On September 19, 2012, Senate Resolution #565 supporting the designation of October 20, 2012, as the "National Day on Writing," was submitted to the U.S. Senate, considered, and agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
Here is the text of the Resolution, which I think is pretty amazing--I love every "whereas!" This can be found at the Library of Congress:
112TH CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES
2D SESSION S. RES. 565
Expressing support for the designation of October 20, 2012,
as the ‘‘National Day on Writing."
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
SEPTEMBER 19, 2012
Mr. CASEY (for himself, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, and Mr. AKAKA) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for the designation of October 20, 2012, as the ‘‘National Day on Writing."
.
Whereas people in the 21st century are writing more than ever before for personal, professional, and civic purposes;
Whereas the social nature of writing invites people of every age, profession, and walk of life to create meaning through composing;
Whereas more and more people in every occupation deem writing as essential and influential in their work;
Whereas writers continue to learn how to write for different purposes, audiences, and occasions throughout their lifetimes;
Whereas developing digital technologies expand the possibilities for composing in multiple media at a faster pace than ever before;
Whereas young people are leading the way in developing new forms of composing by using different forms of digital media;
Whereas effective communication contributes to building a global economy and a global community;
Whereas the National Council of Teachers of English, in conjunction with its many national and local partners, honors and celebrates the importance of writing through the National Day on Writing;
Whereas the National Day on Writing celebrates the foundational place of writing in the personal, professional, and civic lives of the people of the United States;
Whereas the National Day on Writing provides an opportunity or individuals across the United States to share and exhibit their written works through the National Gallery of Writing;
Whereas the National Day on Writing highlights the importance of writing instruction and practice at every educational level and in every subject area;
Whereas the National Day on Writing emphasizes the lifelong process of learning to write and compose for different audiences, purposes, and occasions;
Whereas the National Day on Writing honors the use of the full range of media for composing, from traditional tools like print, audio, and video, to Web 2.0 tools like blogs, wikis, and podcasts; and
Whereas the National Day on Writing encourages all people of the United States to write, as well as to enjoy and learn from the writing of others: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate—
(1) supports the designation of October 20, 2012, as the ‘‘National Day on Writing’’;
(2) strongly affirms the purposes of the National Day on Writing;
(3) encourages participation in the National Gallery of Writing, which serves as an exemplary living archive of the centrality of writing in the lives of the people of the United States; and
(4) encourages educational institutions, businesses, community and civic associations, and other organizations to promote awareness of the National Day on Writing and celebrate the writing of the members those organizations through individual submissions to the National Gallery of Writing.
I love that this Resolution honors the place writing has in our lives, acknowledges that the craft of writing is a lifelong learning process, and recognizes the many ways in which technology is expanding our ability to create and share our writing.
In looking for a picture of a quill pen to add to this blog post, I found the official White House portrait of George Washington, the first President of the United States. I'm including a close-up of one portion of the portrait, here, because this not only shows Washington's quill pen, but more importantly, it shows all the books that are piled beneath his table.
Several years ago, when I was packing to make a move, not only did I have to pack up (and give away) the thousands of books that were in our 14 bookcases, but there were also books in boxes, closets, and drawers, as well as stacked in piles all over the house. Oh, and I almost forgot... we used the dictionary as a doorstop, which guaranteed we could always find it when needed.
'What are you going to do to celebrate the National Day on Writing?
