Blogging with Summer Institute 2008

Good Morning: What a day don’t you think?

So here’s another way to write into the day

The Backpack
From: Everyday Creative Writing: Panning for Gold in the Kitchen Sink
By Smith and Greenberg (NTC 2000)

Whether we carry a knapsack, pocketbook, briefcase, diaper bag, or some combination of the four, many of us have trouble getting out of the house without taking some of our possessions with us. While someone totes work she hopes to do when traveling back and forth to her office, another person slips a novel into her purse in case the bus is late again. Like turtles, we tend to carry part of our world on our backs (or shoulders).
Although much of what we take with us out into the world every day is practical and necessary, hidden among the sensible calculators, notebooks, and diapers are less functional possessions, curiosities that represent the more complex realities of our daily lives.

Panning Instructions: Empty everything from your pocketbook, briefcase, or knapsack onto a clean surface. Everything. Even that mouldy-looking saltine holds valuable clues. Or you can empty your wallet of everything, even that ATM receipt that you forgot to record in your check- book.
Forget for a moment that these things belong to you. Imagine they belong to someone else. What do these items tell you about this person?

Select a few of them to use as a starting point for a story, poem, or essay about a person whose life you have laid out in front of you.

Nugget:
From a short story in progress

Megan hadn’t meant to mislead Alan when the plastic dinosaur had fallen out of her purse. It was just that she had seen his office, with its clutter of political cartoons, his hanging rubber stork, pink slinky and other miscellaneous anti-establishment toys, and wanted him to know that she wasn’t buying into the system either. So, when Alan picked it up and said “Cool,” and handed the Brachiosaurus back to her with a new glimmer of recognition in his eye, she hadn’t found it necessary to tell him that the toy belonged to her son, and that she had only this morning rescued it from under his car seat.
Mostly she was relieved that her purse hadn’t been dumped in front of him the year before when there would have been baby wipes and a spare pacifier mixed in with the usual wallet, checkbook and keys. She decided now, today, was definitely a better time.
Angelin Donohue
Sharing

Logger: Paulette

Three to Four-Ring Circus
Imagine, if you will, being at the circus – the excitement and the anticipation of the thrills to come. Let me take you to our time at the circus on July 15th.
It started off with refreshments – bagels, donut holes, yogurt, fruit as well as a beverage of choice. Some of us were starving and had looked forward to this delightful array of morning goodies. You know who you were!!
I’m late! You’re late! We really can’t be late! A few housekeeping asides about time and it being of the essence. So much to do, so little time! Our circus master of ceremony, Bonnie, encouraged us to take our seats and settle in for the ride or should I say, the attraction in Ring #1 – the Image Explosion. This allowed us to take the poem, The Names written by Bill Collins to create a community poem. Everyone took a line, a phrase or a word that spoke to them and created an additional poem or prose from it. Talk about an add-on! Though this was the first ring of the circus (and you know how circus’ are anyway), one could hear a pin drop. This activity truly displayed the power of our words. WOW!!
Still having chills? Well, we would take a commercial break or small intermission soon enough. First, we heard from Jose as he gave his digital documenter photo interpretation and Katelin solicited slogans for this summer’s writing institute t-shirts. Pictures and selling of t-shirts – that usually happens at the circus, right?
We had a surprise guest, Ann Hovey from the Advanced Writing Institute. Ann also happened to have worked with Terri and was coming in to support her during her TIW workshop. Mary stated that there may be others popping in to show/give support of our work and TIWs. Hey, wait a minute? Was there some fine print in our program that we missed?
Anyway, Katelin read her log from the previous day’s work and Barbara shared her thoughts from the TIW reflections she received. Barbara took a lot from what was suggested, even the one from Katelin about sending such writing products overseas. That sounded familiar. Didn’t Tom say something like that in May? Was the spirit of Tom lurking around us? Lastly, Barbara mentioned reflections about student work. I think that was/is an area most of us are grappling with. How long to look at and examine student work? The most important question of all – where the heck to put it?! Does anyone have an answer?
We then took a break. During this time, we had a High School Musical moment of We’re All In This Together! We’re becoming more of a community not only of writers but of concerned individuals, looking out for one another. Hang In!!
Back to the break. Not too long! We’re late! We’re late! This really can’t wait! Ring #2 – T’s TIW. By T, we mean the ring master Terri Colon. Terri’s TIW was on Developing Writing Through Peer Feedback. Let’s get ready to rumble! Terri talked about how we had to let our students see us going through the writing process, and of the writing process being a continual process where we visit each step at least once. Terri spoke of us putting ourselves out there to students and guiding them in getting their thoughts and getting critical and nasty/messy later. We peer edited writing that we had been working on and gave feedback which hopefully would be used to enhance the writing. We examined student work and reflected on this way of providing peer feedback.
A mistake or blessing in disguise? We had what Bonnie called free and far between time to write (free airtime – gotta’ love those airtime minutes/hours!!) as well as meet in writing groups. It was only a little after 11. We did not have to return until 3. Ring #3 –The Write Time, though not as structured was a great ring in this circus. Each of us could actually be the ring master and make of the time what we will. Did you get a lot done?
Finally, we come to Ring #4 – The Writing Process. Do you know where you’re going to? Mary had us reflect on our teaching and instruction of writing. What ways do we teach writing? Is there anything that we don’t particularly do well? What do we do well? After some sharing, there was an open Author’s Chair. Almost all of the returning fellows as well as Bonnie shared. Mary was inching to share but restrained herself. Maybe it was just that time already. You know, when a child lays angelical on their parent’s shoulder, sleeping with a slight smile on their face, still holding the cotton candy stick for dear life, being/feeling spent but not quite ready to give up the moment. I hope you enjoyed your time at our circus!

Digital Documenter: Sarah

TIW Reflections: Terri

Community Reading with Denise Maltese and her article: “OUt of the Narrow Tunnel and into the Universe of Discourse”

TIW: