NWC writing projects featured at conference

Northwestern College English professors Deb Menning and Barbara Turnwall, along with students Teresa Heyer and Cecilia Salazar, spoke at the annual conference of the Iowa Council of Teachers of English and Language Arts in Des Moines Oct. 7–8. 

Menning, Turnwall, Heyer and Salazar presented a Saturday break-out session entitled “Sharing the Stories of our Neighbors.” The presentation focused on two separate writing projects. 

Menning spoke about the service-learning project her Basic Writing students do for World War II veterans who now reside in northwest Iowa assisted-living centers. Using a multigenres approach, Menning’s students write the veterans’ war biographies and add their own creative reflections—via poetry, lyrics, letters, journals, devotionals and prayers—to fashion gift books which celebrate the lives and military service of each veteran. Students present their work at a Pearl Harbor Day Tea. 

Turnwall and her students shared their experiences of collecting life and immigration stories from several Hispanic residents in the local area. Heyer, Salazar, Julie Blythe and Elsa Schmidt spent time last summer interviewing immigrants, recording their conversations in Spanish, and selecting a few of their stories to retell. The group expects to publish these as illustrated bilingual books to be used as new curriculum materials in schools; books will also be made available to the public at area libraries and churches.

Turnwall sees the Hispanic Literacy Project as the genesis of similar projects across Iowa—and perhaps the nation. Her hope is that the projects will not only honor the immigrants but also build bridges between English and Spanish-speaking communities.