The Route 66 Writing Project recently completed a project through a grant provided by National Geographic Education.
Welcome to the Route 66 Writing Project
A National Writing Project Site at West Texas A&M University
While our name honors the historic highway that runs through the Panhandle, our work reaches far beyond the road. The Route 66 Writing Project supports educators, students, and community members in exploring the power of writing to reflect lived experiences, strengthen local voices, and build meaningful connections across generations and geographies.
Through workshops, summer programs, and educator gatherings, we provide opportunities to write from where we are—whether that’s a ranch, a classroom, a neighborhood, or a place we carry in memory. We believe that stories rooted in place have the power to teach, to connect, and to imagine better futures.
Recent initiatives include a summer retreat for regional-serving university faculty and an arts-based writing camp co-created with local youth. As our work continues to grow, we remain committed to fostering authentic, place-connected learning experiences that matter.
Our Mission
The Route 66 Writing Project at West Texas A&M University is committed to promoting place-based learning as a means of fostering a sense of belonging, purpose, and meaning across curricular content areas. We believe that learning through direct experiences with the physical, cultural, and historical landscapes of Route 66, and the region surrounding it, is a powerful way to engage students in meaningful and authentic learning.
Our mission is to inspire students to develop a deep appreciation for the people, places, and stories that make up the fabric of communities that surround this iconic highway. Through writing, research, and experiential learning, we aim to cultivate a sense of place-based identity and a sense of connection to the region and cultures that have been shaped by Route 66.
Explore the 2892 Miles To Go Route 66 Project
People generally spend little time thinking about roads. Most of us are in such a hurry to get where we’re going that we may look at the road before us, but we don’t really see the meandering paths we wander along.
Our roads can build and destroy, create and drain. The land surrounding our roads can offer stories of community, insights into belonging, legacies of opportunity gained and lost, chronicles of abuse of power and misuse of energy, and ledgers accounting for trade, ownership, and lingering debts.
Contact the Route 66 Writing Project
Dr. Shanna Peeples
Director
Dr. John G. O'Brien Distinguished Chair in Education
2015 National Teacher of the Year
speeples@wtamu.edu