In this conversation, we share our still-emerging thoughts on how AI is showing up in our work as teachers and writers. From lesson planning to idea generation, we’re exploring the ways these tools can support creativity and learning, while also staying mindful of the boundaries we believe are important to maintain. We aim to stay curious, critical, and grounded as we navigate these new possibilities.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Fran Haley’s slice about AI hallucinations

• Thomas Ferrebee’s AI slice

• Lauren Gould: Using AI Across the Writing Process (TC Saturday Reunion March 1, 2025)

Today, we’re talking about the Writing Workshop model—where it began for us, how we’ve used it in classrooms, and why it still holds such a powerful place in our hearts as writers and educators. We first encountered Writing Workshop in elementary schools, and it transformed not just our teaching, but our own writing lives.

This model offers students something rare: real creative freedom. In a school setting where choices are often limited, Writing Workshop gives kids space to explore their voices, take risks, and create work that feels personal and meaningful. We’ve seen firsthand how it nurtures confidence, ownership, and joy in writing.

So grab something to write with—and let’s dig into the beauty of the workshop model.

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At the end of this episode, a writing prompt emerged, and we both used it to write a Tuesday Slice of Life post. Here are the links:

Could You Have Known?

A Slice from the Very Beginning

What is a writing retreat? How do writing retreats give writers that dedicated time to write and the permission to say, "Yes, I am a writer"?

In this episode, we reflect on our experience at the Quoddy Writing Retreat for Teacher Renewal during Summer 2024.

Mentioned in this episode: Georgia Heard, Ralph Fletcher, Lily Howard Scott, and the Quoddy Writing Retreat

In this episode, we return to our friend Lizzie's question: "Why write?"

Why DO we write? What keeps us coming back again and again? How did we start blogging, and how does blogging change how we show up for ourselves as writers? How does the blogging community encourage and support creativity?

In this episode, we dive into the Slice of Life story challenge — what it is, who hosts it, and how it has changed our writing lives.

Mentioned in this episode are Mike Crehore (Amy's dad and our show's theme composer), the Two Writing Teachers blog, and Nawal Qarooni, Amy's cousin, literary consultant, and founder of NQC Literacy.

In our first episode, we take inspiration from James Clear's Atomic Habits and discuss how to keep up a writing habit after participating in the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Story Challenge.