Past Events

Writing Palooza 2026

Frederick Von Steuben Metropolitan High School

Chicago, Illinois

May 2nd, 2026

Every spring, IWP holds a day-long Saturday festival of writing for students grades K-12, accompanied by parents and teachers. All participants engage in real-world writing, including family stories, soap-box speeches on social issues, news feature stories, and poetry. This year, over 100 participants in the Palooza had the opportunity to learn more about creative writing, sharing stories, and learning from others’ experiences.

We were fortunate to have Dr. Tina Curry as this year’s keynote speaker! Tina currently works as IB coordinator at Smyth Elementary School in Chicago. She has been an invited presenter for IWP, AERA, LRA, NCTE, and IRC, as well as a featured guest on Coaching Conversations Podcast with Jim Knight. Dr. Curry is a longtime teacher leader in the Illinois Writing Project.

Workshop leaders included Dr. Russell Mayo, Mr. Ben Kuhlman, Dr. Judith Landeros, Dr. Ruth Llana Fernandez, Dr. Jennifer Hasso, Dr. Tim Duggan, Mr. Shea Roney, Ms. Jenny Johnson, Mr. Justin Gillam, and Dr. Steve Zemelman.

Special thanks to Von Steuben Metropolitan High School and to Ms. Jennifer Tapia for hosting this event.