I want to reiterate everything that Janis said about the conference.  It was  great!  I also want to add this.  Thanks, Janis for all of your hard work on this conference.  Also, thanks Klaudia for stuffing the many student and teacher folders.

Janis' mother is such a delight.  She reminds me so much of Janis.  What a pleasure to get to hear from someone who has 90 years of history to share about Oklahoma.

Priscilla L. Griffith, Ph.D.
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-----Original Message-----
From: Oklahoma Writing Project [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Janis Cramer
Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2007 5:30 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Today's conference with Momaday

Dear OWP TC's--

Today's conference was maybe the best we've ever had
for students, and that is saying so much.  N. Scott
Momaday was the most inspiring speaker.  When he read
from Way To Rainy Mountain, he actually gave me
goosebumps.  The students asked the most intelligent
questions.  You could tell that he was impressed with
their knowledge and interest.

We had 146 students and 40 or so teachers in
attendance.  All the workshops presentations in the
morning were wonderful.  The evaluations were
outstanding.

I want to personally thank all our OWP presenters:
Sonia Gensler, Vivian Nida, Leah Esker, Julie
Lesko-Bishop, Brianne Johnson, Lillian Johnson, and
Kay Bishop.  I want to thank my precious 91-year-old
mother, Dorothy Thomas, too, who was the "interviewee"
in Julie's workshop on how to interview someone for
the feature story part of our writing contest.

Thanks also to Connie Sears, one of our own TC's, the
Oklahoma Rep for Holt Rinehart Winston, who provided
refreshments.  Thanks to Roxanne Reed and Harbour Winn
of Oklahoma City University, who, along with Vivian,
helped plan the conference and make sure everything
went smoothly.  Together, they were a smooth-running
machine.  Their respective departments, the Oklahoma
City University Fine Arts Institute and the Center for
Interpersonal Studies through Film and Literature,
co-sponsored the event.

Thanks to the Oklahoma Humanities Council and Jennifer
Kidney, who brought us N. Scott Momaday.  Jennifer has
graciously agreed to be the judge for our Centennial
Writing Contest.

For those of you who didn't get to come, please mark
April 3 in your calendar; we'll have another
conference for students then, when we celebrate the
winners of our Centennial Writing Contest.  Details
about the contest are online at our website.  Entries
are due in January, but your students should start
writing now.

Thank you again for everyone involved in a most
spectacular day.

Janis






Janis Cramer
Co-Director of Inservice
Oklahoma Writing Project
"Teachers Teaching Teachers"
820 Van Vleet Oval
University of Oklahoma
Phone and Fax (405) 495-4903
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