In my workshops, students imagine deeply and learn to listen for their writer’s voice.
They look closely for details that hold meaning for them.
Before writing, we create a poem together as a class, brainstorming vivid verbs, details and similes to capture the spirit of the moment. As we draft, students learn to listen for the voice of the poem, discover its rhythms and patterns. Then, working across a large piece of art paper, they write their own poems, edit, revise, and share aloud with the class.
Our sparks for creating are always new, evolving out of my own writing and travels. Often, I work from photographs I take in nature – close-up images of creatures we find just outside our door, or landscapes that convey a mood, emotion, or state of mind. I enjoy creating workshops to tie with the curriculum, recently Yosemite, Acadia, and Rocky Mountain National Park to link to the study of landforms and United States geography. Other workshops are inspired by artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Vincent Van Gogh, or Claude Monet. Wherever possible, I find it wonderful to collaborate with the art teacher so students may write from their own paintings.
• CREATURES
• TIDEPOOLS
• BUTTERFLIES
• FAMILY PHOTO
• OLD TIME TOYS
• YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
• ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
• ACADIA NATIONAL PARK
• BEACHES
• SEA SHELLS
• PUDDLE ART
•POETRY FROM STUDENT ART
• MONET’S GIVERNY (Lyn’s photos of Giverny)
• ART OF VINCENT VAN GOGH
• ART OF GEORGIA O’KEEFFE
• POETRY FROM MUSIC
• TERRA COTTA WARRIORS, Ancient China
• TEACHERS WORKSHOPS
