true joys of life: motherhood and poetry.
Jean Kanzinger is an English and communications teacher. She has twice attended The Frost Place Conference on Poetry & Teaching in Franconia, NH. In recent years, Jean has been a writing judge for the Scholastic competition as well as a national judge for NCTE’s literary magazine competition. She has written a blog for Cavankerry Press on teaching poetry and has presented workshops on teaching poetry through NWP-KSU.
Mick O'Seasnain is an artist, writer, and educator whose work has appeared in small journals and magazines such as OJELA, The Satirist, Cathexis Northwest Press, Pif Magazine, Winning Writers, Literary Orphans, Up the River, Crack the Spine, and he has an anticipated publication in an upcoming edition of the William & Mary Review.
Lori Wilfong is in her 17th year teaching at Kent State University at Stark. Her work centers on helping preservice and practicing teachers incorporate literacy in joyful and purposeful ways across the curriculum.
Members of the 2021 Fall Cohort:
Jaclyn Davia, a 30-year-old cat mom of two, loves teaching and writing, (but not necessarily loves teaching writing). She enjoys hoarding craft and art supplies with zero intentions of using it. She’s expected to pop out a baby in early 2022.
Ryan Hershey is a middle school reading and writing teacher in the greater Cleveland area. Ryan enjoys studying story design and the ability it has to impact lives. He continues to use writing as a tool for expression and self reflection.
Jeff Harr is a high school English teacher at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent, a playwright at Theatrefolk.com, and an Assistant Director of the National Writing Project at Kent State University.
Ron Holtman is a Denison grad with a CWRU law degree. Since retirement, he has self-published 2 adult novels, a collection of short stories, one middle grade novel and a book of poetry. He is currently working on a YA novel and a second collection of poetry.
Sarah Kelly is a mother of two middle school kids and a teacher of 10th grade English at Normandy High School in Parma. She enjoys reading, writing and teaching.
Jean Kanzinger is an English and communications teacher. She has twice attended The Frost Place Conference on Poetry & Teaching in Franconia, NH. In recent years, Jean has been a writing judge for the Scholastic competition as well as a national judge for NCTE’s literary magazine competition. She has written a blog for Cavankerry Press on teaching poetry and has presented workshops on teaching poetry at NWP-KSU’s Write Here! Write Now! Conference.
Constance Kowalski is a retired Cleveland Public Pre-K thru 8th grade elementary teacher. She has additional licenses in Language Arts and science from Kent, John Carroll, Case and Baldwin Wallace. Since taking NOWP in 2003, Constance has developed a passion for writing and has fostered it in her students, filled journals, published newsletters for Phi Delta Kappa and an article for OJELA (Ohio Journal of English Language Arts).
Joe Paris is an 8th grade LA teacher who hopes his students learn as much from him as he learns from them. Although often a goofball, he is passionate about poetry, golf, running, traveling, and most importantly spending time with friends and family, especially his much better half. He hopes to leave the world a little better than he found it.
Elle B. Rorrer is an 8th grade Language Arts teacher, mother, and wife in a rural district in Ohio. As a child, she grew up climbing trees and reading books. Her writing career launched with a poetry selection made for her grandmother. Notebooks and documents full of ramblings later, she decided to try her hand at publishing--that story isn't finished.
Mike Sexton is an English language arts teacher in Wooster, Ohio. When he's not designing lessons, puttering around in the garden, or participating in family adventures, he publishes creative work under the pen name Mick O'Seasnain.
Members of the 2021 Spring Cohort:
Jeff Harr has taught English in the Kent City Schools for the past 30 years, written plays for middle and high school students at Theatrefolk.com, and currently serves as an Assistant Director of the National Writing Project at Kent State University.
Jessica Hrubik teaches writing in middle and high school. She is currently pursuing a PhD in literacy at Kent State.
Jean Kanzinger is an English and communications teacher at Chagrin Falls High School where she been the moderator of the high school literary magazine Prism. She has twice attended The Frost Place Conference on Poetry & Teaching in Franconia, NH. In recent years, Jean has been a writing judge for the Scholastic competition as well as a national judge for NCTE’s literary magazine competition. She has written a blog for Cavankerry Press on teaching poetry and has presented a number of times on teaching poetry at NWP-KSU’s Write Here! Write Now! Conference.
Cara Kelly taught in private and public schools for 35 Years in the Cleveland area. Although she taught all subjects from K-12th grade, her priorities were reading, writing and science.
Sarah Kelly is an English teacher at Normandy High School in Parma, Ohio. One of her favorite things to witness as a teacher is a student finding her voice. In addition to teaching, Sarah loves reading, yoga and meditation.
Amy E. Lesniak is a writer from the Cleveland area. Amy is also a member of the National Writing Project through Kent State University and an active member of their Teacher Consultant Council. She is also a member of Literary Cleveland and the Ohio Poetry Association. When not working, she enjoys basking in the true joys of life: motherhood and poetry.
Erica Putro has been teaching middle grade Language Arts for about twenty years. Because writing has always been important to her personally, she is passionate about teaching authentic writing which nurtures lifelong writers. She is constantly seeking professional development and collaborations which serve that end, and if they help her grow as a writer, too, all the better.
Mick O'Seasnain is an artist, writer, and educator residing in Wooster, Ohio. When he's not teaching, Mick loves to weave stories: new adventures with his family, fictional tales inspired by life, and the creative-non-fiction of instructional theories. Click his name to check out Mick's publications on his website.
Leslie Marshall is a 7th grade language arts teacher working on her high school certification. She's also an avid reader and writer. She has been in education for 25 years.
Members of the 2020 Cohort:
Shannon Kelley Blair - Shannon Kelley Blair has been teaching for over two decades with the Nordonia Hills City School District. She currently teaches high school English to juniors, creative writing 1 and 2, and speech. She loves to write and aspires to publish her writing sooner rather than later.
Tamara Cabrera-Perrine - Tamara Cabrera-Perrine is currently a sixth grade creative writing teacher in the Kenston School District after teaching third grade for 21 years. This past year has been quite the adventure, but she has immersed herself in her dream job of writing with middle schoolers, both sharing her writing journey and helping her students along the way on their's.
Adrienne Cobb - Adrienne Cobb is entering her 28th year as a classroom ELA teacher in Kent City Schools, as well as an adjunct professor of basic writing at the University of Akron. Adrienne enjoys teaching writing to her students and enjoys writing fiction as well. She has a daughter, Madelyn, who is a senior at the College of Wooster.
Linda Fleming - Linda Fleming is a K-5 Literacy Enrichment teacher at Immaculate Heart of Mary. She participated in the NWP in the summer of 2019 at the Mayfield Heights location. She felt it was a really wonderful experience and looks forward to learning more and refining her own writing skills through this process!
Jeff Harr - Jeff Harr has been an English teacher in the Kent City Schools for over 28 years, teaching both middle and high school students, directing plays, and coaching girls' basketball. Outside of school, he has been on the ALAN Board, the assistant director of the National Writing Project at KSU, and a playwright for Theatrefolk.
Amy E. Hirzel - Amy E. Hirzel is a writer and high school English teacher in the Cleveland Area. Amy is also a Teacher Consultant and Council Member for the National Writing Project through Kent State University.
Ron Holtman - Mr. Holtman is a graduate of Denison University and Case Western Reserve Law School. He is a retired lawyer, living in Wooster, Ohio. He has self-published two adult novels, one middle grade novel, a collection of poetry and a collection of short stories.
Mary Leininger - Mary is a 6th grade Language Arts teacher at Edgewood Middle School in Wooster, Ohio. This is her 22nd year at Wooster with experiences teaching French, Art, Reading, and Social Studies for grades 4, 6, 7, and 8. She is currently working on a book about her son Joey.
Leslie Marshall - Leslie Marshall teaches 7th grade language arts at Chippewa Junior/Senior High School. She loves reading and writing and has had several poems published. She wanted to show her students that she not only teaches what she preaches, but she walks what she talks.
Christine McLaughlin - Christine McLaughlin taught English for 22 years and she is an avid gardener and crafter who also dabbles in writing. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two cats.
Valerie Miller - Valerie has taught writing for a while but hasn't defined herself as a writer. She would like to change that.
Mick O'Seasnain - An American poet and educator published in a variety of journals, anthologies, and magazines, Mick O'Seasnain lives and works in Wooster, Ohio. Mick is a self-admitted super fan of Don Murray's theories on composition and the writing process.
Staci Shockley-Matthews - Staci Shockley-Matthews is a writer and veteran classroom teacher, and has been both, truly, all of her life. She lives in Dayton, OH where she is also a wife, mother, and lover of turtles.
Dr. Lori Wilfong - Lori Wilfong is an associate professor of Teaching, Learning & Curriculum Studies at Kent State University. Her research interests include adolescent readers and writers, teacher professional development, and content area literacy. She has published four books with Routledge for teachers.
Members of the 2018 Cohort:
Tammy Anfang - Tammy Anfang has been teaching 7th grade language arts and coaching Power of the Pen at Crestwood Middle School for twenty-four years. As a 2010 National Writing Project Teacher Consultant, Tammy is now a member of the NWP TC Council. She is the instructor for the “Write Here! Write Now!” graduate class option and the “College, Career, and Community Writers Program (C3WP)” summer workshop.
Constance Kowalski - Currently Constance is a retired school teacher (Pre-K - 8) from Cleveland Metropolitan School District. She has had a poem and a non-fiction article published. She has especially enjoyed working with 2 NWP-KSU writing groups!!!
Christine McLaughlin - Christine teaches English and Creative Writing at Marlington High School, and she is coaching the PenOhio team. This year will be her 21st.
Mick Ó Seasnáin - At Edgewood Middle School, Mick teaches 7th grade English language arts. When he's not teaching, he loves to weave stories: new adventures with his family, fictional tales inspired by life, and the creative-non-fiction of the classroom. View this link to his digital portfolio for his publications.
Sandi Summerfield - In the past 30 years, Sandi Summerfield has been a teacher of ECE and reading/writing in upper elementary, a literacy coach, a Head Start administrator, and an education consultant. She will begin a new chapter this fall as an Assistant Professor at Central State University. Her passion for research and teaching focus on visual literacy skills to empower students as writers, thinkers, and makers of meaning.
Members of the 2017 Cohort:
Tammy Anfang - has been teaching 7th grade language arts and coaching Power of the Pen at Crestwood Middle School for twenty-three years. Currently, she co-teaches a full-inclusion class and a gifted-inclusion class. As a 2010 National Writing Project Consultant, Tammy is now a member of the NWP TC Council. She is the instructor for the "Write Here! Write Now!" graduate class option and will attend training in Washington, D.C. for the College Reading Writers Program.
Forrest Brandt - 30 years in the classroom, most of it as a reading/writing specialist, he received an NWP fellowship to attend OWP in Miami in 1996. He has been an adjunct in English at Miami and Norther Kentucky University since retiring. He self published Class of 67, a novel, in 2013.
Maria Childs - a second grade teacher with a passion for reading, writing, family, friends, and fun! She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and three sons.
Karen Harkness - involved in education for twenty three years in the capacity of an elementary and middle school language arts teacher, early childhood instructor at Wright State University, teacher evaluator and consultant, and, currently, as an elementary assistant principal. She writes young adult fiction; she has self-published two books and is working on a trilogy.
Constance Kowalski - a retired public school teacher from Cleveland who taught K-8 Regular classes, science, and language arts. She is currently in a NWP Writers Write group that submits literary work to each other once a month.
Laura Miller - a trained teacher, licensed in English and French, who is taking a sabbatical to write, walk dogs, and act. She substitutes a couple times a week.
Teresa Pollock - an elementary teacher for 17 years who formerly cleaned houses while attending college and served as a nanny for seven years before that. Her deadline to write her first book passed many years ago, and it is time to go beyond the first chapter!
Carol Roger - From kindergarten to college classrooms, she has been honored and challenged to prompt personal and professional growth. It never stops if one is curious and compassionate.
Mike Sexton - At Wooster High School, he teaches CCP composition coursework (through The University of Akron Wayne College) and high school coursework. When he's not teaching, he loves to weave stories: new adventures with his family, fictional tales inspired by life, and the creative-non-fiction of the classroom.
Dr. Karen Tollafield - a recent Kent C&I Literacy PhD and retired teacher with thirty years of classroom experience who has taught all subjects. She served as the OCTELA president in 2010, and she continues to serve as their LGBTQ Liaison.
Julie Veneman - a 4th grade science and social studies teacher who utilizes non-fiction and content literacy reading and writing strategies in the classroom. She earned her MAT from OWP at Miami in 2009, and recently resumed writing.
Dr. Lori Wilfong - an associate professor at Kent State University who is a proud NWPer. She began teaching in East LA and quickly realized that she did not know enough about how to teach struggling readers and writers. NWP helped her learn how to teach writing and she stays involved to stay fresh, engaged with instructional practice.
Luke Wiseman - He teaches English and Journalism to students at Mariemont High School. In addition to teaching, he is a collaborative team leader at MHS. He is also a church musician (piano and organ), marathon runner, and a lover of all things broken and beautiful. Link to his personal site.
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