OUR STORY

What happens when four educators of different backgrounds and ages meet? They blaze a trail in the writing world. Here's how it all started...

To be honest, we must give credit where credit is due, and our relationship is rooted in the National Writing Project (NWP). In 2005, Helen was a graduate student at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida. There she had a wonderful professor who recommended she attend the Invitational Summer Institute (ISI) at FGCU. The ISI is a one-of-a-kind immersive professional development experience for teachers of all subjects and grade levels, who want to improve their practice of teaching writing in the classroom. As many teachers do, Helen had the kind of experience that fed her practice as a teacher and changed her life as a writer. She went on to teach middle school language arts and then high school English, and in 2007 she met Natalie, also a high school English teacher. They grew close as colleagues and as friends, working in the same high school English department. Eventually, Natalie also completed the NWP ISI.

In 2009, Helen met Annmarie when they served on a district academic committee together. Keeping touch with an occasional email, they hadn't seen each other in quite some time. Then in 2010, Helen, Natalie, and Annmarie were all finalists for the Golden Apple Teacher award. They had a shared experience on Captiva Island when all the finalists were brought together for a conference.

In 2009, Laurie, who had never met the others, started her doctoral studies at FGCU. In 2010 she also participated in the NWP Summer Institute. Like Helen, she had an unmatched experience developing her teaching practice and building camaraderie with other local teachers at the ISI. The experience was so impactful that she decided to to focus her research and dissertation on a qualitative study about the ISI. In 2011, Laurie began to solicit Fellows from the FGCU Writing Project, for focus groups for her study. Among them was Helen, a Fellow, and 2005 participant in the ISI. Though the relationship was kept professional to maintain the validity of the study, it was impossible to ignore the connection between teachers who had shared in the ISI experience. Laurie completed her dissertation in 2013 and before long, Helen had reached out to her with an idea to start a writing group. They invited people they knew who were interested in writing. Some accepted. Some declined.

The original five members, including Helen, Laurie, and Natalie, met for the first time on June 3, 2013, and the name "Trail Brazen Writing Circle" was chosen after Natalie read a piece she wrote called "Trail Blazing."  In June 2014, Helen reconnected with Annmarie and immediately asked her to be in the group. Members have come and gone during the subsequent years.

We are now a solid group of four, dedicated to monthly personal writing on our Trailbrazin' blog, and improving the teaching of writing in our educational capacities.  This blog is a repository for the best practices we have come upon for developing a community of writers in the classroom. Our love and practice of writing as expressive and empowering defines everything we do -- based mostly on the strength of being part of a wonderful circle of writers. We encourage all educators to develop a writing practice of their own. And if you can find trusted others to share it with, we can promise the influence on your life will be limitless.