On October 24-26, 2025, we will be holding a Teachers Institute on Community Publishing & Poetic Belonging at the University of Arizona Poetry Center, in partnership with the Poetry Foundation. Are you a teacher, librarian, or community educator who is interested in attending? Check back soon for information about how to apply!
For now, we are looking for workshop proposals, which are due on May 30, 2025. See below for more information about how to submit a workshop proposal:
Call for Proposals: Teachers Institute Fall 2025: Community Publishing & Poetic Belonging
Background:
The Fall 2025 Poetry Foundation Teachers Institute will be held in collaboration with the University of Arizona Poetry Center in Tucson, Arizona, on October 24-26, 2025. The institute is free to attend, and open to classroom teachers, community educators, and librarians who work with middle and high school grade levels. The theme for the conference is “Community Publishing and Poetic Belonging.” We’re looking for experienced educators and teaching artists to present on aspects of teaching that give other educators practical ideas on how to share poetry and creative writing that originated in the classroom with a wider public audience, and on using these literary forms to deepen affinity and understanding among diverse students, schools, and communities. We will prioritize submissions from educators who have tried and tested these ideas in a classroom, library, or community setting, but will consider all proposals.
Proposals are open to community members as well as University of Arizona affiliates. While all are welcome to submit, priority will be given to workshop proposals from educators, librarians, and teaching artists within the state of Arizona. We will accept up to ten workshop proposals. Proposal acceptance includes admission to the Teachers Institute.
Details on presentation: The focus of our institute is to provide helpful, practical tips and lesson plans to teachers and educators, rather than deliver papers, theoretical arguments or poetry readings. Your materials and presentation should be catered to middle and high school teachers. A workshop is an interactive presentation, typically led by one individual, that shares a curriculum or talks about an approach or topics related to teaching. We are looking for proposals for workshops that are 1 hour in length.
Pay: We can offer an all-inclusive payment of $1250 per workshop.
Information Needed to Submit a Proposal: When you apply, we will ask you to fill out the form with the following information:
- Workshop Leader Name and Contact Information
- Workshop Leader Role and Experience (years teaching/educating, what subject/s, at what level)
- Presentation Title
- Presentation Description (maximum of 600 words)
Proposal submission and format: Please fill out this Google Form, detailing your proposed topic, approach, and texts you may include in your presentation.
Example Presentation Topics: zine-making, poetry murals, audio poetry, bringing the archives to life through creative writing, documentary poetry, creative writing and social change, exhibiting poetry in community spaces, poetry placemaking, poetry and belonging
Deadline to submit the proposal, via Google Forms, is May 30, 2025.
Criteria for presentation selection: Your proposal will be evaluated using the full information you provide, so please provide as much detail as possible, including the different methods and texts you would highlight. We are looking for clear and coherent proposals that demonstrate how the presentation will yield practical ideas for attending educators. We will look for material that is engaging, timely, appropriate, and aligned with our mission and audiences. We also want to ensure that our programming for the institute approaches poetry and creative writing from many different modes, angles, and approaches.
Questions? Please reach out to Eva Sierra, UA Poetry Center Education and Outreach Assistant, at emsierra@arizona.edu.
Timeline and Important Dates:
May 5 - May 30: Call for workshop proposals opens
Notifications: June 13
May 20 - June 20: Priority application period for prospective institute attendees
Notifications: July 11
August 5 - August 20: Second application period
Notifications: September 12
October 24, 25, 26: Teachers Institute Dates