Participants of the 2021 summer program created written and visual works of art. We asked community members to join the literacy movement by celebrating these youth voices and contributing their own voice to our community poetry project.
Recipe of Me
Are you made of sugar and spice and all things nice? What about two turntables and a microphone?
In this workshop, students described themselves and their experiences as they cultivated their culinary vocabulary, whipping up cooking verbs and mixing them with metaphorical language.
We can't wait for you to learn what they're made of!
Make a Difference
This workshop supported students as they explored what it feels like to stand up to bullying and how to intervene safely. Students wrote about a time when they put their voices into action and made a difference.
Amid a global pandemic and civil unrest, their stories reminded us to "always look for the helpers," a line made famous by the beloved Mr. Rogers. Well, Mr. Rogers, we think we found the helpers!
This workshop featured content from 826 National and Cartoon Network's Stop Bullying: Speak Up campaign and was inspired by the book The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade.
Me...A Villain?
Have you ever wondered what it's like to exist in the universe not as a hero but as a villain?
This was a chance for students to exercise empathy and tell a story from the bad guy's point of view. Through this process, students learned that not all villains are evil, just slightly misunderstood.
This workshop featured content from 826 National and Cartoon Network's Stop Bullying: Speak Up campaign .
Perfectly Imperfect Pet
What happens to pets that aren't perfect? Do we dismiss the bear with a hibernation disorder even though he gives great hugs? Does the stinkbug that smells like flowers make a better dance partner?
Students designed blueprints and wrote persuasive essays describing their most perfectly imperfect pets.
Six of the best persuasive essays were awarded three-dimensional designs of their perfectly imperfect pets, brought to life by student and emerging local artists. We hope you, too, will marvel at the creative brilliance forged from student-to-student connections!
This writing workshop was inspired by the book The Barnabus Project.
Community Poetry
After three weeks of gathering and writing their favorite words in uniquely designed journals, students created word art to celebrate their most delicious discoveries.
For this interactive installation, we asked that patrons of all ages come together to share their favorite words and arrange them in lines of poetry. Imagine MadLibs with metaphors!
This writing workshop was inspired by the book The Word Collector.
Watch this overview of the fantastic summer we had in 2021:
