News release Public Information Office   SLU 10880   Hammond, LA 70402   phone: 985-549-2341   fax: 985-549-2061 publicinfo@selu.edu     www.selu.edu/news Contact: Christina Chapple Date: 12/3/03   KSLU “WRITING MARATHON” DOCUMENTARY WINS AWARD       HAMMOND -- A documentary produced by KSLU 90.9, Southeastern Louisiana University’s public radio station, chronicling the Southeastern Louisiana Writing Project’s 2003 summer “writing marathon” has received an Award of Excellence in the 2003 Communicator Awards.       KSLU aired the award-winning show, produced by program director Todd Delaney, on December 5, said General Manager Wayne Cain. The show is also available on the station’s web site, www.selu.edu/kslu.       The Communicator Awards is an international awards competition recognizing outstanding work in the communications field. Entries are judged by industry professionals who look for companies and individuals whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry.      Of the 1,079 entries in the 2003 competition, 12 percent received Awards of Excellence, which are presented to entrants “whose ability to communicate makes them the best in their field,” awards organizers said.       The Southeastern Louisiana Writing Project is one of 170 National Writing Project sites across the country. In a special institute each summer, the SLWP brings teachers together to share best practices in writing and “to teach each other,” said SLWP Director Richard Louth, a member of Southeastern’s English faculty. One of the institute’s features is a field trip called the New Orleans Writing Marathon, a brainchild of the SLWP in 1994. Louth said the concept “has been spreading quickly.” He estimates that as many as 100 writing marathons are held throughout the country each summer.        During the marathon, writers roam the city in small groups, pausing to write in 10 to 20 minute sessions, then sharing their efforts.  “It’s all about seeing the world as a writer and giving oneself the chance to do this,” Louth said.       Several years ago, the SLWP produced two radio programs showcasing writing about rural Louisiana by local students and teachers. “Everyday Epiphanies: Listening to the Rhythms of Louisiana Life” was part of the National Writing Project’s series “Rural Voices Radio: Writing About the Places We Call Home.” KSLU’s facilities were used to tape some of the shows’ segments, and the programs were aired on the station as well as on public radio stations throughout the country.       The experience, Louth said showed the SLWP “the value of radio as a way to get writers’ voices heard.” It prompted them to approach KSLU’s Cain and Delaney with the idea of recording the progress of the writing marathon planned for the 2003 SLWP Advanced Institute . Writing marathon participants came from Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky and Oregon.       Delaney said he followed several groups of writers on their travels in the French Quarter, recording their comments about the experience as well as excerpts from their writings.        “Todd was magnificent,” Louth said. “He even joined in the writing.”       In addition to the radio program, the writings of the 2003 New Orleans Writing Marathon have also been collected in a book. Louth said a limited number of copies are available and can be obtained by sending him an e-mail at rlouth@selu.edu. The cost is $7, which includes postage.       For additional information about the Southeastern Louisiana Writing Project and the New Orleans Writing Marathon, contact Louth at 985-549-2102. Return to News Releases