Why are you doing this?

WITS Rewritten is driven by our interest in broadening and deepening student access to the literary arts. Through it, we will prioritize providing WITS to K-12 public schools that serve students furthest from educational justice. As this collective student body has the least access to arts programming both in and outside of school, we are committed to making WITS accessible to the schools they attend. By taking a targeted universalism approach, WITS Rewritten will support our universal goal of ensuring that all students have access to the literary arts.

In addition to eliminating barriers to participation for schools, WITS Rewritten also reduces barriers to participation for WITS writers. By removing school fees, schools are able to commit to WITS much earlier in the year which means that SAL can do the same for writers in residence. This means more stability for teaching artists and increased likelihood of retaining our most talented WITS writers. By centering the service of students who are furthest from educational justice and providing increasingly stable livelihoods for local writers, WITS Rewritten is an actualization of SAL’s values and a way that we live our mission.

How many schools is WITS Rewritten working with?

In the 2023-24 school year, WITS Rewritten partnered three schools: Wing Luke Elementary School, Denny International Middle School, and Rainier Beach High School. In the 2024-25 school year, WITS Rewritten is partnering with six schools: Wing Luke Elementary School, Emerson Elementary School, Cascade Middle School, and Big Picture Middle School, Evergreen High School, and Rainier Beach High School.

How do you determine which students are furthest from educational justice?

WITS Rewritten will prioritize serving students furthest from educational justice when curating our roster of school partners. Partner schools will be determined based on an intersectional analysis that relies on state and district-produced data and considers key equity-driven including but not limited to:

• Black students
• Indigenous students
• Students of color
• Low-income students
• Multilingual learners
• Students born outside the US
• Students experiencing homelessness
• Students experiencing life threatening medical situations
• Geographic location
• Existing partnerships and in-school access to the arts

If schools aren’t paying, how is the initiative funded?

The total cost of a typical, 84-hour WITS residency is $20,000. Historically, participating schools have made small contributions (through tiered subsidized hourly rates, based on the percentage of the student body that qualifies for free-and-reduced lunch) and Seattle Arts & Lectures has subsidized approximately 80% of residency costs. WITS Rewritten has Seattle Arts & Lectures subsidizing 100% of residency costs by increasing our contributed revenue streams.

Are you going to bring WITS Rewritten to more schools in the 2025-26 academic year?

We would like to! Our goal is to, incrementally and sustainably, bring on both new school partners as well as eradicate school fees for many of our existing school partners. We do need to meet our revenue goals in order to move in this direction.

How do I learn more about WITS Rewritten?

Reach out! Our Director of Youth Programs, Jennifer Lobsenz, can be best reached at wits@lectures.org. WITS has always been an ecosystem and we’re interested in connecting with anyone who wants to learn more about this pilot program, whether you are a parent, student, principal, or community member.

I want to help support WITS Rewritten!

Awesome! The only way this works is in partnership with folks who are interested in supporting increased access to the arts for young people. Our Director of Development, Betsey Brock, can be best reached at development@lectures.org.