Opportunities

Celebrating the Best of TAMU-CC Student writing

A generous grant from the Paul and Mary Haas Foundation makes it possible to recognize TAMU-CC's best student writers through our annual Haas Writing Awards.  These awards come with a cash prize for three students in each of eight different categories.  A special awards ceremony, with a guest author, is held each spring to honor the recipients and to celebrate the importance of good writing at TAMU-CC.

Every spring, the English Department hosts our annual Authors Day to celebrate reading and writing with the Coastal Bend Community.  Faculty and students work together with high school students who spend the day on campus.  We also invite a published author to read from her/his work and to conduct workshops for University and area school students.  In the past, Jim Daniels, Helena Maria Viramonte, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Pat Mora, Naomi Shihab Nye, Benjamin Alire Saenz, Denise Chavez, Brett Anthony Johnston, Laura Emma Perez and Cyrus Cassells have visited our campus.

Students from Miller, Moody, Carroll, King, Collegiate and Tuloso-Midway visited our campus and enjoyed a day of workshops in creative and professional writing, as well as getting to share their own poetry with members of the English Department at their own Poetry Slam.

In 2020, we held our 23rd annual Authors Day with Ire’ne Lara Silva as the keynote speaker.  We hosted students from four Corpus Christi high schools.

The Invitational Summer Institute of the Coastal Bend Writing Project is a four-week professional development program based on the National Writing Project (NWP) model.  The Summer Institute is for teachers who value excellence in the class-room and have potential for leadership.  The institute accepts applications from teachers of all subjects and grade levels from kindergarten through college.

The English Department has conducted writing camps for local elementary and middle school students for 23 years.  In 2010, we added the Writers Island Workshop for high school students as well. Up to 30 students come to each camp and participate in writing related activities as well as enjoying visits from storytellers, musicians, and artists. Learn more about Young Authors Camp