In many ways my last job was my dream job. I was doing something meaningful, taking teenagers to Guatemala, teaching social justice and helping connect young people to their communities and beyond. But there were some things I missed, like painting, writing, and having a life outside of my job. So it was not entirely altruistic that at the start of my second year that I chose to add poetry to our curriculum. It helped that one of my participants was also a poet who had competed nationally through Youth Speaks. He was both a help and an inspiration.
Ultimately though my biggest motivation was somewhat selfish, because if I made the kids sit down and write, then I too would have to write. And write we did. That was the easy part. I had a few reams of blank paper, a Ziploc bag filled with pens and a few prompts hastily scrawled on a white board. They did the rest.
What we discovered is that even those who were self-declared poetry haters, when given 20 minutes of mandatory silence, a pen and a piece of paper, had something to say...something to write about, an experience to share. Even participants who rarely talked during our group reflections were able to express themselves on paper and the poetry they created was brilliant, too brilliant not to be shared.
So we formed a committee of other dedicated youth and together after months of editing and meetings and voting on everything from the cover art to the font size and type, we finally finished it. Click on the link for a peek. It is available for purchase.GV Poetry Anthology
