Photo by Jonathan Greenwald

looking down at

us in our cars

thinking about

what it must be like

to be human

and wait for a

traffic light to

turn red,

green, red.

By Alex, 9th grade

Here is the information about Rip the Page! A Workshop for Kids and Parents from the Esalen website:

Weekend of April 13-15, 2012

Rip the Page! A Workshop for Kids and Parents

Karen Benke

“This is an imaginative writing weekend for children aged eight to fourteen and their parents to loosen up on the page while experimenting with zany poem-making prompts, dares and double-dares, and truths and lies,” writes Karen Benke. “This experience can un-stick ideas, dreams, and stories. We will erect a fun and safe tent of wonder in which to unleash the dreaming and doodling sides of our minds as we put the zing back in our writing and capture images guaranteed to connect to our hearts and voices. This is a creative writing play-shop where the punctuation police are left behind and best-guess spelling is more than fine. No grades. No gold stars. Just plenty of encouragement and quirky experiments involving magic word tickets that you’ll make and take back home. No prior experience is necessary. All materials are provided. Simply arrive with a willingness to surprise yourself and a fast-moving favorite pen. On Saturday afternoon, we’ll be joined by singer/songwriter, Scott Grace, who will create on-the-spot songs using our poems and literary creations.” 

Please note: This workshop has the following schedule. Friday: 7:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday: 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; 3:30-6:30 p.m. Sunday: 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Reservations Information (Accommodations & Pricing)

Image by Vicki & Chuck Rogers via Flickr

Where is the boy I used to be?

Is he still in my heart?

Is he living in my memory?

Is he where I used to be?

Is he happy?

Is he playing with friends?

Is he here or is he there?

I think the boy is with me.

I wish he didn’t grow up so fast.

When he smiles, he brings out

happiness in everyone.

We must never let anyone take away

this happiness.

Alfredo, 10th grade

An Invitation to Houston Area Art Teachers and Students!

The Bayou City Art Festival invites currently enrolled high school students to submit art installation proposals. The 2012 Emerging Artist Program features outdoor, site-specific student work. Selected applicants will display their artwork at the Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park, March 23 – 25, 2012.

The Emerging Artist Program provides promising student artists with an exceptional opportunity to exhibit their work in a professional venue, interact with talented artists, and experience the jury process.

Submission Rules:

All student proposals must be approved and submitted by a teacher.
All applications must be complete with information form, sketch, and proposed budget.
Individual student proposals are encouraged, group proposals of up to five (5) students are allowed.
Proposed installations must withstand inclement weather or have proper covering in case of wind and rain. Please note that installations cannot be attached to park trees or disturb the natural surroundings of the park.
The deadline for proposal submission is Friday, February 10, 2012.

The selected ten (10) installation proposals will receive a $200 stipend for materials and construction costs. The festival judges will judge the Emerging Artists installations on-site and award certificates and prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. First prize: $200 for the artist and $200 for the school. Second prize: $150 for the artist and $150 for the school. Third prize: $100 for the artist and $100 for the school.

For more information e-mail Sarah House, at sarah@bayoucityartfestival.com.

When we think of big cities, we think of tightly packed, vertical apartments, clustered skyscrapers, and commuter-filled trains. But to the residents of Beeville, TX, the “big city” means the colossal sprawl Houston. During our wonderful visit to Beeville, we found that our students’ initial interest in us centered on our metropolitan origins. For many of them, Houston is a mythical land accessible only by traveling sports teams, a land filled with shopping malls, upscale restaurants, and, strangest of all, professional writers.

“Are you a real writer?” students asked. When we showed them our books or told them about our projects, many seemed to be in awe.

Perhaps this is part of why the students at Moreno Middle School, where the three of us spent two intensive days teaching creative writing, were so engaged. “They never write that much for me,” one teacher told us. It was clear, however, that many of the students had a genuine interest in writing, and were excited to meet adults who had prioritized it in their lives.

We worked with the students to develop an understanding of the key elements of narrative and poetry. We collaborated on story arcs and invented our own cities, some even stranger than Houston. We were truly impressed by their quick grasp of writing concepts like imagery and simile, as seen in this poem by Ms. Mertz’s student, Ysidro:

City of Gold and Silver

Through the walls of gold

you can feel the cool breeze of the morning

the ground still wet from the morning dew

as you look off the diamond balcony you can see

the houses made of gold and silver

with light posts still glowing with embers

the sun is like an orange small and still

as you walk down the stairs the library is still and calm

you slowly walk in the city of gold and silver

with the strange markings on the walls

everyone still sleeping except for the old man

the old man sitting on a gold rocking chair cursing at the

wind

as the day goes on the city turns brighter

than the sun itself and after the hours of sun

night falls with a still glow and the city of gold and silver

is still bright.

This poem testifies to the dedication and talent of Moreno’s teachers, who made us feel welcome in their classrooms and even thanked us during a school assembly. We left Beeville feeling a little sorry to go and hopeful for another chance to leave the big city and return.

By Ryler Dustin, Jesse Donaldson, and Becca Wadlinger, Writers in the Schools

Writers in the Schools thanks Tracy Saucier and The Joe Barnhart Foundation for making this experience possible.