Schedule
Thursday, April 1, 2027
8:30 Registration Opens
10:00 - 11:00 Keynote
11:15 - 12:30 Breakout Session 1
12:30 - 1:45 Lunch
2:00 - 3:15 Breakout Session 2
3:30 - 4:45 Breakout Session 3
Open Mic Night
Events
Friday, April 2, 2027
8:30 - 9:30 Keynote
9:45 - 11:00 Breakout Session 4
11:15 - 12:30 Breakout Session 5
12:30 - 1:45 Lunch
2:00 - 3:15 Breakout Session 6
Greef Award Winners
2027 Winners will be recognized at the conference.
The Robert J. Greef Award is given annually to outstanding seniors from colleges and universities in Missouri. The criteria for the award include academic excellence in the field of English education, leadership, character, and participation in department activities. The award was established in honor of a former MATE/MCTE President, Robert Greef, who was an outstanding teacher at the University of Central Missouri. The Greef Award provides an opportunity to celebrate the successes of English education programs across Missouri.
Scholastic Writing Awards
MWPN coordinates the Missouri region of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards sponsored by The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers. The contest is the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for grades 7–12, offering 29 categories for submission of art and writing.
MWPN believes that student publications bridge a gap between creative and academic writing in the curriculum and leads to young writers who are invested and confident. Seeking an authentic audience is crucial to “foster a culture of authentic and culturally sustaining writing instruction,” as the National Council of Teaching English (NCTE) notes in its Position Statement on Writing Instruction in School. Contests such as Scholastic are exciting entry points for students to consider a wider variety of audiences and purposes for writing beyond a grade in their classroom.
Dear Poet Writing Contest
During National Poetry Month Poet.org presents Dear Poet, a project that invites young people in grades five through twelve to write letters in response to poems written and read by award-winning poets.
MWPN invites you to write a letter in response to this year’s award-winning poets as well!
Letters are submitted and displayed in the conference lobby. Submissions may address one poem in particular or speak to a collection from this year’s poets. TWO letters will be selected and announced Friday morning. Winners receive a book house full of poetry.
Need some inspiration to get your story going?
Come to the MWPN Writers Social
Thursday, 3:30 PM-5:30 PM
Consider this an opportunity to create a piece of writing that screams, “Poetry is not a Luxury!” Plus! you could read it at open mic night and/or take an example back to your students to inspire their own submissions to Dear Poet. Write On.
100 Word Story Writing Contest
“In a culture that celebrates bigness, good writing is so often about less. It’s about succinctness and clarity. It’s about evocation and mood. It’s about suspense and omission. It’s about finding the right word, not more words.”
—Grant Faulkner, Writer & 100 Word Story Co-Founder
MWPN invites you to write your own narrative using exactly 100 words, excluding the title. Stories are submitted and displayed in the conference lobby. TWO stories will be selected and announced Friday morning. Winners receive a collection of micro-fiction.
Need some inspiration to get your story going?
Come to the MWPN Writers Social
Thursday, 3:30 PM-5:00 PM
Your unique experiences, even if they seem ordinary, hold the power to inspire, heal, and foster empathy in a world that desperately needs connection - especially as a community of educators. Plus! you could read it at open mic night and/or take an example back to your students to inspire their own stories. Write On.
Open Mic
Social & reading; more info coming soon.
Writers Social
