Day 33: National Handwriting Day

National Handwriting Day is an opportunity to reintroduce yourself to a pen or pencil and a piece of paper. And encourage or introduce a child to handwriting. We know that children who master handwriting are better, more creative writers. So encourage students to explore—in their best handwriting of course—the arts of poetry, story, essay, and other creative writing. In this day of computers, more and more information, notes, and letters are sent back and forth via a keyboard and cyberspace.  The lost art of handwriting is one of the few ways we can uniquely express ourselves. There’s something poetic about grasping a writing instrument and feeling it hit the paper as your thoughts flow through your fingers and pour into words.

The Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association established National Handwriting Day in 1977. Their motive is obvious...to promote the consumption of pens, pencils, and writing paper. January 23rd was chosen because this is the birthday of John Hancock. John Hancock was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Writopia Lab is a New York City-based national community of young writers, ages 8-18. If children love the idea of developing their first short story or memoir, or if they are already a prolific writer who is thrilled by the idea of polishing exceptional short stories, journalistic pieces, personal essays, poetry, and dramatic or comedic scripts, then they can join a year-round after- school, weekend, and school-break intensive creative writing workshops.

Writopia Lab is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization founded in New York City in April of 2007. They run creative writing workshops for kids ages 8 to 18. All of their workshops have a maximum of six students and are led by a published writer who has been fully trained in our time-tested methodology. In each of the past three years, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized more kids from Writopia Lab, on both the regional and national levels, than from any other school in the nation.

Donation: $5

To support Writopia Lab, please visit:  http://www.writopialab.org