Document 1 - San Francisco Arts Commission

WritersCorps
2005–2006 |
Table of Contents |
Featured Poem s
2005-2006 Evaluation Results
2
Overview, Janet Heller
4
Presentations/Media
7
A Cut and Paste Faery Tale, Annie Yu
9
3
Jump Write In!, Judith Tannenbaum
11
Publications
14
Inside Out, Lauran Weinmann
19
SCO School Days, Beto Palomar
21
Events
24
Ode to My Glasses
David Nguyen
8
The Spiral Window
Sarah Bierman
13
Wind
Cora Robertson
18
Wheels of Pain
Anitra Sanders
23
The Most Wonderful Thing
Michael V.
26
Strength in Numbers, Deborah Cullinan and Kevin B. Chen
27
Staff
29
I am a Camera, Lise Swenson
30
Budget
33
Credits
34
Samoa
Tino Guadamuz
Hong Kong
Kenny Luo
32
Poetry Is
Qiao Liu
1
Of 554 youth
served,
88%
demonstrated
improvements
2005—2006 Evaluation Results |
in writing
About WritersCorps Youth
Youth Surveys
Age
95% “I am more able to use my
imagination when I write.”
1% ages 6-9
23% ages 10-13
92% “I have learned how to identify and express my feelings.”
23% ages 14-15
37% ages 16-17
16% ages 18-22
82% “I am able to communicate
better with other students.”
84% “My spelling, grammar and
punctuation have improved.”
Gender
50% F
Site Surveys
50% M
93% of youth increased learning
opportunities
Ethnicity
16% African American
3% Caucasian
17% Chinese
1% Eastern European
5% Filipino
35% Latino
85% of youth increased ability to
express themselves verbally
95% of youth increased ability to
express themselves in writing
83% of youth increased their
vocabulary
77% of youth improved their interpersonal skills
9% Multiracial
2% Native American
5% Unknown
4% Other
1% South Asian
2% Vietnamese
2
Ode to My Glasses
Photography: Brittany Santos, 7, Mercy Housing
Thank you
for allowing me to see
clearly and without difficulty.
You help to distinguish me from everyone else.
You give me something to
take care of and keep clean
as if I was caring for a child.
You bring out the beauty of
the mountains and trees.
You sharpen the color of the flowers
and sky, of the fire and water
the pink cherry blossoms falling from the tree
at the corner of the block
the red ketchup stain on my favorite white sweater
after eating dad’s homemade hot dogs
the darkness invading the sky
during a thunderstorm
the jade bracelet around my grandma’s wrist.
My glasses
you wait for me every morning
when I wake up
in the case next to my pillow
always there when I need you.
Thank you.
David Nguyen, 14
Mission High School
3
Photography: Jahnaejah Cosby, 11, Mercy Housing
Overview |
Janet Heller
WritersCorps Project Manager
Each year WritersCorps inspires young people to write. If we’re lucky, the
habit sticks and students see writing as a tool for getting noticed and
positively contributing to the world. We love it when our writers turn in new
work or just show up ready to learn. 2005-06 was a year with many highlights
as you’ll read throughout this report. In addition to providing quality creative
writing instruction, publishing and producing events, our talented staff
focused on improving our visibility in the community. As a project of the
San Francisco Arts Commission, we uniquely represent the very best in
government programs.
If we’re lucky,
the habit sticks
and students
see writing
as a tool for
Student Accomplishments
getting noticed
Intern Annie Yu won the Gold Medal for Poetry in the San Francisco Youth
Arts Festival, which was accompanied by a cash award. She also produced a
zine, On the Muni, collecting and hand-publishing poems and photographs by
22 youth.
and
positively
Aaron Goldman-MacLachlan (Main Library) was selected to have his play, A
Way Away, performed as part of the first annual San Francisco Young
Playwrights Festival at City College.
contributing
to the
Emma Zevin (Main Library) and Enhao Xu (Main Library and Newcomer
High School) were both admitted to the competitive California State Summer
School for the Arts. They participated in an entire month of workshops devoted to creative writing, visual art and performance, held on California
Institute of the Arts’ campus.
world.
Shawn Williams (Mission High School) was selected as the 2006 Martin Luther
King, Jr. Freewrite Contest winner for his poem, “Be It.” He performed at
Glide Memorial Church, the Freedom Rally at San Francisco Civic Center, and
before the Arts Commission at San Francisco City Hall.
4
Our four
interns created
Publications
August 2005 saw the release of Jump Write In, published by Jossey-Bass.
This innovative book presents poetry lesson plans developed in WritersCorps workshops from 1994-2004. Edited by Training Coordinator Judith
Tannenbaum, Jump Write In is the foundation of our continuing initiative to
lead presentations for classroom teachers in the Bay Area and beyond.
a multi-media
performance
piece that
A second publication edited by Judith Tannenbaum was released in April
2006. Our newest anthology, Solid Ground (Aunt Lute Books) highlights
poems written by WritersCorps youth over the past 12 years.
was presented
alongside works
The contributors describe the lives of contemporary youth who live along
metaphoric faultlines of immigration status, economic inequity, turf wars and
broken hearts. The Solid Ground release was supported with a seven-stop
book tour, including an invitation to perform as part of Intersection for the
Arts’ Hybrid Project. Our four interns created a multi-media performance
piece that was presented alongside works by established local artists, all
commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the San Francisco earthquake.
by established
local artists, all
commemorating
the 100-year
In June we held our annual Book Festival at the San Francisco Public Library,
Main Branch. We celebrated the release of our individual site projects—five
new books of youth poetry, three broadsides, one zine, one journal and a
video poem—while 27 of our young writers read their work.
anniversary of
the San Francisco
Community Partnerships: Old and New
earthquake.
Returning to Intersection for the Arts, we co-hosted our third year of poetry
readings as part of their Literary Series. Twenty-seven youth and their
teachers read original work alongside noted writers Francisco X. Alarcón, Jack
Hirschman, and Cherríe Moraga.
We continued our second year of open mics at the San Francisco Public
Library, Park Branch. Organized and hosted by intern Primo Caceres, the
series was a big hit with the 25 youth that performed.
Also for the second year running, WritersCorps participated in a cultural
exchange with the Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS). This year’s exchange
started in January, with Santa Fe youth visiting San Francisco and teaching
at Everett Middle School, Log Cabin Ranch, Newcomer High School, and
San Francisco State University. We returned the compliment by traveling to
New Mexico in late April. We taught workshops in various classes at the Santa
Fe Indian School and performed at Santa Fe’s Center for Contemporary Arts,
as well as on-campus at the SFIS ArtsFest.
5
...two of
our interns,
Our Advisory Board grew to 16 members, representing different skills,
perspectives and areas of expertise. Board chair Lauran Weinmann and her
team worked hard to raise awareness of, and money for, WritersCorps. They
coordinated an individual letter writing campaign, which brought in over sixthousand dollars. The board also produced a fundraising celebration on opening night at AT&T Park, raising over ten-thousand dollars for our program.
Primo Caceres
and
Martrice Candler,
This fundraiser was possible thanks to WritersCorps’ newest community partnership—with the San Francisco Giants. It was a great honor to be the Giants’
featured community group on opening night of the 2006 baseball season.
This distinction included several highlights in addition to the fundraiser: our
teachers, volunteers and interns staffed the ballpark’s Community Booth during the game, answering questions, giving away poetry newspapers, and selling copies of Solid Ground, and two of our interns, Primo Caceres and Martrice
Candler, were invited to read their work at home plate before the game.
were invited
to read
their work
at
To raise visibility prior to the event, we came up with a theme—Write Like a
Giant!—and launched a City-wide media campaign. The campaign included
kiosk posters of our interns and Giants’ superstars Randy Winn and Omar
Vizquel. These posters were placed in high-traffic locations along Market
Street and throughout downtown San Francisco. We also produced a 30second television spot starring the same cast of characters. It ran on all
local broadcast stations in the weeks leading up to and following the game,
publicizing the event and WritersCorps in general.
home
plate.
We have high hopes of continuing this relationship with the Giants into the
coming year, and beyond. Who knows—a poetry book on baseball may be
part of our future!
6
Left to Right:
Omar Vizquel,
Primo Caceres,
Martrice Candler,
Randy Winn
Presentations / Media |
I can
let people know
Book Reviews
Radio
Jump Write In —
KQED— Forum with Michael Krasny
Multicultural Review
KSFR— The Journey Home with
Diego Mulligan
Book News
the real me.
Not all of me,
but some
Listings
TV
Solid Ground—
KGO, ABC7 News
7x7 Magazine
KNTV, NBC 11 News
Common Ground Magazine
KPIX, CBS 5 Eyewitness News
San Francisco Chronicle
KRON, Channel 4 News
so they know
Write Like a Giant—
when they
Presentations
Jump Write In—
California State Prison, Sacramento
California State University,
Monterey Bay
Ida B. Wells High School
of me.
Just enough
Public Service Announcement
see me,
KNTV
KPIX
they shouldn’t
KRON
judge me.
KTVU
Mission High School
WritersCorps
Youth
York Correctional Institution,
Connecticut
7
The Spiral Window
I gaze at the endless sky
A thousand colors
Paint this canvas of blue
Yet I do not think of its beauty
Nor the wonder that it holds
I only think of the loved ones lost
If they watch over us
As the rabbi says
If they think of us
Is life unfolded for them
When they leave the earth
Do they miss us
Is the rain their tears?
Photography: Sarah Bierman
Sarah Bierman, 13
Main Library
8
A Cut-and-Paste Faery Tale
Essay |
Annie Yu, WritersCorps Intern
I discovered zines through reading the book Zine Scene by Francesca Lia
Block and Hilary Carlip. It’s designed in a way that mimics many zines with
its cut-and-paste feel, as well as its black and white pages. Zine Scene
features reprints of a variety of zines as well as giving tips on how to make
your own. I read that book at least five times, lingering on each page. I was
attracted to zines because anyone can make one, unlike a mainstream magazine which needs corporate backing and advertisements. I also had complete
control over a zine because I was the publisher, writer, artist and editor.
With
It took me awhile to have the nerve to make my own zine. There was the
agony of trying to find content. I believed my life was fairly predictable and
ordinary. There was only a routine. I woke up, ate breakfast, took the bus,
went to school and then went home. I read books to escape my mundane life.
Sometimes I would compare my life to a book and wish it were as exciting
as the story I had just read. I wanted to leap into the pages of stories and
stay there.
each new zine,
I became
more sure of
myself.
For my first zine, I started cutting and pasting images and brief pieces of
writing, on subjects I barely remember. One was a photograph of a young
Chinese girl that I had found tucked into a book of faery tales. The rest of
the content escapes me now, but I remember how flimsy and sparse it looked,
how awkward and unsure I was when I made my first copies of Nonsensical
#1. The first issue led me onto the next. With each new zine, I became more
sure of myself. I started to write about my life, even though I still thought
it was boring. There were things that stuck out from the mundane. I traveled
by myself across the country to a writing camp in Vermont without knowing
anyone. Once, I got lost with my relatives on the way to a birthday party.
I was the only person in the car who knew English, so I was the one to ask
for directions and read the street signs. To me, a zine is like my journal,
except I choose what I want others to read and merge words with images.
9
Making zines is one thing, but teaching others how to make their own is
another. In May 2006 I traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico with a group from
WritersCorps, as part of an exchange with the Santa Fe Indian School. Our
group was constantly amazed by the landscape and beauty of Santa Fe, even
while getting lost on the road. We were honored to stay at the Santa Fe
Indian School. I was surprised at the cleanliness of the school. There was a
definite lack of graffiti and litter, and even the loudness schools frequently
have was almost absent at SFIS. Before coming to SFIS, I had little experience teaching. Plus, I do not like public speaking very much, so I dreaded
teaching a zine workshop. It wasn’t because I was afraid of the students, but
because I was afraid of my lack of experience in teaching. I wondered how I
could teach, because there is not just one way to make a zine. Instead, there
are an infinite number of ways, so I worried about getting the students started.
I didn’t want to see them sitting there, unable to make their first page.
The first class I taught was Tim McLaughlin’s creative writing class. The students were all pros. Even though many hadn’t heard of zines before, they all
went right to it. I loved the enthusiasm they brought. Some made fantastic
collages, while others began to write. Other classes were more of a challenge
but were just as fun to work with. The key to making these zine workshops
successful was to get all the students started. With the help of other WritersCorps teachers, we asked them about their interests, what they liked to do in
their spare time, and wrote prompts on the board to try to spark ideas. I
remember a girl making a zine about travel, filling up the pages with maps
and faux postage stamps. At another table, a group of friends made their own
fashion magazine.
To me,
a zine is like
my journal,
except
I choose
what I want
The best thing about teaching the workshop was that so many students
enjoyed making zines. It was also great to teach something many schools are
not aware of, as well as bring zines to Santa Fe, as it is a place with little
exposure to zines. Zines have taught me to put my thoughts and feelings
onto paper, and have fun merging words with images. Teaching students
about making zines has made me examine how to trigger ideas in others. It’s
always exciting to see how others interpret the idea of a zine when I look at
the pages they make.
others to read
and
merge words
with
images.
10
Jump Write In!
A WritersCorps Tool for Classroom Teachers
Essay |
Judith Tannenbaum
WritersCorps Training Coordinator
For 12 years, WritersCorps teachers have developed knock-out lessons to use
with their students. Whether grabbing youngsters’ attention as they gather
after school in the community room of their housing unit, or presenting the
fifth lesson of a multi-layered assignment to a class of ninth graders, our
teachers create lessons that allow for both personal expression and the
improvement of literacy skills.
Jump Write In!
provides
classroom teachers
dozens of ways
In 1999 WritersCorps compiled the best of these lessons. Lessons Along the
Way was not a curriculum, but a spiral-bound field guide teachers could
peruse and use.
to invite their
We proudly displayed this text along with publications of student poems at
the National Council of English Teachers conference held in San Francisco in
2003. Classroom teachers from across the country looked at Lessons and told
us that what we had put together was just what they needed.
students to share
what they feel
and know,
Steve Thompson, Jossey-Bass editor, also stopped by our table; Steve was so
impressed with our book that he offered us a contract. Jump Write In!:
Creative Writing Exercises for Diverse Communities, Grades 6-12 appeared in
August, 2005.
while they at
same time improve
From the book’s opening section of icebreakers to its closing chapter on editing and rewriting, Jump Write In! offers teachers dozens of writing lessons
that address image, sound, narrative, and point of view. Some of the book’s
lessons offer an exciting onetime writing experience, while others develop
themes sequentially over a number of class sessions.
their writing
skills.
Jump Write In! provides classroom teachers dozens of ways to invite their
students to share what they feel and know, while they at same time improve
their writing skills. As San Francisco high school principal Claudia Anderson
puts it: “WritersCorps has proven that language arts standards and creative
expression can share the same page.”
11
WritersCorps
has proven
Since the release of Jump Write In!, WritersCorps has led professional development workshops for classroom teachers at several of our high school sites.
I also conducted presentations at correctional facilities in Sacramento and
Connecticut. We’re so pleased that teachers have been inspired to try new
lessons and share great model poems written by youth. As author and teacher
Herbert Kohl wrote about Jump Write In!—“This book provides powerful
material for every teacher’s toolbox.”
that
language arts
standards
To find out how to order Jump Write In!, visit www.writerscorps.org
and
creative
expression
can share
the same
page.
12
Wind
People’s actions are like the wind
They let music blow into their minds
and change their actions
I come into the neighborhood and I see
people just stand around
or drive around in their car
I, The Wind, need to blow the negative music
out of people’s minds
and blow positive action
Inside
Photography: Jahnaejah Cosby, 11, Mercy Housing
Cora Robertson, 13
Everett Middle School
13
Publications |
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“As teachers, you know that the
young people who enter your class“Solid Ground opens with poems that
rooms are complex human beings
praise the beauty of this world—
who have much to say. Even a tenyear-old has lived through hundreds the earth we walk on and the cities
we live in. These poems express the
of happy and sad moments; every
wonder and joy of being alive. But
teenager already has her own
beauty is not all our young people
dreams, fears, insights and values.
encounter. They also witness drama,
Each child has a unique way of
seeing the world and speaks with an drugs, homophobia, people without
homes, dislocation, hatred, and
individual voice.”
violence. The stress builds, and the
Jump Write In!: Creative Writing tension must be released.”
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“We came together for two hours,
twice a week, to write about our
lives. The students, faced with the
daunting challenge of writing poetry
in their non-native language, wrote
incredible poems all year long.”
Exercises for Diverse Communities,
Solid Ground
Grades 6-12
Aunt Lute Books
Jossey-Bass
ISBN: 0-787977-77-2, $22.95
ISBN: 1-879960-71-8, $12.95
The Way Trees Whistle: Poetry
and Images from Newcomer High
School
Judith Tannenbaum, Editor
Judith Tannenbaum, Editor
Michelle Matz, Editor
14
I wrote
my first poem
and put it in
a book.
That’s my best
memory ever.
WritersCorps
Youth
WRITERSCORPS PRESENTS
POETIC JUSTICE
Voices of Ida B. Wells High School
Volume 1, Issue 2
June 2006
It’s almost summer. The sun takes its time setting, lets loose brilliant tones of crimson and lavender. After months of
rain, the warm days feel well-earned. Nine months of school are coming to an end, and the rush to graduation is approaching. Now’s a good time to look back at some of the amazing work that’s been done this year at Ida B. We’ve expanded this
second issue to include even more poets and more photographs.
Thanks to Artist-in-Residence Katharine Gin for the beautiful photographs. Thanks to Teachers Ms. Langlois and Ms.
Van Orman. Without you, none of this would have been possible. Thanks to Intern Martrice Candler, a fantastic teacher and
brilliant writer.
Mahru Elahi
Editor
I Am San Francisco
It doesn’t seem to stop with all the police
My Swoop
In front of my taqueria shops at every block
My Stoop
Gisselle Andrade
My San Francisco
17
I am San Francisco
The dark alley so narrow that only
Two people can walk at a time
The cold is breaking the cables making
Them look like playing pick up sticks
At the corner of my eyes I see the
Red lights stop us
I can’t stop from running into the
Yellow school buses
Graffiti-covered walls in my heart
Green Victorian houses
I can’t hide in the trees from the police
My head is slanted to the side because
Of all the hair that I glued to the right
My body is washed over and over
By the rain of tattoos
Xpsme
• • •• • • • • • • •••• • • • • •• • •• ••••••••••••••
High-speed horchata cups all around
OUTSIDE THE FRAME
Paradise
Donté Hayes
17
If my mind was a house
There would be no walls to trap me in
My imagination would run free and captivate me
It is where I would escape to
When the world turns a cold shoulder
It would comfort me in my journey
And tell me I was closer
The walls would be sound proof
0/%429 !. $ ) -!'%3 & 2/- 7 2)4%23#/203 !4 -) 33)/. ( )' ( 3#( / / ,
To protect my ears from lies and jealousy
(because it’s my story, and lies are not a part of it)
My goals would be engraved on plaques
So I could focus on the road ahead of me
With promises and dreams
A place where I could live in peace
And fight no more wars
Yes, this place I call paradise
• • •• • ••••••
• • • •• • •• ••••••••••••••
The rooms would be endless, each filled
“My students tell me that writing
“Poetry is prayer, protest and
helps them deal effectively with
reclamation—a recipe for living, a
their anger, their stress, their
celebration, and a map to the lost
“Inside these pages you’ll find a new losses, and also appreciate the good homeland. At the root of it all,
generation of leaders. Their powerful parts of their lives—the parts that
poetry is song. The best way to
visions soar off the paper, and into
aren’t always easy to realize while
introduce this book is to invite the
our hearts and minds.”
inside.”
poets to sing for themselves.”
Poetic Justice: Voices of Ida B. Wells
High School (Vol. 1, Issues 1-2)
Inside the System: a Journal
created at Log Cabin Ranch
World Outside the Frame: Poetry and
Images from Mission High School
Mahru Elahi, Editor
Kim Nelson, Editor
Chad Sweeney, Editor
15
I liked making
chapbooks because
we got to pick
the best
of the poems we
liked and put them
all together.
WritersCorps
Youth
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“We face systematic extinction/
And this is just a few frantic
rhymes.”
“Earlier this year, I asked the students if they thought that adults
listen to them, and the overwhelming answer was ‘No.’ Each of these
poets has something to say, if you
are willing to listen.”
“Each one of your dreams is so beautiful; they are like race cars and
yellow stars racing across the sky.
Please write them down so that you
will never forget them.”
Paper Cuts: Poetry from
International Studies Academy
I, the wind: Poetry and Images
from Everett Middle School
Race Car Yellow Star: Poetry
and Images from Mercy Housing
California
Beto Palomar, Editor
Chrissy Anderson-Zavala, Editor
Chrissy Anderson-Zavala, Editor
16
I enjoy
making books.
It makes me feel
like I’m an
excellent poet.
WritersCorps
Youth
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“Youth ride Muni daily to school,
“Poetry should wear different colors
work and wherever else they want
and still match. Poetry should burn “Lighted by the yellow bulb/
to go. The writing and photography the soul with passion. Poetry should your name shines out from everyin this zine brings us into the
make your emotions go away with a one else’s.”
immediacy of riding the bus.”
blink of an eye.”
On the Muni: Writing and
Photography by San Francisco Youth
The Library Reframed: broadPoetry Should: broadside by Everett sides from San Francisco
Middle School Seventh Graders
Public Library, Main Branch
Annie Yu, Editor
Chrissy Anderson-Zavala, Editor
Andrew Saito, Editor
17
Wheels of Pain
My mom is in a wheelchair.
This makes me sad, five years of pain, suffering and agony.
I see her struggle, trying to get up the stairs, like a baby learning
to crawl.
She used to go to my school meetings, full of energy.
But now she moves like a snail on wheels.
The taste of fear trails down her throat with every pill she takes.
I hear her pant past me, in panicky pain.
The spokes of her wheels poke my heart.
Photography: Monica Sanchez, 17, Main Library
Photography: Mickey Case, 15
Mission High School
Anitra Sanders, 14
International Studies Academy
18
Inside Out
Essay |
Lauran Weinmann
Chair, WritersCorps Advisory Board
I learned that
“at risk” kids
When I first met Janet Heller and learned about WritersCorps in 1998, I was
steeped in the corporate world. I had long wanted to contribute to the community in some way, and my two areas of passion were writing and youth.
Specifically, I wanted to help “disadvantaged” youth. (This was the term I
was familiar with.) I was happy to join Janet’s new Advisory Board and do
what I could—attend meetings, research and write grant proposals, make
donations.
are kids
uniquely capable
of taking risks —
Even though I was in awe of the program and of the teachers who could connect so deeply with the kids, for the first few years I felt like I was outside,
looking in. Thinking back, perhaps it was my difficulty reconciling the “me”
that worked for a large corporation and the “me” that wanted a more handson experience that made a tangible difference in the world. And frankly,
I was afraid— afraid that getting to know the youth and hearing their stories would overwhelm me with despair. So, in spite of my admiration for their
work, I felt very separate from WritersCorps.
and their courage
rubbed off
on me.
As my relationship with the organization grew, so did my perception of myself
and the world. I learned that the disadvantages these kids have faced not
only make them stronger, but opened the door to deep expression. I learned
that “at risk” kids are kids uniquely capable of taking risks—and their
courage rubbed off on me.
This past year marked a significant shift in the way I relate to WritersCorps,
as I stepped up to become the Chair of the Advisory Board. Among my personal highlights was joining teachers and staff for a visit to Log Cabin Ranch,
where I heard WritersCorps youth shape anger and fear into powerful and
beautiful words. I spoke to some of them, and got to know them a bit as
individuals. I felt one step closer to the heart of WritersCorps. Later in the
year, the Advisory Board joined the staff to create a celebration at the Write
19
Like a Giant! event. We also completed our first-ever fundraising letter campaign and brought a few new supporters into the fold. Finally, I genuinely
felt part of the WritersCorps family.
I know my relationship with WritersCorps will continue to evolve in the
coming years. I hope to help other Board members experience connection
with the youth and teachers, as I do now. I hope to help WritersCorps
identify a special niche within youth creative writing programs in the Bay
Area—because there’s nothing else out there like WritersCorps. We have to
help the City understand this.
Thinking back,
perhaps it
I have been thanked many times by the staff and teachers of WritersCorps.
Now it’s time I thank WritersCorps for helping me feel more connected— to
the organization, to myself, and to the dark and light in the world. Poetry is
our common ground. We may live in the hills or in assisted housing, we may
be 14 or 44, we may be sitting in a cubicle or in front of a blank page. We
may be different, but we’re not separate at all when we’re unified by words.
was my difficulty
reconciling the
“me” that worked
for a large
corporation and
the “me”
that wanted
a more hands-on
experience that
made a tangible
difference
in the world.
20
SCO School Days
Essay |
Beto Palomar, WritersCorps Teacher
Could I have
reached out more
Yesterday, I saw an old student of mine, Leo. I could barely remember his
name. He rarely showed to class, but I recognized his face. He’d grin, maybe
more of a smirk, when he’d look up from an empty page of work. He wrote
poems with our class a couple of times, those times he did show. I saw him
walking down Market Street, hustling. His face looked older, scraped up,
worn with scars and hard looks, though he couldn’t be more than 17 now.
He wore a black rugged beanie and thick padded jacket to protect against
the creeping daily fog. He was with his crew looking out for customers
and police.
to him;
could I have
harangued him
more for
I’m left wondering what I could have done. Could I have reached out more
to him; could I have harangued him more for not coming to school? I just
didn’t know him that well. I work with one hundred-plus students, and he
rarely showed his face or his writing to me. The days I was in his classroom,
attempting to teach poetry and creative writing to a class of teenagers, most
students were willing to learn. Some just passively accepted, and some were
straight-out resistant to my lessons. My goal is to inspire as many young
people as I can to feel real authority in their voices and perspectives, to get
them to see education as a truly liberating and empowering experience.
But now Leo’s done with school altogether, and I wonder how long he can
safely navigate this street economy that recruits so many of my students.
not coming
to school?
That’s not the first face I’ve faced out there. I remember Sal’s smile full of
gold teeth in Spanish class for native speakers. He was embarrassed to speak
Spanish with a limited vocabulary and an English accent, though he understood everything that was spoken, read and written in that classroom.
He even wrote a couple of poems about the hustle; making money was the
major theme:
21
As compelling
as it was for Sal
You Bring Out the Thuggish and Loving In Me
(after Sandra Cisneros)
to express his
The hollow tip bullets when they go off, in me
The yelling, screaming in my dreams, in me
experience,
The fear when niggas don’t want it, in me...
I fear that
You bring out the bling of my gold teeth
The brown pride that’s hiding under this white skin
the lure of
You bring out the Cinco de Mayo
On Mission Street in me
The thugging on the block
“thugging
When everyone is out there
In me.
on the block /
I remember the day he wrote this and how satisfied he was. I feel like he
honestly and courageously placed himself in this poem. This poem, like Sal’s
life, can’t be separated from the reality of the streets. As compelling as it was
for Sal to express his experience, I fear that the lure of “thugging on the
block/when everyone is out there” is stronger than school or poetry can be
for him.
when everyone is
out there”
is stronger than
I wonder what exactly failed Leo or Sal: their parents, their childhood education, their neighborhood, their class and race, and I’m left wondering why. Why
is it that so many lives can be casually consumed, thrown away, tossed and no
one is bothered, nothing seemingly changes but the death and prison rates?
school or poetry
I’m left wondering if all that is needed is to spend more money on youth.
Could it be so simple a solution? My students that drop out, that’s what they
want: money. Something to spend in their pockets. They ask a teacher to
break a twenty and the teacher jokes they’re broke, which isn’t really a joke.
My students see jobs in the service industry as servile, while sitting out on
the streets serving rocks looks hot. Or is it that some youth see a career
hustling as more real, more accessible than a college education? Maybe this
country makes a university degree as distant a reality to youth as winning
the lottery or getting into the big leagues.
for him.
can be
I have plenty of students who I feel will become great citizens in the future:
intelligent, able to think critically and independently, responsible for their
own lives. I teach to give these students what I can, a bit of advice; I try to
inspire them personally into loving education. I don’t believe that we can
have a democratic society without a highly educated and articulate populace
to voice concern and shape dissent. Poetry hopefully, if not making them
fully enamored with language itself, at least will inspire them to connect to
their words, to feel that they can represent themselves with language.
22
The Most Wonderful Thing
(from babies to letters)
Letters are wonderful
just like babies they can be happy or sad
good or bad, lil’ or big.
Letters can make you cry
so can babies
even change your whole life.
You would want to stop
doing time.
They can have you wondering why.
They can make your whole day
just with two lines.
Babies are wonderful
just like letters
when you’re doing time.
Michael V., 17
Log Cabin Ranch
23
Photo of:
Javone Polite
My best
memory of
being in
Events |
WritersCorps
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Freewrite Contest
Teen Open Mic Series
January
Monthly performances at the San
Francisco Public Library, Park Branch
showcase WritersCorps students
and San Francisco teens.
Contest winner Shawn Williams
reads his poem, “Be It” at Glide
Memorial Church, the Freedom Rally
at San Francisco Civic Center, and
before the Arts Commission at
San Francisco City Hall.
is reading
January — April
my poem
aloud
in a bookstore.
Santa Fe Indian
School/WritersCorps Exchange
I had never
January
Intersection for the Arts
Reading Series
Francisco X. Alarcón reads with
WritersCorps teachers Chrissy
Anderson-Zavala, Beto Palomar,
Santa Fe Indian School poets, and
WritersCorps youth.
Santa Fe Indian School poets and
teachers lead workshops with
WritersCorps students at Newcomer
High School and Everett Middle
School, and perform at Log Cabin
Ranch, Intersection for the Arts,
and California State University,
San Francisco.
February
April/May
Jack Hirschman reads with
WritersCorps teachers Mahru Elahi,
Chad Sweeney and WritersCorps youth.
WritersCorps interns and teachers
lead workshops and perform at the
Santa Fe Indian School, as well
as performing at Santa Fe’s Center
for Contemporary Arts.
January
read my poems
in front
of people.
It made me
feel like
March
Cherríe Moraga reads with
WritersCorps teachers Michelle Matz,
Kim Nelson, Andrew Saito and
WritersCorps youth.
I’m going
to be
stronger.
WritersCorps
Youth
24
Left to Right:
Robin Black,
Annie Yu,
Primo Caceres,
Martrice Candler
Solid Ground Book Tour
Write Like a Giant!
April
April
Borders Stonestown Galleria,
featuring students from Newcomer
High School
WritersCorps Advisory Board
hosts fundraiser at AT&T Park, prior
to the season’s opening game.
WritersCorps teachers staff
Community Booth inside the park,
and the Write Like a Giant PSA is
shown on the park’s large screen.
Cody’s Stockton Street, featuring
current and former students from
the Main Library and Ida B. Wells
High School
City Lights Bookstore, featuring
students from Mission High School
Intersection for the Arts, Hybrid
Project, WritersCorps interns perform multi-media performance piece
based on themes in Solid Ground
May
The Exploratorium, featuring
students from Everett Middle School
Modern Times Bookstore, featuring
current and former students from Ida
B. Wells and Mission High School
I like
public readings
the most
because
that
June
taught us
WritersCorps interns Primo Caceres
and Martrice Candler perform poems
at home plate.
about
other stories
WritersCorps Book Festival
that we
June
Eleven new publications and one
video-poem are released. Twentyseven youth read their poetry at
the Koret Auditorium, San Francisco
Public Library, Main Branch.
didn’t
know.
WritersCorps
Youth
Barnes and Noble Oakland, featuring
current and former WritersCorps interns
25
Samoa
Samoa is like a coconut and guava
Samoa is like a sunny day
when I get to play mud ball with my friend
Samoa is like wearing a lavalava
Samoa is like a happy pig
and chickens with funny necks
Samoa is like a warrior fighting
against a shark
Tino Guadamuz, 10
Mercy Housing California
Hong Kong
Left to Right:
Tino Guadamuz,
Kenny Luo
Hong Kong is like peanuts because it’s so small
Hong Kong is like Pig Day
so it can eat all the pigs
Hong Kong is like a t-shirt of King Kong
Hong Kong is like a monster
who destroys very very slow cars
Hong Kong is like King Kong
battling Godzilla
Kenny Luo, 9
Mercy Housing California
26
Strength in Numbers
Essay |
Deborah Cullinan
Executive Director, Intersection for the Arts
Kevin B. Chen
Program Director, Visual Arts, Literary & Jazz at Intersection
One of Intersection for the Arts’ most enduring legacies has been the
sheer number of people we have reached through community-based arts programming over the past 41 years. Our ongoing relationship with WritersCorps
has added to this impact tremendously. It has given us more opportunities
to create cultural avenues that bring writers from different generations
together on the same stage, ranging in age from 7 to 91 years old. It’s a great
thing to witness how art and culture can serve as a true democratizer across
diverse backgrounds and experiences.
It’s a
We hosted a series of readings several years ago with revered poet and
fiction writer Tillie Olsen. One of Tillie’s dear friends is longtime WritersCorps
teacher Michelle Matz, who frequently told Tillie of her experiences working
with ambitious, inspiring young writers at Newcomer High School. Michelle
often shared the work written by these young people.
great thing
to witness how
art and culture
In a conversation with Michelle about five years ago, Tillie had a wild
idea of doing a reading at Intersection with WritersCorps. We met with
Tillie, Michelle and the staff at WritersCorps on the idea. On an incredibly
inspiring evening in Spring 2002, Tillie shared the Intersection stage with a
number of young readers. The depth and breadth of life experience was
tangible through the words shared and the interaction amongst writers who
read that night.
can serve
as a true
democratizer
across diverse
After this first get-together, we sat down with the folks at WritersCorps and
talked about the possibility of doing more multi-generational readings. 2006
marked the third consecutive year of this ongoing relationship. We’ve been
blessed to have so many profound evenings of literature spanning the
decades in our building. Many times, it seemed as if the microphone helped
ensure a cohesive evening of words and thoughts, as energy and passionate
articulation inhabited each writer coming to the stage.
backgrounds and
experiences.
27
Although many of the readings were documented on video, for the 80-some
people who filled our intimate theatre the spirit was palpable. The memory
of these evenings often inspired audience members to tell non-attending
friends, “You should have been there.” From the revolutionary and penetratingly critical words of Beat renaissance activist Diane di Prima and San
Francisco’s current Poet Laureate Jack Hirschman, to the mythical and historical poems of Al Robles and the radical and dramatic words of playwright and
poet Cherríe Moraga, all the writers involved were thrilled at sharing the
stage with young writers from around the City.
Many times,
We need more opportunities for multiple generations to hear and see what
each has to say about the world, and to be able to engage with what has
come before and what has yet to come. We’re looking forward to further
deepening our relationship with the dedicated staff and teachers of WritersCorps in the coming year. We hope to meet dozens of ambitious younger
writers attending school throughout the City, and create more opportunities
for our community and the public to share in the experience of these multigenerational exchanges.
it seemed as if
the microphone
helped ensure
a cohesive
evening of words
and thoughts,
as energy
and passionate
articulation
inhabited
each writer
coming to
the stage.
28
Clockwise from left:
Janet Heller, Gloria Yamato,
Chad Sweeney, Mahru Elahi,
Beto Palomar, Judith
Tannenbaum, Chrissy
Anderson-Zavala, Michelle
Matz, Andrew Saito
(Not pictured:
Kim Nelson)
Staff |
Teachers
Chrissy Anderson-Zavala
Mahru Elahi
Michelle Matz
Kim Nelson
Beto Palomar
Andrew Saito
Chad Sweeney
Interns
Robin Black
Martrice Candler
Primo Caceres
Annie Yu
Staff
Janet Heller, Project Manager
Judith Tannenbaum, Training
Coordinator
Gloria Yamato, Project Associate
Artists-in-Residence
Katharine Gin, Photographer
Lise Swenson, Filmmaker
Sites
Everett Middle School
Ida B. Wells High School
International Studies Academy
High School
Log Cabin Ranch
Mercy Housing California
Mission High School
Newcomer High School
San Francisco Public Library—
Main Branch
Bayview Branch
Dee LaDuke
Executive Producer, Girlfriends
Judy Nemzoff
San Francisco Arts Commission
Elissa Perry
Leadership Learning Community
Leslie Rossman
Publicist
Andrew Saito
WritersCorps Teacher
Christopher Sindt
St. Mary’s College
WritersCorps Advisory Board
Valerie Chow Bush
California Institute of Integral
Studies
Chad Sweeney
WritersCorps Teacher
Martrice Candler
WritersCorps Intern
Lise Swenson
WritersCorps Filmmaker-inResidence
Jennifer Collins
San Francisco Public Library
Lauran Weinmann, Chair
Communications Consultant
LeConte Dill
Health Educator
Stacy Gordon
Working Assets
Sondra Hall
Events Planner
29
I am a Camera
Essay |
What followed
Lise Swenson
WritersCorps Filmmaker-in-Residence
were six months
of tumultuous
When I picked up the message from Janet Heller, inquiring whether I would
be interested in becoming WritersCorps’ first filmmaker-in-residence, I almost
fell over myself calling her back.
activity,
where
It didn’t take long for me to say YES! to Janet, once she laid out her
concept. It was a perfect match for my hybrid skills of filmmaker, artist,
activist and teacher. This is one of the things WritersCorps excels at: offering professional artists who teach an opportunity to not only teach and bring
others along, but to hone their own craft as they are honored and respected
with a decent hourly wage. Within American culture’s general disregard for
the arts, to have an organization not only offer you a prestigious title, but
decent compensation, is the exception. To be able to join a group of fellow
artists and teachers who feel supported in their work is a wonderful feeling.
matching words
with the
moving image
proved to be a
What followed were six months of tumultuous activity, where matching words
with the moving image proved to be a wonderful challenge. It was Janet’s
premise that there could be a powerful connection between these two
media—she was right. We live in a culture that is highly mediated. To grab
our space, we need to illustrate our stories.
wonderful
challenge.
I will briefly describe three of the projects I worked on during my residency.
What strikes me is the many different ways the written word and the moving
image can come together to focus powerfully on art, documentation and promotion, which are not necessarily exclusive of one another. The first project
I launched was in collaboration with WritersCorps teacher Chad Sweeney and
WritersCorps intern Robin Black. The three of us built a video-poem lesson
plan around one of Robin’s stand-out poems. What resulted was a beautifully
produced 2-minute piece that has played well to audiences at two public
venues so far. We now have a tested curriculum that we will hone and use in
many more teaching settings. This little gem is another way for WritersCorps
to tell the world what it does.
30
This is
one of the things
For the second project, I worked with Janet to produce a 30-second Public
Service Announcement. It celebrated the fact that WritersCorps was going to
be the featured non-profit organization on opening night at AT&T Ball Park,
with some of our interns reading at home plate in a pre-game ceremony! The
spot was aired on all local stations for three weeks prior to the opening night
game, giving great momentum to that evening. This is a strong example of
the moving image serving the written word in a self-confident, overt push
for promotion.
WritersCorps
excels at:
offering
professional
I also got to travel to the Santa Fe Indian School and use my camera to
quietly document the beautiful work that unfolded between our teachers
and interns, and the teachers and students at SFIS. It was deeply satisfying
to observe the exchange unfold in front of my camera. I was able to see
and record why this kind of cultural work is sometimes hard to fully articulate in words or on paper.
artists who teach
an opportunity
to not only teach
So here I am, working for a writing organization and reaffirming for myself,
as a filmmaker, the importance of the written word. I’m rediscovering what
profound things can be learned in the juxtaposition of the word and
image. Let’s continue to work towards keeping these vital interdisciplinary
exchanges alive.
and bring
others along,
but to hone
their own craft
as they are
honored and
respected with
a decent hourly
wage.
31
Poetry Is
Poetry is the way a drop of water falls off a petal.
Poetry is the way tears come down on a beauty’s face.
Poetry is the way a flowering cherry’s petals dance with the breeze.
Poetry is the way two best friends meet again after many years.
Poetry is the way a girl kisses her boyfriend for the first time.
Poetry is the way a little bird falls into a river
and then, uses her wings to swim.
Qiao Liu, 16
Newcomer High School
:
Photo of: Shun Yi Zeng
32
I learned
that small
communities in
San Francisco
do have a
Budget |
chance at a
Revenue
Expense
SF Dept. of Children,
Youth and Families
$ 250,000.00
Teacher Salaries
Youth Arts Fund
$ 82,684.00
great education
$ 314,634.00
because of
Administrative
Salaries
$ 143,482.00
Intern Program
$ 23,979.00
Publications
$ 20,000.00
Events
$ 12,390.80
Printing
$ 11,500.00
Marketing
$ 10,217.00
Travel
$
7,300.00
organizations
San Francisco
Public Library
$ 70,000.00
Carryforward
$ 44,644.00
SF Dept. of Juvenile
Probation
$ 40,000.00
Other Foundations
$ 31,500.00
National Endowment
for the Arts
$ 30,000.00
Books
$
4,899.00
Earned Income
$
5,000.00
Supplies
$
3,250.00
Individual Donors
$
3,560.80
Admin. Fees
$
2,337.00
Total Revenue
$558,388.80
Equipment
$
2,000.00
Reserve for
unallocated costs
$
1,500.00
Postage/Mailing
$
1,000.00
Video/Photography
$
400.00
Total Expenses
$558,388.80
like
WritersCorps.
WritersCorps
Youth
33
Credits |
WritersCorps Year In Review
2005-2006
San Francisco Arts Commission
2005—2006
Interim Project Manager:
Lise Swenson
P. J. Johnston, President
Managing Editor: Mahru Elahi
Proofreaders: Lauran Weinmann,
Gloria Yamato
Andrea Cochran
Jose Cuellar
Maya Draisin
Leonard Hunter
Contributing Writers:
Kevin Chen, Deborah B. Cullinan,
Mahru Elahi, Beto Palomar,
Lise Swenson, Judith Tannenbaum,
Lauran Weinmann, Annie Yu
John Kriken
Alexander Lloyd
Janice Mirikitani
Beverly Prior
Cover photography by Monica Sanchez
Jeannene Przyblyski
Photography page 10 by Annie Yu
Lawrence Rinder
Photo of Deborah Cullinan page 27
by Kevin Cunz, photo of Judith
Tannenbaum page 11 by Sara Press,
photo of Lauran Weinman page 19 by
Carolyn Lonner
Ethel Pitts Walker
Unless otherwise noted, photographs
taken by Katharine Gin, WritersCorps
Photographer-in-Residence.
All poems and photographs printed with
permission from the authors and subjects.
Dede Wilsey
Pop Zhao
WritersCorps, a project of the San
Francisco Arts Commission, places professional writers in community settings
to teach creative writing to youth.
Since its inception in 1994, the program has helped over 12,000 young
people from neighborhoods throughout
San Francisco improve their literacy and
increase their desire to learn.
WritersCorps publishes award winning
publications and produces local and
national events featuring young people.
The program is part of a national alliance
with sites in the Bronx and Washington,
D.C., whose shared vision is to transform
and strengthen individuals and communities using the written word.
WritersCorps gratefully acknowledges the
support of the Northern California
Independent Booksellers Association; the
Department of Juvenile Probation; the
Department of Children, Youth, and Their
Families; the National Endowment for the
Arts; the San Francisco Foundation; the
Zellerbach Family Fund; the Youth Arts
Fund; Working Assets; the Hargrove
Pierce Foundation and individuals.
For more information call
415.252.4655
www.writerscorps.org
© 2006 WritersCorps Books
Graphic Design:
Rene Yung Communications Design
34