URBANA, Ill., Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) will commemorate the eighth National Day on Writing (#WhyIWrite) on October 20. The annual celebration of writing in all its forms and purposes aims to ensure that writing is recognized as a foundational component of educational growth and human relationships.

Founded in 2009, the National Day on Writing has become a popular participatory social media event through the #WhyIWrite hashtag. This year, NCTE is launching both a new website (www.whyIwrite.us) and a unique podcast. The website will aggregate the tens of thousands of posts that are anticipated to flow in this week and beyond. The new podcast on writing will be hosted by longtime podcaster, best-selling author and digital media innovator C.C. Chapman. Upcoming guests include New York Times best-selling author Brad Meltzer, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer John Oates, Seth Godin, ESPN broadcaster Kenny Mayne, and Jonathan Fields, among others.

"Writing is essential to literacy and education," said Emily Kirkpatrick, executive director of the nonprofit NCTE, the oldest literacy organization in the United States. "New technologies and globalization are driving us to communicate in different ways and at a breathtaking pace. While more people are writing in their daily lives now than at any other point in human history, we must continue to teach and encourage a broad diversity of writing, from poetry to fiction to technical writing to emails to social media posts and beyond."

Last year, more than 60,000 tweets were tagged with #WhyIWrite, and the hashtag trended for the entire day. Participation spanned the globe, and the tag has stayed active all year long. The tremendous enthusiasm around this topic will be evident in interviews conducted for the new bi-monthly podcast.

"As a writer, I am thrilled to partner with NCTE and to bring to light conversations about the importance and vitality of diverse writing," said Chapman. "We will continue to recruit authors across all genres, mediums, and walks of life to participate in the podcasts beyond the National Day on Writing to keep the discussion alive year-round."

About NCTE: Founded in Chicago in 1911, the National Council of Teachers of English is the oldest literacy organization in the United States. With more than 25,000 members and subscribers worldwide, NCTE is dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education. For more than 100 years, the organization has been at the forefront of every major advancement in the teaching of literacy. Learn more at NCTE.org.

SOURCE National Council of Teachers of English

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