Another summer of Writing Camp has come and gone. Check out this montage made by a great group of entering 4th graders led by WITS Writers Ms. Kiki and Mr. Chuey.
Writers in the Schools (WITS) Celebrates Kids–in their own Words
Category Archives: video
Scholarship Op: Aurora Picture Show Film Boot Camp
Attention aspiring young filmmakers, directors, and screenwriters. Classes are sold out for the Aurora Picture Show Summer Filmmaking
Boot camp for kids and teens, but there is still time to apply for a scholarship. Our partners at Aurora have reserved two spaces for students demonstrating financial need. For general information about this summer camp including dates and locations, click here.
What: Aurora Summer Filmmaking Bootcamp Scholarship Application.
Deadline: May 15, 2011. Parents will be notified by June 1st.
WITS Presents A Light in the Forest Reading Tomorrow
What: Come hear students from the WITS program read their nature-inspired poems, essays, and stories in celebration of Earth Day. View clips from last year’s reading on YouTube .
When: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Where: Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, 4501 Woodway Drive (map)
Cost: Free and open to the public
Sponsors: Shell Oil Company, Texas Commission on the Arts, City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, Kroger, The Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation, Copy.com, and the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center.
To learn more about upcoming events in the Houston Young Writers Reading series, click here.
WITS congratulates the following students who were chosen to participate in this year’s celebration:
Alyssa Alcala
Jocelyn Andrade
Alexander Berlew Arriaga
Justin Baxstrom
Richard Boone
Celeste Chamberlin
Thomas Chang
Marcela Chavez
Christina Chen
Deisy Cisneros
Alvara Covarrubias
Nataly Dominguez
Henry Donjuan
Ethan Dulin
Ibtissam El-Miaari
Cassandra Faz
Heather Hayes
Mac Holmes
Traneece Jones
Yosselin Leon
Yasmine Mejia
Jennifer Molina
Anthony Moreno
Logan Ramirez
Desiray Rios
Ramiro Rosas
Harshindra Sanamvenkata
Luke Stodghill
Robert Wadsworth
Amy Williamson
Tune In to the Poet’s Corner Friday
During the Summer Creative Writing Workshops, WITS students visited Taping For The Blind, a nonprofit whose mission is to enrich the lives of individuals with visual, physical and learning disabilities by transforming what is seen into what is heard. Tune in this Friday, September 17, and listen as Emma, Alyssa, Jivanni, Leah, David, and Vincent read their poems on The Poet’s Corner. You can tune in at 88.7 FM KUHF, or following Friday’s broadcast, download the archived recording, “WITS Students,” by clicking this link.
HISD’s Instructional Media TV stopped by to capture the experience. View the segment.
WITS Appears on Fox 26′s Hola Houston
WITS Executive Director Robin Reagler recently appeared on Fox 26′s community affairs program Hola Houston to discuss the transformative power of reading and writing beginning with the early years of childhood. During the segment, she also explains how parents can get the WITS program in Houston schools. View her interview with Host Josè Griñan.
Don’t Miss the Story Pirates this Weekend at Aurora Picture Show!
The Aurora Picture Show hosts the Story Pirates this weekend with a live interactive performance and video presentation on May 1st and a special creative writing workshop May 2nd. Story Pirates lets kids see their own words come to life on stage. To RSVP and purchase tickets, visit their website.
Houston, Get Wired with Poetry 11/13/09
Former WITS Writer Radames Ortiz and Houston poets Lupe Mendez and Byron Jones have joined forces to bring Houston @Wired: A Multimedia Explosion of Poetry. @Wired is a revolutionary approach to exposing the literary masses to a new type of poetry reading. By incorporating social media, music, song, imagery and technology to enhance their poetic performances, @Wired seeks to reconstruct the poetry reading and to engage local creatives to actively participate in making a unique event even more special.
WHEN: Friday, November 13, 2009 at 8 pm
WHERE: Rudolph Projects ArtScan Gallery, 1836 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77098
COST: Free
My Street
The evergreen trees are swaying in the wind.
It sounds like a hurricane will come.
A bird soars over my head and in a flash it’s gone.
A raindrop trickles down my back.
My dog slides past me, and I race to catch up to her.
Leaves crunch under her feet.
The footsteps of my sister sneaking up on me
get louder as she nears. Then silence, and I feel
her cold hands touching my neck.
(photo uploaded by Apevit via Flickr)
video = 32 seconds
Silly Things
If I’m bored at night I go out
to try and catch a shooting star.
I fly up into space like a rocket ship
and stick my tongue out
googolplex feet until I reach
the star belt and find a shooting star to eat.
When I slip in mud at school
I fly into space to use twilight
to clean it up. I carry a hat
and go to the moon. I see twilight
and fill my hat and put it on my head.
I am not done. I need the moon’s towel.
I get it dry like paper and stiff as wood.
If I had a smart hen
I would teach it to be my secretary.
It would answer my phone calls
and take messages while I am out.
I would not pay this creature because without
me it will be nothing
in space.
video = 49 seconds
Elephant Wishes
I always wanted to go somewhere
where there were no poachers
and we could rest more
and not get eaten by lions.
I always wanted to be the Emperor of China
and I would banish all of the poachers
and send them to Madagascar.
by Sydney, age 7
(originally posted on July 23, 2007)
video = 23 seconds
I am a Seashell
I am a seashell
waiting for
somebody to see
me.
I am shiny and
curled up like a
cinnamon roll.
I’m rough and
sandy.
I swim
with the
sea and
the sea
with me.
I am
cold inside
so if you
touch me
you’ll shiver and
quiver.
I swim
around the
sea with
animals living
inside of me.
I’m joyful
in the sea
with fishes
and sea
creatures
surrounding me.
I like
being a
shell
because
people
can hear
the sea
inside of
me.
By Melissa, age 7
(photo by Omnia via flickr)
video = 46 seconds
Morado (Purple)
video = 56 seconds long
Morado, te amo
Como si fueras mi novia,
Como si fueras mia:
Coloreame de morado
Como si yo fuera tu uva.
Morado, te amo
Eres recién lavada,
Recién casé en mi vida.
Coloreame de morado
Porque de los más hermosos colores,
Tú eres la mas bella,
Tú eres mi Corazon.
Morado, te veo
En todas partes de las uvas.
Cuando tú no estás,
Siempre pienso en ti
Morado, te extraño.
English translation:
Purple, I love you
As if you were my bride,
As if you were mine;
Paint me purple
As if I were your grape.
Purple, I love you
You have arrived,
You are in my life.
Paint me purple
Because of all the most beautiful colors,
You are the most beautiful,
You are my heart.
Purple, I love you
In all parts of the grape.
When you are not here,
I’m always thinking of you.
Purple, I miss you.
By Christian , age 7
[photo by Stephen pix via Flickr]
Explaining Colors
Red is the color of lava bursting out of a volcano.
Black is the color of a cave where the deadly bats live.
Gray is the color of metal that holds things together.
Brown is the color of mountains high in the sky.
Green is the color of leaves hanging on a tree.
Blue is the color of waves in the sea.
Yellow is the color of the sun out in space.
Purple is the color of wild berries hanging on a bush,
And white is the color of stars high above me.
By Raphael, age 6
[photo by My empress via Flickr]
video = 48 seconds
Silence
Silence, like anything, is too hard. It’s a nothing.
A word is not silence.
It asks questions. You can hear it.
Mountains are not silence.You can see
them very clearly with their white snow caps.
Wind is not silence. You can feel its calm blow.
A flower is not silence. You can smell it for pure joy.
A cracker is not silence. You can taste its sweetness.
Silence is something so valuable. It is scary.
It turns scarier over time. Silence is inside you.
Even when you yell.
It is always there.
Except at night.
It comes out, gives you chills, ties you in a knot.
By Mackenzie, age 8
[photo by Philippe Saint-Laudy via flickr]
video = 57 seconds long
Baseball: Last Year and Now
I used to get dirt in my eyes.
I used to miss the ball.
I used to get hit by the ball.
I used to fall down.
I used to hit my head.
I used to go the wrong way.
I used to stare at people.
I used to run out of breath.
I was five.
Now
I don’t get dirt in my eyes.
I don’t miss the ball.
I don’t get hit by the ball.
I don’t fall down.
I don’t hit my head.
I don’t go the wrong way.
I don’t stare at people now.
I have my own jersey.
By Randolphus, age 6
[photo by Kelthortum via Flickr]
video = 53 seconds long
