Creative Writing in the Community : A Guide

## PREFACE xiii of work, he said he didn't know of any, and that perhaps I should write one. Although I've never met or talked with Robert Coles, I would not have continued requiring service-learning in my courses without his books to push me forward. My copy of The Call of Service (1993) has a sticky note on every page. I am grateful to all of my students-past, present, and future-who are most often excited about the possibilities, and to those students who sometimes resist the requirement of service-learning, yet trudge throughall of whom find the pleasure of giving others the opportunity to tell their stories. Thank you to my first acquisitions editor at Bloomsbury, Colleen Coalter, for seeing the need for this book. Many thanks to all of the great editors at Bloomsbury, including Laura Murray and Mark Richardson. Special thanks to David Avital, Senior Commissioning Editor, for answering so many questions, and pushing the book forward. I am grateful to Dawn Booth for her good editing eyes, and to all the good people at Fakenham Prepress Solutions, especially Kim Storry. My deepest admiration and gratitude to those teaching artists who allowed me to include their essays in this book. They persevered through several years from inception to production. Many thanks to everyone who expressed interest and excitement in a book like this: those who endlessly supported this process. Eric Fershtman deserves more thanks than I can say for his editorial assistance and advice. I am grateful to all of the reviewers who gave their time and honest feedback, and whose suggestions made the final product better. I owe a tremendous thank you to Don Stap who always believes in my projects and supports me through my days of doubt. I am grateful to my colleagues and writer friends who continuously encouraged me to get this book into the world. I am deeply indebted to Amy Zeh, the Service-Learning Program Director at UCF, who is also my friend and colleague, whose support and encouragement have kept me moving forward when frustration or burn-out waited for me just around the corner. I would also like to thank Patrick Murphy, English Department Chair, for telling me in 2003 to keep the creative writing in the community projects going. Many thanks to the College of Arts & Humanities at the University of Central Florida for valuing service-learning and for providing me the time to write and work on this book. FC Half title Also Available From Bloomsbury Title Copyright Dedication Contents Preface Introduction 1 Storytelling is for Everyone Why we tell stories Community-based learning projects in creative writing The first step Structured reflection Readings “Landscape and Language,” Lorraine Ferra “Becoming an Ocean: Teaching Poetry in Nursing Homes,” Silvi Alcivar 2 Leaving Campus Service-learning (and CBL) as citizenship Key elements of service-learning The next steps Structured reflection Readings “What is an Author Off-Campus? The Writer in the Community and the Corporate University,” Julia Spicher Kasdorf “Birth of an American Scholar,” Heather Fiedler 3 Making a Plan Envisioning your CBL project Designing 10–12 weeks of session (lesson) plans Preparing weekly lessons Anticipations, hopes, challenges Structured reflection Readings “The Lawtey Workshop,” Mark Powell “Linking the Creative Writing Program with the Community,” Allen Gee 4 Taking the Leap Creative writing and life experiences Apprehension, resistance, fear Service-learning vs. volunteering Service-learning history Service-learning in other disciplines Service-learning in various creative writing classes and programs Community partner staff as co-educators Structured reflection Reading “The Prayer Wheel,” David Hassler 5 Writing and Being Statistics and real life Safety issues and boundaries Writing and imagination Checking in with self Structured reflection Readings “A Red Wheelbarrow, a Hammock, and a Pomegranate: Why So Much Does Depend Upon Poetry,” Anita Skeen 6 Discovering the Pleasure of Poetry and Storytelling in the World Building confidence as a teaching artist Observing your surroundings The immersed writer Connecting your project with your own life experiences Structured reflection Readings “‘The Sublime, the Unsettling, and the Exuberant’: Changing Students’ Attitudes Toward Aging through TimeSlips Creative Storytelling,” Robin Mello and Anne Basting “Teaching, or How to Fall in Love,” Robin Reagler 7 Creative Writing as Social Activism Art as resistance Beyond your project Structured reflection Reading “Activism in Academia: A Social Action Writing Program,” Frances Payne Adler 8 Doing Creative Writing Right to your life (and your voice) Why do creative writing? A very brief history of creative writing in the academy Current issues in creative writing Structured reflection Reading “The Assessment Wicket: How Can We Judge the Value of Writers Teaching in the Schools?,” Terry Hermsen 9 Changing Them, Changing You, Changing the World A deeper understanding What you’re getting: Transferrable skills What they’re getting Structured reflection Readings “Citizens of Words: Service-Learning in Creative Writing Education,” Nathaniel V. Mohatt “Keeping it Real: Creative Writing Under the Shadow of Standardized Testing,” Christopher McIlroy 10 Giving Community Members (a Loud) Voice Turning words into voices Celebrating Publishing the work of participants Structured reflection Readings “The Children We Leave Behind,” Lisa Chatterjee “Writing Out of Grief,” Scott Parsons 11 Publishing Your CBL Project Publication at your university Publication beyond the university Outreach and the university Structured reflection Readings “Poetry from the Inside Out,” Terry Blackhawk “Who is the Self that Performs? Teaching and Learning Creative Identities and Creative Writing at a Youth Shelter,” Sharlene Gilman 12 The Value of Creative Writing in the World Civic responsibility Imagine Structured reflection Readings “Poetry-in-the-World: Where Service-Learning Goes Beyond the Classroom,” F. Daniel Rzicznek “How Service-Learning Cultivates Empathy and Social Responsibility,” Carly Gates O’Neal Appendix A: Resources for students Appendix B: Resources for teachers Appendix C: Additional Resources for teachers and students Notes and Sources Index "Creative Writing in the Community is the first book to focus on the practical side of creative writing. Connecting classroomexperiences to community-based projects, it prepares creative writing students for teaching in schools, homeless centres, youth clubs and care homes. Each chapteris packed with easy-to-use resources including: specific lesson plans; case studies of students working with community groups; lists of suitable writing examples; 'how to ... ' sections; examples and theoretical applications of creative writing pedagogy and techniques; reflection questions; writings by workshop participants. Enhanced by contributions from directors, students and teachers at successful public programs, Creative Writing in the Community is more than an essential guide for students on creative writing courses and leaders of community-based learning programs; it is practical demonstration of the value of art in society"--Provided by publisher Creative Writing in the Community is the firstbook to focus on the practical side of creative writing. Connecting classroomexperiences to community-based projects, it prepares creative writing studentsfor teaching in schools, homeless centres, youth clubs and care homes. Á Each chapteris packed with easy-to-use resources including: specific lesson plans; case studies of students working with community groups; lists of suitable writing examples; ‘how to...’ sections; examples and theoretical applications of creative writing pedagogy and techniques; reflection questions; writings by workshop participants. Á Enhanced by contributions from directors,students and teachers at successful public programs, Creative Writing in the Community is more than an essential guidefor students on creative writing courses and leaders of community-basedlearning programs; it is practical demonstration of the value of art insociety Creative Writing in the Community is the first book to focus on the practical side of creative writing. Connecting classroom experiences to community-based projects, it prepares creative writing students for teaching in schools, homeless centers, youth clubs and care homes. Each chapter is packed with easy-to-use resources specific lesson plans; case studies of students working with community groups; lists of suitable writing examples; "how to..." sections; examples and theoretical applications of creative writing pedagogy and techniques; reflection questions; writings by workshop participants. Enhanced by contributions from directors,students and teachers at successful public programs, Creative Writing in the Community is more than an essential guide for students on creative writing courses and leaders of community-based learning programs; it is practical demonstration of the value of art in society. Creative Writing in the Community is the first textbook to focus on creative writing outside the college classroom. Connecting classroom experiences to community-based projects, it prepares creative writing students for teaching in schools, homeless centres, youth clubs and care homes. -- Back cover "Equips creative writing students and teachers with the tools and knowledge they need to take their subject outside teaching creative writing outside a university classroom"-- Provided by publisher "Equips creative writing students and teachers with the tools and knowledge they need to take their subject outside teaching creative writing outside a university classroom"--Résumé de l'éditeur