Rural Voices Radio

A radio program produced by the National Writing Project’s Rural Sites Network from 1999 to 2003, Rural Voices Radio was the first spoken word project of the NWP. A group of National Writing Project teachers worked to create the series, hoping to increase place-based education and citizen participation in rural education. Featuring essays, stories, and local sounds from a collaboration of students and educators, this thirteen-part series celebrates various rural focus areas throughout the US.

Each half-hour segment illustrates the strong local character at the heart of these rural communities and provides listeners with a glimpse into vibrant rural America. "The programs offer an honest and refreshing portrayal of places off the beaten path through the words of emerging writers, some as young as first grade. For students, Rural Voices Radio helps connect writing, reading and speaking; for listeners, the programs are a bridge to new places, perspectives and cultures."

Rural educators across the country use this model as a resource to inspire their students. Says Third Coast Writing Project educator Corey Haubaugh, “When students hear rural stories from across the country, two important obstacles are cleared for them: first, the program honors student writers, inviting other students to take their own writing seriously, and second, it permits and invites students to write without apology from their own sense of the places they know."