W.o.o.t.s.

Our report for the 2010-11 WITS program has just been released and is available to read online.

Click here to read and learn more about what we’ve been up to this past year!

We’ve just made all of our digital chapbooks–past and present–available online through Issuu.com, an online reader. These are tons more fun to read than ordinary PDFs (they actually look and feel like books!), so please check them out!

To view our library, you can visit our profile at http://www.issuu.com/literary-arts.

Our annual WITS Summit was held in Hood River, Oregon, this year and the attendance and enthusiasm were at their highest yet. The Columbia Gorge Arts in Education hosted the event, and participants came from organizations around the state, including Fishtrap, The Nature of Words, professor Marjorie Sandor and four students from Oregon State University’s MFA program,  Wordstock, Writers in the Schools, Write Around Portland, Young Writers Association, and we had a special presentation by Sara Exposito, a professor at Lewis and Clark College.

In the morning, each organization shared what they’ve been working on over the past year. Nearly everyone spoke of having their contributed income from grants and endowments decrease, but at the same time a few had secured new sources of income and were expanding their programs and/or hiring staff. Many organizations had experimented with new strategies and residencies over the past year, and they shared their triumphs and challenges. Some orgs had more volunteers than they could use, while others were hoping to get more applicants for writers-in-residence programs (which is good news for Oregonian writers!). Overall, the day was filled with conversation about how arts education is adapting, growing, and doing phenomenal work despite financial challenges.

Exposito’s presentation on teaching creative writing to Latina youth—or any marginalized student population—was insightful and touched on struggles that many artists-in-residence have faced. She shared her experiences with teaching writing, and the importance of creating a safe space for students to write in and finding mentors who care about the students.

As always, the exchange of ideas and strategies at the WITS Summit was invaluable. Many organizations are forging new partnerships in their communities, diversifying their funding streams, and raising awareness of the services they provide to their local communities. Some were exploring online writing courses to increase rural access. Others were doing teen writing camps, scholarships for students to writing retreats, monthly radio readings and themed classes for students. All were passionate about reaching out to all students, no matter their background or geographic location. It was nothing short of inspiring to hear how hard everyone works!

The highlight was hearing presenters share individual stories of how their work has changed lives. It was a good reminder of the importance of arts education and why everyone works so hard at their nonprofit or school. At the end of the day, it was great to feel connected to so many people who are actively working to nurture creativity throughout Oregon. Thanks to our presenters, our host, and all our participants. We’re excited to see what everyone accomplishes in the upcoming year!

We even had a lunchtime stroll in the beautiful Gorge!

Here’s the opening part of a great article that Mark Pomeroy wrote about his time at Marshall High School, which is closing soon:

A  week from graduation, she walks into her English class, sits down and looks to the overhead screen for the day’s prompt: “Neighborhood.” For a minute she quiets herself, pen in hand.

With each passing day, school seems both closer and more distant. Surges of memory — her teachers, her classes these past four years, all the hallway conversations, the languages. The halls used to be more crowded, livelier, but now some of her classmates show up every other day, if that.

Her teachers tell them they matter, no one is abandoning them. They can’t take it personally, that’s the thing. Life’s not always fair. And they know it’s true, and also, enrollment was on the low side compared to other high schools.

Still — this place is theirs. For some kids, it’s home, where they can come to know that people will pay attention to what they’re thinking. Where they can find a few moments of calm. Where they can eat.

“I live in the wilderness of the economy,” she writes on the first line of her paper.

To read the entire article, click here.

Mark applauding an author's work at a student reading.

As a follow-up to our fall essay mentoring event at Franklin High School, last week we reconvened juniors and the mentors who had helped them. In the fall, students brainstormed topics and mentors helped them begin working on an essay for their college and scholarship applications. This time, students came with an essay they had been working on in Ms. Susan Bartley’s English class.  The mentors dug in and helped with grammar, word choice, and specific writing techniques. Even with so much hands-on work, the conversations went beyond structure and into the far-reaching territories of voice, subject, and students’ concerns about choosing a university. At the end, students and mentors left with ink-smudged fingertips and hopeful smiles. Many thanks to all those involved!

In our final WITS reading for Spring 2011, Franklin and Portland Night High School students read to a (packed!) audience at BiPartisan Cafe. It was one of our largest readings yet, and it was wonderful to see so many friends and parents attending. Each student, teacher, and writer did a fantastic job, and we’re already excited to put together an anthology of this past year’s highlights! Thanks to all!

My Story

by Robel Haile

I wanna tell you a story
Of myself
I’m a person who is hungry
Hungry with a big dream
Dream like the American dream
“The African Dream”
Peace, peace, and peace
My dreams are heading back to home
Heading back to the East
To the origin of Lucy and Selam
To the origin of culture and people
Where my ancestors grave
Where my umbilical cord is buried
To the Horn of Africa
Lakomenza, Abyssinia
Land of Habesha

I wanna tell you a story
Of myself
My life in foreign land
Where it seems a happy land
But it’s not like that
Not like my native land
What is wrong with me?
This is my home too
But I don’t call it home yet
It’s cold and dark
I look through the mirror
What is written on my face?
I see soul and faith
And I look through my colored skin
I see my heart is pumping
Blood that is mixed with
Mississippi and Blue Nile
But I can tell which is which
I look down to the bottom
I think about myself
How I look when I walk
I try to show no emotion
No weakness at all

I wanna tell you a story
Of myself
I’m in 97217
My people are back in Agergizat
That’s what I call home
If I started missing my people
Who are back home
Nostalgia would kill me
Right now my body is resting
Lost in the deepest part of the delightful night
My night and my dreams
Far far away…

With Marshall campus closing, this was the last Renaissance Arts and Linus Pauling reading. Instead of melancholia, however, there was a strong sense of community and support amidst the students, families, teachers, administrators, and WITS writers. Several of the works celebrated the author’s determination and desire to find a place in the world. Lents Commons provided a great space for the reading, with pastries, coffee, and a sunny corner location. We want to thank all the students who participated, and look forward to working with them at Franklin and Madison High Schools next year!

Having students, teachers, and writers from Jefferson High School read their work at Talking Drum Bookstore/Reflections Coffeehouse lent the event a strong feeling of community. Several students’ work mentioned their experiences coming to America from other countries, and the mix of nostalgia, discovery, and adjustment that accompanies their new lives. Emotions were heightened as readers dedicated pieces to a friend, a brother, and a parent who had passed on. Overall, it was another fantastic reading. Many thanks to all those who participated!

First, thanks to Girasole Pizza for hosting an awesome reading last night! The sunny room was packed with students, teachers, WITS writers, parents, and Literary Arts board who enjoyed wood-fired pizzas and both listened and watched students read their work. We had a projector for those who’d drawn comics, and the applause for everyone was thunderous. Many thanks to all!