Showcase June 2025 Participant Information
WTAMU IRB #2025.04.006. Approved: 2025 April 23. Expiration Date: 2026 April 23.
Place-based writing starts from the simple idea that where we are shapes who we are. This approach invites students to write from and about their local surroundings—their homes, neighborhoods, landmarks, weather, roads, history, and the voices that fill their lives.
Instead of writing to abstract prompts, students are encouraged to write from real, grounded experiences. The result? Writing that feels authentic, urgent, and personal—harder to fake, harder to outsource, and more meaningful to write and read.
A National Writing Project Site at West Texas A&M University
While our name honors the historic highway that runs through the Panhandle, our work reaches far beyond the road. The Route 66 Writing Project supports educators, students, and community members in exploring the power of writing to reflect lived experiences, strengthen local voices, and build meaningful connections across generations and geographies.
Through workshops, summer programs, and educator gatherings, we provide opportunities to write from where we are—whether that’s a ranch, a classroom, a neighborhood, or a place we carry in memory. We believe that stories rooted in place have the power to teach, to connect, and to imagine better futures.
Recent initiatives include a summer retreat for regional-serving university faculty and an arts-based writing camp co-created with local youth. As our work continues to grow, we remain committed to fostering authentic, place-connected learning experiences that matter.
The Route 66 Writing Project at West Texas A&M University is committed to promoting place-based learning as a means of fostering a sense of belonging, purpose, and meaning across curricular content areas. We believe that learning through direct experiences with the physical, cultural, and historical landscapes of Route 66, and the region surrounding it, is a powerful way to engage students in meaningful and authentic learning.
Our mission is to inspire students to develop a deep appreciation for the people, places, and stories that make up the fabric of communities that surround this iconic highway. Through writing, research, and experiential learning, we aim to cultivate a sense of place-based identity and a sense of connection to the region and cultures that have been shaped by Route 66.
As a participant in the Route 66 Place-Based Pedagogy in Action workshop, you’ll be mentoring high school students through small-group writing sessions centered around place-based prompts.
💡 Your job isn’t to correct their grammar or assign grades—it’s to help them discover and shape their voice.
You’ll do this by: