Tag Archives: Arts

My Passions

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I love music because it clears my mind. When I’m in a good mood, I listen to Indie music on the radio. The first time I ever heard Radio Lollipop (a fully equipped radio station staffed by a team of volunteers at Texas Children’s Hospital) was January 31, 2011. I was in a bed feeling down on the 9^th floor. It was just my second day, and I was thinking about home. When the music came on, I listened for a while. Music is a way to daydream for me. Someday I’d like to be a professional cello player. I learned how to play in 5^th grade, and I feel in a better place when I play. I had to quit when I got sick, but I want to start again. Writing is another art that I like. I use it to express myself. I don’t share everything I write, but I think it helps me to get it out. I remember I wrote a story once about two kids in an enchanted forest. I don’t get writer’s block usually. The words just flow out and onto the paper. If I could tell people something, I would say that there are lots of ways to express yourself and to go out and find your passion. For me, it is music and writing.

By Jasmine, 10th grade

Posted by Marcia. Categories: creativity, education, essay, Houston, illness. Tags: Arts, Independent music, music, Radio Lollipop, songwriting, texas children's hospital. Leave a comment

Jan. ’12

National Playwriting Competition

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FROM OUR FRIENDS
at
Young Playwrights Inc.

Do you know a young playwright,
under the age of 18?

National Playwriting Competition

Deadline: January 2, 2012

Young Playwrights Inc. is holding a competition for playwrights under the age of 18. The winners will receive an all-expenses paid trip to New York City to attend the Young Playwrights Conference and collaborate with professional theater artists on an Off-Broadway staged reading of their plays.

For submission instructions and competition rules:WWW.YOUNGPLAYWRIGHTS.ORG.

Posted by Marcia. Categories: contest, publishing, student writing contest, writers in the schools. Tags: Arts, Drama, New York City, Off-Broadway, Playwright, Playwriting, Theatre, Writers Resources. Leave a comment

Sep. ’11

WITS to Present at Inaugural Houston Arts Partners Conference

Writers in the Schools is a proud sponsor of the Houston Arts Partners inaugural conference, Shaping the Future of Education & Creating 21st Century Leaders, taking place on September 13, 2011 at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston as part of National Arts in Educations Week. The conference will bring together a diverse representation of 300 educators, administrators, researchers, and teaching artists for an inspiring and revealing hands-on experience in today’s best practices in arts integrated science, math, english and social studies curriculum. WITS will present 2 sessions on Teaching Writing the WITS Way covering curricula and pedagogy for students in grades K-12.

Young Audiences of Houston created Houston Arts Partners in response to a specific request from Houston area arts administrators for a more efficient and effective method to access arts educational resources in Houston. Steering committees comprised of arts organizations and school districts formed to help the nonprofit achieve its mission and purpose.

A primary goal of the Houston Arts Partners is to provide a suite of services through a unique website, www.houstonartspartners.org. This site fulfills the needs of arts educators with services ranging from centralized, online booking, to full service grant writing and customized collaborative program support. Visit the site today to learn more about the 16 arts organizations that are currently collaborating and to find out how you can become an arts advocate. While you are there, be sure to visit the WITS program page.

For more information about Houston Arts Partners, call 713.552.9345. To learn more about WITS’ professional development services, click here.

Posted by jrwatson5. Categories: art, creativity, Lesson plan, teaching, writers in the schools. Tags: Arts, Education, Houston, houston arts partners, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Professional development, training, workshops. Leave a comment

Jul. ’11

Humor Contest 2011

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From the website of Amazing Kids:

Attention all Amazing Kids!

Do you love to make people laugh? Do you have some hilarious and creative stories that you’d like to share? Are you excited about trying out a new type of writing? If this sounds like you, show us what you can do by submitting your humorous short story to our humor contest! We want to see your hilarious and creative stories that integrate jokes and funny moments! Put a smile on everyone’s face and get a chance to win some fabulous prizes.

Rules:

Who: Kids and teens, ages 6-17

What: Amazing Kids! Humor Contest – Kids ages 6-17 can submit an original humorous short story of 1500 words or less. One entry maximum per person so pick your best piece!

When: July 1, 2011 until August 30, 2011, 11:59pm PST.

Where: Email (preferred method) to contests@amazing-kids.org with Humor Contest and your last name and age in the subject line. Attach a word or pdf document with your submission with your name, age and title of your submission at the top of the document. Videos retelling your story (not as a separate entry) may be included as a link to the video online to a site such as schooltube to your entry. The videos must be the child’s original creation. Schooltube instructions and features for posting can be seen here: http://www1.schooltube.com/Registration/Default.aspx. Videos are not necessary but may be considered as a creative addition to your entry.

Posted by Marcia. Categories: contest, humor, student writing contest, writers in the schools, writing. Tags: Arts, contest, humor, Humour, recreation, Short Stories, Short story, Writers Resources. Leave a comment

Jun. ’11

Calling All FROG Poets!

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SAVE THE FROGS is accepting submissions for its annual frog poetry contest. To read winners from the past two years, visit the website.

For inspiration, they provide a haiku written in the 17th century by Basho about frogs and then invite YOU to write one for the 21st century.

The following is straight from their website:

How do I write a Frog Poem?

We welcome any poems that mention frogs, salamanders, newts, toads, caecilians, amphibians, savethefrogs.com, and/or SAVE THE FROGS!

Here are some ideas for your frog poems:

(1) Find out about a particular kind of frog and describe the world from that frog’s point of view.

(2) What if you found the last frogs alive on the planet … What would you do? How would you feel?

(3) Write a poem that makes the reader understand the importance of saving frogs, or one that makes them realize the danger frogs are in.

(4) Write a poem about any of the threats to frogs.

(5) Write a poem about how ridiculously cool frogs are!

(6) Imagine all kinds of brave, extravagant and daring ways in which you could save the frogs. Check out our How to Help page.

Prizes

Did we mention that there will be prizes? Aside from fame and the admiration of your peers, the Grand Prize Winner and Honorable Mentions may all see their poems featured in a book of Frog Poetry we will produce. Contest winners will also be acknowledged on this website, alongside a copy of their poem. And to top it off:

The Grand Prize Winner will:

(1) Receive $100 CASH (or check!).

(2) Receive $50 worth of “Frog Cash” to be used for any of the cool, environmentally-friendly merchandise in the SAVE THE FROGS! Gift Center.

(3) Become an official judge of next year’s SAVE THE FROGS! Poetry Contest.

(4) Receive frog fame.

Category Winners will:

(1) Win $50 CASH (or check!).

(2) Receive $30 worth of “Frog Cash” to be used for any of the cool, environmentally-friendly merchandise in the SAVE THE FROGS! Gift Center.

Contest Rules

(1) Submitted poetry must be your original creation!

(2) Be sure to mention at least one of the following: frogs, salamanders, newts, toads, caecilians, amphibians, savethefrogs.com, and/or SAVE THE FROGS!

(3) You may submit up to two poems. Please always give us the title of each poem. Please do NOT name your poems “Save The Frogs”.

(4) Submission of poetry constitutes your agreement to the Poetry Contest Terms & Conditions. Please read these over, as they describe your rights to the submitted poetry as well as ours.

(5) All entries are to be submitted no later than 11:59pm U.S. Eastern Time on October 15th, 2011. Email submissions must be RECEIVED by October 15th, 2011. Mail-in entries must be POSTMARKED by October 15th, 2011.

Posted by Marcia. Categories: animal, contest, writers in the schools. Tags: Arts, poetry. Leave a comment

Jun. ’11

Where Are We Now: Jemma Leech

In past posts, WITS introduced Jemma Leech, a student from our Summer Creative Writing Workshops. We’ve been following Jemma’s journey through writing over the last five years and are constantly amazed by her ability to see the extraordinary in everyday things. Her award-winning essays and poems garnered national attention when ABC World News named her their “Person of the Week.” The story, Gifted and Disabled: 10-Year-Old Beats the Odds in Essay Contest and in Life, featured Jemma’s outstanding skills as a writer with cerebral palsy who refused to let her physical condition get in the way of her dreams.

Jemma’s zeal for writing continues as an 8th grader today. Just this week, she won a national Gold Key award from the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Award Competition and was honored with fellow students at Carnegie Hall. She is the special guest for the Public Poetry event scheduled tomorrow at 2:00 PM at Houston Public Library. More details here.

We expect to glean more from Jemma’s genius when she becomes a freshman next year. Following are examples of of her gift with words, taken from poems she wrote last summer.

Instruction to the Artist

Before you begin

Please remember that

Proper care should be taken

To give my thanks to the perfectly clear page

On which you draw

For it is the host of my life.

Then be sure to listen keenly

For the sound of my voice

For it sets me apart

From the burbling harmonies of the world.

Before pen touches paper

In that final moment

Search for my soul amid the air

Which surrounds you.

Only then might you draw me

Any which way you like

For if there is my gratitude, my voice and my soul

In your heart as you draw

Then the portrait will look

Just like me.

Camp Reflections 2010

So here it is, the final day of WITS 2010,
The prompt asked me to think of whether I’d do it all again.
Let me see, what have we done, these fifteen days in June
To make me wish that next year’s camp will come around real soon?

We’ve brilliged with the slithy toves, and with personas played,
Created countries just like us and detailed maps we made.
We’ve circled words in other poets’ work and drawn on top,
We’ve written plays and acted out, creative till we pop!

We visited the Blaffer and wrote of life in spheres,
We delved into our inner selves and wrote our deepest fears.
We facebooked heroes, learned to cook, wrote litanies with love,
Attempted sonnets Shakespeare-style, and hung our flags above.

Now the end is drawing nigh, Day Fifteen is now here,
Ms Irene and Aurora might be heard to give a cheer.
Ms Maddy breathes a sigh as all us eighth grades wipe a tear,
As friends we are and friends we’ll stay, and I’ll see you all next year.

Posted by jrwatson5. Categories: event, imagination, inspiration, poetry, where are we now, writers in the schools. Tags: ABC World News, Arts, Person of the Week, public poetry, Scholastic Writing Award Competition. Leave a comment

May. ’11

Congratulations Young Writers!

David Avent charms the crowd with his poem, "Going to Cuba." Photo by Yvonne Feece

Seventy-five courageous boys and girls read from their hearts on the Discovery Green main stage this Sunday, proving to the audience they have what it takes. The Blooms reading of the Houston Young Writers Reading Series, presented by WITS, was the biggest literary celebration of the school year thanks to the principals, teachers, parents, sponsors, and volunteers in attendance, and most of all, to the children who amazed everyone with their outstanding poems, essays, and stories.

Keynote speaker Karen Walrond shared her personal journey of how she became a writer and encouraged the students to own the statement, “I am a writer,” acknowledging that their pieces had been selected from thousands of entries and published in Blooms. (Read more of Walrond’s powerful speech here.) The students shouted in unison from their seats, “I AM A WRITER!” then individually recited their work with strength and conviction.

Congratulations, winners!

Matilde Acosta
Leen Aldarrab
Daniel Alvarez Fedyaev
Etse Amewolo
Edwin Argueta
David Avent
Alberto Avila
Noble Benjamin, Jr.
John Boland
Emily Bonilla
Daylen Brooks
Abigail Calderon
Genesis Cantu
Jocelyn Cardenas
Priscila Cardoso
Graciela Carrillo
Alex Cope
Kassandra Cortez
Sady Davalos
Teagan Davis
Helena de la Cruz
Leyla Delorme
Bella Deutser
Carlos Escamilla
Mia Fares
Natalia Flores
Josseline Garay
Eleanor Geno
Chris Gonzales
Kingston Griffin
Lesly Guerra
Grace Guerriero
Jordan Hall
Gracie Halperin
Olivia Havre
Rhemi Herron
Anuj Jajoo
Xoloni Johnson
Isabella Krafka
Aamir Lateef
Esther Le
Rachel Lee
Ava Leung
Hugo Lopez
Itzel López
Emely Luna
Sadie Many
Anna Miller
Angelique Montes
Ioana Nechiti
Imnet Petro
Grace Rampaul
Saul Rivera
Estevan Rodriguez
Angel Rosa
Emily Salinas
Jose Sanchez
Jefferson Santos
Julian Santos
Ana Serrano
Smrithi Shibichakravarthy
Kevin Situn
Elizabeth Soriano
Deandrea Stevens
Sarah Swackhamer
Jade Treviño
Truc Trinh
Long Hoang Vu
Bryanna Williams
MaddieYoungblood
Julia Zheng
Jose Ramos

Posted by jrwatson5. Categories: contest, education, event, Houston, student, writer, writers in the schools, writing. Tags: Arts, Blooms, discovery green, Houston Young Writers Reading Series, Karen Walrond, Young Writers. Leave a comment

Apr. ’11

Ode to Poetry

O poem, you bring light

to my dark world.

O poem, you open my mind

to different things.

O poem, your words of wisdom

are like a saint.

O poem, you bring the gift of laughter

to my family and me.

O poem, each time I read you

you give me a chance in the spotlight.

O poem, when I read you,

it’s like I read God’s

spiritual mind.

O poem, you are like a chipmunk

wandering in the wild.

by Jose, 4th grade

This poem is featured as part of the 2011 A Poem A Day campaign, a National Poetry Month celebration by WITS that features a different poem by a WITS student every day during April. Click on the logo to learn more.

Posted by jrwatson5. Categories: national poetry month, ode, poem a day, poetry, writers in the schools. Tags: Arts. Leave a comment

Mar. ’11

National Poetry Month is Just Around the Bend

Soon schools, libraries, and community centers around the country will display the official 2011 National Poetry Month poster unveiled by the Academy of American Poets last January. You can download a full-size pdf of the poster by clicking here or request a free copy to be sent to you while supplies last.

Writers in the Schools (WITS) celebrates National Poetry Month locally through bookmarks, public readings, and our email campaign, A Poem A Day. Through this project, WITS will email a child’s poem each weekday during the month of April. If you subscribe to our blog, A Poem A Day, you know how inspirational it is to open your email or RSS feed each morning and be surprised by the words of children as young as 5 years. All poems featured in A Poem A Day are written by students in grades K-12 who have participated in the WITS program. If you have a friend who appreciates the written word as much as you do, suggest they subscribe to our blog or sign up for a poem in April by clicking this link.

Be on the lookout in the coming days for ways you can share poetry with children all month long. National Poetry Month rocks!

Posted by jrwatson5. Categories: art, creativity, education, event, inspiration, Lesson plan, poem a day, poetry, teaching, writers in the schools, writing. Tags: Academy of American Poets, Arts, national poetry month. Leave a comment

Feb. ’11

WITS Writers to Read Tonight at Brazos

What: WITS Writers Chuck Carlise and Ryler Dustin will share their work tonight at Brazos Bookstore as part of the Gulf Coast Reading Series, sponsored by the University of Houston’s Creative Writing Program. This event is free and open to the public.

When: 7PM, February 11

Where: Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnett

About the Writers

Chuck Carlise was born in Canton, Ohio, and has since lived in twelve states and on two continents. He holds degrees from Wittenberg University and the University of California at Davis, and has been awarded fellowships from the Mitchell Center, Wildacres, Inprint, and the Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow. His poetry and nonfiction appear in Southern Review, Quarterly West, Beloit Poetry Journal, Cimarron Review, and others. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in literature and creative writing at the University of Houston, where he is the nonfiction editor of the journal Gulf Coast. He has taught with WITS for three years.

Ryler Dustin is originally from Bellingham, a small town near Seattle, but has traveled across the U.S. performing poetry and teaching poetry workshops in venues like New York’s Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe and the Berkley Poetry Slam. His collection Head Lead Birdsong was recently published by Write Bloody and has earned him a Pushcart nomination, the Sue C. Boynton Award, and the Bart Baxter Award. He has been a finalist in the Individual World Poetry Slam and is now an M.F.A. candidate at the University of Houston.

Posted by jrwatson5. Categories: books, event, fiction, Houston, publishing, Reading, writer, writers in the schools. Tags: Arts, creative writing, gulf coast literary journal, University of Houston. Leave a comment

Jan. ’11

Get Published: Poetry & Essay Contest

Students in grades kindergarten through 12 who have a love for writing poems and essays can win a $50 savings bond if they submit their entries to Creative Communication’s Poetry & Essay contest. Young writers have an opportunity to be published in an anthology, and schools with 15 or more students qualify for one of fifty $250 Language Arts grants. Go to Creative Communication’s website for contest guidelines and to enter.

What: Poetry & Essay Contest sponsored by Creative Communication

Who: Poetry divisions: Grades K-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12. Essay divisions: Grades 3-6, 7-9 and 10-12

When: Poetry Spring deadline is April 12, 2011; Summer deadline is August 16, 2011

Essay Spring deadline is February 15, 2011; Summer deadline is July 19, 2011

Posted by jrwatson5. Categories: contest, creativity, education, essay, poetry, student, student writing contest, teaching, writers in the schools. Tags: Arts, contests, Language Arts. Leave a comment

Jan. ’11

Attend the Museum Educators Open House Jan 22nd

Join Writers in the Schools (WITS) at this year’s Museum Educators Open House January 22, 2011 from 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. WITS will demonstrate innovative approaches to teaching creative writing. Come visit our booth at the Museum of Natural Science for giveaways and learn more about getting a WITS program at your school. This free program will be offered along with a variety of presentations and exhibitions designed for school educators, and attendees will be eligible to receive up to three hours of Continuing Education credits (CPE). Click here to register. Made possible by the Houston Museum District.

Posted by jrwatson5. Categories: creativity, education, event, Houston, Lesson plan, teaching, writers in the schools. Tags: Arts, Houston Museum District, Museum, museum of natural science, Organizations. Leave a comment

Jan. ’11

Inprint’s Rich Levy to Read Work Friday

What: First Friday Poetry Reading Series featuring Rich Levy

When: Friday, January 7, 2011 at 8:30 PM

Where: Inprint House, 1520 West Main

Host Robert Clark invites you to Houston’s oldest open reading series since 1975. Rich Levy, poet, author, and executive director of Inprint will read from and sign his new book Why Me? Afterward, First Friday gives the mike to the floor. This event is free and open to the public.

Posted by jrwatson5. Categories: books, event, Houston, Reading. Tags: Arts, Inprint, rich levy. Leave a comment

Dec. ’10

Give the Gift of WITS

This holiday season, give the gift of Writers in the Schools (WITS) and make a difference in the life of a child. In this year’s fragile economy, we need your help more than ever. As schools struggle with less and less, low-income schools, in particular, are unable to afford WITS this year. This means that without your help, many children will not be able to share their stories, strengthen their literacy skills, and learn that their words really matter.

It doesn’t take much to make your gift count. Our partnership with Changing the Present allows you to make your gift in someone’s honor and send them a personalized holiday card or green-friendly e-card. There are several ways to show your support:

For as little as $4 per student, you can provide matching funds for supplies for one child for a year-long creative writing program. Click here.
Your $15 gift will help publish the writing of two children. Click here.
For $30, you can provide matching funds for three students with a field trip to a cultural venue where they will use art to inspire their writing. Click here.
A $50 donation will give a child WITS for the whole school year. Click here.
For $150, you can provide student anthologies to an entire classroom. Click here.
Donate $500, and provide a summer camp scholarship for a low-income child. Click here.
You can also raise money for WITS just by searching the Internet with GoodSearch.com, purchasing the Blooms anthology on our merchandise page, buying from the WITS Amazon store, or joining the WITS Facebook cause.

The poet W.B. Yeats once stated, “Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.” The WITS program sends writers into classrooms to get thousands of children and their teachers excited about the pleasure and power of reading and writing. Their motivation fuels the learning process. We hope that you will help us kindle a love of learning. Every child deserves this opportunity. Thank you for your support.

Posted by jrwatson5. Categories: education, Holidays, student, writer, writers in the schools. Tags: Arts, charity, Gift, Matching funds. Leave a comment

Nov. ’10

WITS Writer Jameelah Lang Will Read Tonight at Brazos

WITS Writer Jameelah Lang will share her work tonight at Brazos Bookstore as part of the Gulf Coast Reading Series, sponsored by the University of Houston’s Creative Writing Program. This event is free and open to the public.

Jameelah is a Ph.D. student in fiction and nonfiction at the University of Houston. She received both her B.A. in English literature and her M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Kansas. In Lawrence, Jameelah co-founded the Bathtub Kansas Writers’ Collective, an initiative aimed at creating a more integral relationship between creative writing and community. During the third year of her M.F.A., Jameelah also served as the year-long Writer-in-Residence at HUB-BUB, a non-profit, grassroots arts organization based out of Spartanburg, South Carolina. There, she interned for Hub City Press.

What: Gulf Coast Reading Series

When: November 12, 2010 at 7:00 PM

Where: Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnet

Posted by jrwatson5. Categories: event, Reading, writer, writers in the schools. Tags: Arts, creative writing, Education, gulf coast literary journal, Jameelah Lang, University of Houston, wits. Leave a comment

A Poem A Day

Writers in the Schools (WITS) Celebrates Kids–in their own Words

Tag Archives: Arts

My Passions

National Playwriting Competition

WITS to Present at Inaugural Houston Arts Partners Conference

Humor Contest 2011

Calling All FROG Poets!

How do I write a Frog Poem?

Prizes

Categories

Contest Rules

Where Are We Now: Jemma Leech

Congratulations Young Writers!

Ode to Poetry

National Poetry Month is Just Around the Bend

WITS Writers to Read Tonight at Brazos

Get Published: Poetry & Essay Contest

Attend the Museum Educators Open House Jan 22nd

Inprint’s Rich Levy to Read Work Friday

Give the Gift of WITS

WITS Writer Jameelah Lang Will Read Tonight at Brazos

Follow “A Poem A Day”