What My Words Look Like Art and Poetry of Place Colleen, meet Kate. Kate, meet Colleen. Gary Funk with Community Foundation of the Ozarks Lets talk about the possibility of developing a Placeworks project. This program is in its infancy, so we have a great deal of latitude. Were especially interested in projects that involve and interest students in the places where they livethe skys the limit! Placeworks is able to provide for materials, my time, and costs Kate Kate Baird art For what is a poem but light (images) and sound (words written and vocalized silently in the mind, or spoken aloud), an extract of God, of the universe, of the created world? What is human energy but creative energy, for good or ill, as we learn to become co-creators with God? Expression is as necessary to human beings as the exhalation of breath. --Sandford Lyne Writing Poetry from the Inside Out Poets are artistscreators in light and sound. Paris Through the Window What kind of place is this? How do you think the artist feels about this place? What do you notice? The posters are connected to collages in color and/or shape. Which poems are you drawn to? Why? Is there anything you especially like in the way the poem is written? Are there any surprises? Which poems make you think about something in your own experience? Which poems make you want to write a poem on your own? I was abused when I was little. I swore on my life that I would Keep it a secret. Until one day I told. Then I didnt have to hide In the dark no more. Wondering I sit on the sidewalk watching And wondering Do people see me I wonder? I can only imagine How great their lives are, But mine is not even close. I have been dropped off Everywhere, But that is another poem. Thank you for listening, Very beautiful and kind people. On a hot summer day In the weeds a grasshopper is dizzy Grasshopper, jumping side to side, Yelling out, What a hot summer day it is! I play a game of hide and seek I play with somebody I dont like I throw him in thorns And I laugh He has scratches We were playing hide and seek I ran through the bushes to hide That is my favorite game I sat down in the bushes I looked at my arms Scratches were everywhere From the thorns But I remained quiet Instead of doing my homework I played video games. Instead of doing my chores I watched TV. Instead of cleaning my room I went outside and played tag. Instead of mowing the lawn I ran away. One day I was walking in the woods. I saw a treehouse. I walked toward it And climbed on the ladder And saw two guns. So I guess someone built this To hide his secrets. Then the clouds got darker And it started to rain. I have moved so many times. My rules have changed So have my friends. I have lived in so many houses. You wouldnt imagine How many times Ive cried, The people Ive lost. Ive seen so much Im tired of looking. Which poems are you drawn to? Why? Was there anything you especially liked in the way the poem was written? Are there any surprises? Which poems make you think about something in your own experience? Which poems make you want to write a poem on your own? The truth is that everyone who writes a poem reinvents poetry. It is the most personal and unique form of writing. A poem is the fingerprint of a soul, and just as no two persons have the same fingerprints, no two persons write poems in just the same way. So the idea is this: just be yourself on paper, and have fun. Sandy Lyne Writing Poetry: Every Student Can Step One: Select the bait. car, backseat, wipers, and rain Step Two: Get the four words in three or more sentences. The wipers strained to keep our car windows clear. We were lost on the back roads in a heavy downpour. We panicked thinking wed never make it back to the campground. Our little girls slept in the backseat. Leaving the campground to go for ice cream seemed like a bad idea. Do not rhyme. Step Three: Make revisions including changing the order if you wish. Leaving the campground to go for ice cream seemed like a bad idea. The wipers strained to keep our car windows clear. We were lost on the back roads in a heavy downpour. We panicked thinking wed never make it back to the campground. Our little girls slept in the backseat. Step Four: Make line breaks. Leaving the campground/ to go for ice cream/ seemed like a bad idea./ The wipers strained/ to keep our car windows clear./ We were lost on the back roads/ in a heavy downpour./ We panicked/ well never make it/ back to the campground/ we thought. Our little girls slept/ in the backseat. Leaving the campground To go for ice cream Seemed like a bad idea. The wipers strained To keep our car windows clear. We were lost on the back roads In a heavy downpour. We panicked. Well never make it Back to the campground We thought. Our little girls slept In the backseat. Worried We pitched our tent, feasted on campfire food, and decided ice cream cones would end our day. We tumbled in the car and headed to town. We were caught in a sudden downpour on unfamiliar roads. The windshield wipers strained to keep the deluge at bay. Unaware of our panic, our little girls slept in the backseat. The shapes of the words convey the message of the poem. On a street corner I saw a cold homeless guy holding a sign saying anything helps. I have heard that he has stolen food from gardens, but I dont know if thats true or not. Our closing thoughts: Middle school is a fragile time for creativity; students are becoming self-conscious at the same time that they are no longer being universally congratulated for making things. Students need a framework for creativity. Kate The unexpected develops because the student is switching modalities. We set up the situation so accidents can happen. This project slows down the creative process down for the development of more ideas. An idea pops up while youre shading an area. Colleen wants students to see poetry as a vital art form, and Kate wants poetry and art to arrive at the same endinga depth of meaning. What is the purpose in a writer and artist sitting down together? The images get the students to words, and the words bring them to images. The art materials made us find really what our words meant. Taylor B. Collaborators Colleen Appel, 6 th -7 th grade English teacher Kate Baird, guest artist Project funded by Community Foundation of the Ozarks