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Encore Awards

Through a five-year commitment of $250,000 by NBC, Teachers & Writers Collaborative is placing professional writers in residencies in public schools in New York City and other sites across the country. Working in classrooms along with local teachers, the writers will explore with students classical literature by Homer, Ovid, Shakespeare, Aesop and Confucius, as well as works by such 20th Century writers as Kafka, Steinbeck, and Richard Wright.

The purpose of these NBC residencies is to expand the teaching of great literature and creative writing. Teachers and writers will design imaginative writing activities for students and, at the end of each residency, Teachers & Writers Collaborative will publish an anthology of student writing based on their work with these classic texts which will be available to teachers both as a book and on the Internet. Through this grant, Teachers & Writers Collaborative will also publish Classics in the Classroom: Creative Writing Ideas from Great Literature, a collection of essays that will link imaginative writing with the reading of classical texts, including Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad.

NBC’s support of the residencies was related to the broadcast of the miniseries, The Odyssey, which was seen on national television in May of 1997. As NBC President Bob Wright noted: "Because quality television begins with good imaginative writing, you might say we have a vested interest in making sure that students have all the creative writing opportunities and encouragement possible. We are honored to be working with a group as dedicated and successful at stimulating young minds as Teachers & Writers Collaborative. Whether it’s bringing to life Homer’s 2500-year old epic or developing a new series, NBC is committed to making sure that education and television go hand in hand."