The reason I'm starting to know my way around Rosemere High School is that this morning was my third of five visits there. This winter, I'm doing a series of writing workshops with RHS students.
In today's pic, you see a lovely young man named Marcus reading from my book What World Is Left. Usually, I read a little during my visits, but since I'm getting over a cold, I needed assistance -- and Marcus kindly agreed to help me out. And you know what? It was kind of wonderful hearing SOMEBODY ELSE read my book out loud! So thanks Marcus for the great job!
This was my second visit with Miss Fazio's Grade Sevens. In preparation for today, she'd asked them to interview someone interesting. A student named Jana shared the sad, but beautiful results of what she learned. One of Jana's relatives told her, "My childhood was filled with fear and pain. My imagination helped me escape." When Jana read these lines to us, my arms got tingly. This, for me, is a sign of a great story. Jana, if you're reading this, I hope you have the courage to learn more about this story -- and then to write it, perhaps from the point of view of your relative when he was a teenager. I would definitely want to read it!
I tried all sorts of strange writing exercises with Miss Fazio's class. I made them shake out their hands, do deep breathing, then write with their left hands. A student named Dominique stopped by at the end of my session to say she'd actually come up with a plot for her own story. So maybe there's something to be said for my kooky ideas!
I'll be back at RHS tomorrow afternoon -- hopefully with a working voice! Sleep tight wherever you are!
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