JUNE 23 – JULY 17, 2025
Monday – Thursday, 9AM – 3:30PM at UCLA
Two Pre-Institute meetings, dates TBA
- This event has passed.
Writing Project Summer Invitational 2025 – Apply by April 8
April 8
Faye Peitzman, teacher-professor at UCLA, started her academic journey at the University of Pennsylvania and earned her doctorate at New York University. She is grateful for the many years she’s directed the UCLA Writing Project, learning from teachers who share just how they go about reaching their students and guiding them to claim the identity of writer. Faye will tell you how she admires birds with wide wing-spans, the ones who fly across oceans, and who always seem to know when to flap their wings and when to soar.
Daniel teaches history in the Humanitas Magnet for Interdisciplinary Studies at U.S. Grant High School. He has taught in the LAUSD since 2003. He’s a National Board Certified Teacher and has worked with the UCLA Writing Project since 2009. Spending a few weeks each summer writing and discussing teaching with a new group of amazing Los Angeles educators is a true highlight of his year. Plus, it gives him time to catch up on all of the writing Daniel should have been doing during the rest of the year.
Become a member of our Writing Project Community!
Refine, elevate, and celebrate how you teach writing. Join other educators in the greater Los Angeles area who put students center stage. The UCLA Writing Project invites you to apply for our Summer Invitational Institute where you’ll be immersed in the teaching of writing. You will demonstrate your own prized practices, learn from a wonderful group of colleagues, and develop your own writing craft. Issues of social justice will be both the backdrop and foreground of our endeavors. We’ll point to the intersection of race and language. We’ll cultivate a space for educational dialogue centered on anti-racism and anti-racist teaching of writing. We’ll take advantage of curated resources, spend the summer with kindred spirits who choose joy over cynicism. English, social studies, mathematics, world language teachers, and all teachers of multi-lingual learners—this Project is for all of us!
“The Writing Project Invitational gave me a joyful purpose, moments to learn, and many lessons that I can take back to my classroom.”
– Reflection from a Participant
Institute Leaders
Faye Peitzman
Director,
UCLA Writing Project
Daniel Buccieri
Grant High School
What We’ll Do During the Invitational
- Experience workshops centered on what really works in our teaching of writing.
- Write—in a variety of genres—and engage in a small writing group for attention, appreciation and suggestions for the next draft.
- Participate in a small-group Professional Literature Circle.
- Curate a collection of teaching strategies to reach ALL of our students.
- Explore what affirming our students’ gender identities means.
- Engage in critical conversations about combating anti-black racism in the classroom and in the teaching of writing.
- We’ll make lifelong professional connections.
- Learn from colleagues who teach the full span of grade levels.
UCLA Writing Project Fellowship
- A fellowship covers the full tuition for the four-week workshop.
- Teachers will receive a $400 stipend to honor their participation.
How to Apply
Write your personal statement in one document:
Provide a cover page with your contact information: name, phone, email address, name of school, current grade level and subjects taught.
- Introduce your students. Who are they and what do they bring to your classroom? Describe and reflect on a writing lesson or strategy that has worked well (2-3 pages).
- Describe yourself as a writer: i.e., your experiences, your joys, your hesitations (1 page).
- What do you consider the most important focus area for writing instruction—right now?
Please include your full name in the filename of your personal statement.
Application deadline –
April 8, 2025
You will be asked to describe your lesson in a small group interview.
We are able to offer 15 fellowships.
“Being accepted into the program was a dream come true for me, and it exceeded all my expectations. Meeting such passionate, kind, and intelligent educators has been truly inspiring. I feel incredibly fortunate that my application was chosen among many, and I am deeply grateful for the warm welcome I received into your community.”
– Reflection from a Participant
More Quotes from Participants
“This invitational was life-changing for me. I have regained my confidence in writing, and I am willing to take risks I hadn’t thought of before. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“For the first time in my life, I felt that my writing was validated. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to engage in writing this summer because everything has changed for me. I plan on being a published writer one day!”
“I am so thankful that I got to be a part of this group this summer! Everyone was so open and accepting, this fostered an environment where I could push myself outside of my comfort zone. I also appreciate how our teaching expertise was honored. It is powerful to grow and learn alongside such dedicated educators.”
