Hey y'all -
So, as a few of you know, I'm pretty new to Gather, but I am already loving how warm and welcoming the community is here. So I wanted y'all to meet another community that means a lot to me, too. It's Spoken Interludes, the reading series that I produce (I just put up a video and some pictures about.) The series came out of my love for parties. Where I grew up in South Louisiana, starting with Christmas, life just becomes a long series of parties that build in intensity until Mardi Gras. I always get homesick during that season. So, one year, when I couldn't get home, I decided to have those parties myself. This was in LA, so it was a bit diminished, but still. So, I had all these parties, and friends came and brought friends, then those people came to the next ones and brought friends, so the parties got quite large.
A few weeks later, I went to the post office after a theatre audition (I was still acting at that time), and I was waiting in line, thinking about my parties and my audition when suddenly I realized that if my parties had been a play, it would have had great audiences. So I thought, "Why not let a performance be in the middle of a party?" Then I decided that I wanted the performance to be stories, since storytelling is the original form of theatre, and because it is what we do when we go to parties - we break into little groups and tell each other stories about ourselves. I wanted it to be as if someone at a party got up and told a story, but instead of a small group of people hearing it, the entire room listened.
At that point, I had already written my first two short stories which had won recognition, and I wanted to write more, but frankly, I do better with deadlines, so I figured scheduling myself to read them in public would be a pretty good deadline. And I had so many friends, including a sister, who were writing that I decided to make it written stories. At that time in LA in 1996, there were many places to read poetry, but very few to read short fiction or essays, so I felt it might be filling a need. I also thought it would be a way for writers to connect with their audience without having to wait for publication. The first show was in May of 1996 and, to my great surprise, it sold out. The series has been going strong ever since. You can check out the website at www.spokeninterludes.com
In the years since, Spoken Interludes has been heard on NPR, and has had special shows with other organizations including the Getty Museum. Writers such as Ann Packer, Mona Simpson, Bruce Wagner, Alice Sebold, Michael Korda, Arthur Phillips, Arianna Huffington, and Michael Connelly, including newer voices, have come to read their work.
In early 2001, I made Spoken Interludes a non-profit arts organization so I could develop an outreach writing program for at-risk teenagers. My formal education was cut short at the end of eleventh grade due to family matters, so reaching out to teenagers in that way is very important to me. The Spoken Interludes Next writing program is an eight to ten week writing course where students, in small groups of six to eight, work with professional writers to learn how to write their own short story. The program ends with a graduation reading for the students that family, friends, and the public all attend. The first session was that spring in a downtown LA high school. The following year, we brought the program to a high school in the LA Juvenile detention system. The program continues to teach eleventh graders in both of those schools and is in the process of going into four to ten more high schools in the LA area. We also had a literacy program for fourth graders, Spoken Interludes Read, in a downtown LA grammar school.
In 2004, I moved to the New York City area with my family, and started the Spoken Interludes reading series here in the spring of 2005. The reception was immediate, warm and welcoming, and I feel the same sort of family connection with the audiences here that I felt in LA. I am looking forward to starting Spoken Interludes Next here, as well.
I'd love to hear how about the ways you connect with other writers and readers. And I'd love to hear if you've ever taught writing, and if so, how that experience changed your work. I know those kids are the best teachers I've ever had.
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Comments: 20
What a wonderful course of events. You are doing good work.
thanks for your so supportive feedback about the video. that meant the world to me and was very encouraging to me to do more with it. It has been on the Outreach page of my Spoken Interludes website www.spokeninterludes.com, but I don't think many people could really find it there. But y'all's comments really gave me the encouragement to get it out there more, so I am gong to do that. The kids are SOOO amazing. I miss teaching them.
have you ever taught or worked with kids, and if so how?
Thanks again - y'all helped me so much.
xo
I am really blown away by your work with young people! I think your outreach program with Spoken Interludes is positively life altering.
Among those 1000+ books in the house (I never would have counted if my daughter's teachers hadn't sent home a questionnaire asking!) are many, many books on child development and education. One of the greatest thoughts to come out of all that reading was from a book called "The Everyday Genius":
"The power of being listened to is almost unfathomable. Over and over, I've seen it increase my student's effective intelligence. After all, how can we learn to think if we don't practice? And what better way to practice thinking than by having someone listen to us while we do so? Almost nobody gets listened to enough."
Your program is so exciting because you've staffed it with writing mentors who are focused on the kids, who are drawing them out, who are saying "what you have to say matters". I sometimes get tired of the over used word "empowerment". But that is empowerment in the very best sense of the word. I believe it increases intelligence, creativity, confidence ... you name it. Giving these kids time, attention, focus, encouragement, confidence and a forum to speak their work, their story, their thoughts, is one of the greatest gifts that can be given.
My hat is off to you!
1) The first was teaching art (one afternoon a week) to my daughter's second and third grade classes. Truly one of the most enriching (for me!) experiences of my life. The kids teach us more than we could ever hope to teach them!
2) The second significant teaching experience was raising three foals. I thank my lucky stars every day for this experience and only wish I'd had the opportunity when I was younger. Horses teach us so many valuable life lessons. Lessons I could have well used my entire life. They teach enchanting lessons about the power of belief, confidence and trust.
thank y'all for those very thoughtful comments. I got so much from them. Linda, I LOVE that quoe about being listened to and am going to give it to all the teachers who teach the program for me. It is exactly what I have seen. These kids are dying to be heard and to give that to them has been - after raising my own sons - the most important thing I've done. I look forward to my sons being in grade school so I can start the program here in NY where I live and teach again. I love y'all feedback about your own work with kids. and horses! aren't animals amazing teachers!! and becky - what a lucky mom your son has!! Never underestimate how much you are getting through. and some of the best writers are people who write in conjunction with other work. he sounds like a great kid. thank again for all that - it meant so much to me to hear your thoughtful responses.
xo
A funny coincidence; I just came across the book "The Everyday Genuis" this morning. I had quoted from one of my journals and unfortunately hadn't written down the author's name. In case it's useful to you the author is Peter Kline.
Also, it occurred to me you might get a kick out of seeing my teenager, Lizzy, working with two of our horses that we raised from babies. The Palomino (although a giant) is just a two year old in this video and as you will see, the black Peruvian Paso follows Lizzy around like a puppy dog and would do anything Lizzy asked him. After a few seconds, I recommend you fast forwarding the video to the middle where you will see the trust that exists between horse and rider.
I think it's amazing that one can start off with an essentially wild animal and with trust, respect and kindness end up with partners who would do whatever their big hearts can to please you!
Raising Horse Babies
Welcome to Gather. Thank you for asking to connect with me.
Welcome to Gather! It's a great place to exchange ideas and learn.
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you are amazing. I'm "uneducated" too - I left school at the end of 11th grade. But what a gift you are to those in your life. You have a great spirit - it is very clear. It is wonderful to know you.
Bevery
thank you for that warm welcome. I love being here and meeting people like you. xo
that video is AMAZING. your daughter is gorgeous and those horse so magnificent. what a beautiful example of trust and faith. that was so moving.
I am ordering the book from Amazon. can't wait to get it. thank you for all this. xo
it was so nice to find you here! thanks for that response. How wonderful that you did that work, though I'm not surprised considering your work that I've read. I wonder which part of working with the kids you liked best. I love the wonder that is still there for them, even when it is covered up, once that defense gets pulled away, it is just magical to see. thanks for your comment.
Liked the video, professional. And the interviewees were open and smart.
I know what you mean about missing the parties, the culture. I have a 'Shrimpfest' every year. The smell of Gulf shrimp steamed with a touch of Old Bay lingers in the kitchen for a few days - heavenly. No one likes the crawfish boudin except me - yay!
Sad part of it all though is that I was so good at the edit that my English/Writing teacher was a bit too lenient with my work. "No short story today...that is ok, I expect great peer evaluation of another's work from you." I guess it is kinda like a tone deaf singer who knows what to change in another's voice to make it flow smoother. Perhaps she really knew what she was doing LOL! I avoid when at all possible any critiquing of other people's work now.