ABOUT

 

HISTORY
MISSION
» BOARD OF DIRECTORS
FUTURE

 

HISTORY

The Writers Hall of Fame® of America began in Springfield, Missouri, in 1994, and at the core of its existence is a common passion -- the joy of writing.

With grassroots activities such as writing camps, scholarships, contests, and partnerships in education, the Writers Hall of Fame® of America remains true to its goal of encouraging an interest in writers young and old.

Each year the Writers Hall of Fame® of America holds an induction ceremony, celebrating the works and lives of those who have made significant contributions to the art of writing. Come celebrate with us!

MISSION

Headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, the Writers Hall of Fame® of America was founded in 1994 to foster an interest in writing among people of all ages. The organization's mission is three-fold:

• To recognize those who made major contributions to writing.
• To stimulate interest in writing among young people.
• To promote lifelong writing.

Why We Do What We Do...

In early 1776, colonist Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet entitled Common Sense that incited the colonists to declare their independence, thus giving birth to a new nation.

In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin and it rallied abolitionists to fight against the institution of slavery and helped move this new nation toward becoming a place where truly "all men are created equal."

In 1962, Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring, a book that railed against the use of the pesticide DDT that was killing many of our nation's birds. Because of that book, our national emblem, the Bald Eagle is once again flying in our skies.

In this century, who will write the next great work of social impact that will influence change in the USA? Will anyone be able to write with such power and clarity as Paine, Stowe and Carson? America faces a challenge to our "Right to Write." That challenge has produced what is called the 'E-Generation.' The youth of the Electronic Generation have grown up in an electronic world.  Movies, video, electronic games, cell phones, surfing the internet--these activities are stealing both the desire and the ability to read and write from the youth of America.

In the past, whether their words made us laugh, cry, think or believe, writers and all their varied works were not merely acknowledged, they were celebrated. By taking such joy in the written word and passing that spark on to our youth, we fan the flames of passion for writing so that it will once again be revered in this country. By doing this we infuse new generations of Americans with the wonderment of reading and the creative joy that comes from writing well.

And that is why at the heart of the Writers Hall of Fame® of America's mission is the phrase "Celebrate the Joy of Writing."
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Our Goals and Methods

Goals

• To elevate writing to a status where it is once again practiced, admired, respected and revered in this country.
• To help teach those who want to write well and or for a career.
• To provide resources for the study of writing and authors.
• To encourage reading and writing in all genres and formats.
• To create a national 'Mecca' for writers where both readers and writers can learn, be inspired and be engaged in writing in all its myriad forms.
• To aid the next generations of great writers who will persuade, entertain, engage, teach, inspire and inform us all.

Methods

• By holding writing contests for students in elementary and secondary schools, thus engaging them in writing and awarding the best of those with a certificate of honor and a gift certificate to a book store in their area.
• By holding annual scholarship competitions and awarding college scholarships to those students interested in writing who display a talent for same.
• By holding summer Writing Camps for junior high students.
• By holding writing seminars and conferences for both students and adults.
• By co-sponsoring the world premiere of a play for children and sponsoring the playwright's workshops for some 700 children in both public and private schools.
• By recognizing professional journalists, screenwriters, playwrights, novelists, book authors, poets, publishers, writing teachers, etc. who have made a major contribution to writing by induction into our Hall of Fame.
• By creating exhibits that tell about our inductees and their works, thus demystifying writers and encouraging youngsters to believe that if the inductees can do it, so can they!
• By creating a virtual Writers Hall of Fame® of America on the web that can be accessed world wide and aid us in empowering writers who can not be reached in any other way.
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» BOARD OF DIRECTORS

FUTURE

The Writers Hall of Fame® of America celebrates the expressions of our souls transformed into written words, whether they are song lyrics, poems, articles, stories, columns, novels, books, plays or movies.  

Our goal is to build a Writers Hall of Fame® of America national headquarters facility in Springfield, Missouri where we can empower young writers, coach the writing life, celebrate writers and provide a new and broader stage for everyone who appreciates the JOY of WRITING. This physical manifestation of what we do would be centrally located geographically in the heartland of America.

 

This facility would include:

• A National Hall of Fame exhibit area.
• A State Halls of Fame exhibit area.
• An auditorium for large seminars, author readings, plays, screenings, conferences, national convention of delegates, and induction and recognition ceremonies.
• Classrooms for smaller seminars, readings, and writers' feedback group meetings.
• Interview rooms for freelance writers to meet with agents and publishers.
• An Inductees' Library for students who wish to study our inductees and their works.
• A Writing Research Library with how-to writing books, books listing agents and publishers, etc.
• Rooms filled with writing stations.

We envision this facility to be a 'Mecca' for writers from throughout the nation.   In addition, it would be a place where avid readers, children, students and scholars could spend a day and leave inspired and motivated.

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