| "got poetry?" readings and writing workshops |
STUDENTS RESPOND TO "GOT POETRY?" READINGS AND WORKSHOPS
Sweet presentation sweet! Montoursville HS
The best English class ever! Austin HS
... wicked awesome ... his poetry was amazing ... very charismatic. Northeast Bradford HS
I absolutely loved you. You were so funny and I loved your work. Cowanesque Valley HS
Probably the first time I ever enjoyed listening to any type of poems. Selinsgrove HS
Im a fan. Muncy HS
I laughed so hard I lost weight. Newport Jr/Sr HS 
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| St. John Neumann Regional Academy (2008) Photograph by Craig McKibben for the Williamsport Sun-Gazette |
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| GET "GOT POETRY?" FOR YOUR SCHOOL!
Poetry is for everyone and reading, writing, and hearing poetry is fun!
Thats the message that I carry to schools with my got poetry? programs.
In my programs, I share some of my own poetry, talk and answer questions about the writing of poetry, and then work with students to create their own poetry about their own real lives.
My "got poetry?" programs are most suitable for middle schools and high schools (and also for young adult and adult audiences in libraries) and can be adapted for multiple classes, school assemblies, and individual classes. Block schedules? Traditional class periods? No problem.
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| Red Rock Job Corps Center (2007) |
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| What is a writing residency?
My residencies are a standards-based creative writing experiences for groups of all ages in schools, libraries, and other institutions, designed to introduce participants to the
practice of writing. Unlike my "got poetry?" programs, which are usually limited to an hour or two on a single day, residencies take place over longer periods of time. Some of the forms that I've explored in the past few years are:
full, multi-day residencies in schools, in which I work with a selected groups of students for an hour or two each day and then make myself available throughout the school for assembly programs, seminars with teachers, and interactions with individual classes;
part-time, multi-day residencies in schools and other institutions, in which I work for an hour or two each day with a selected group of participants one class in a school, for example, or after regular school hours with extra-curricular groups;
weekly programs in libraries and other institutions, in which I work for an hour or two each week with participants, helping them to explore their writing lives. (Programs like these can concentrate in short fiction, poetry, memoir, creative non-fiction, or journal writing.)
Funding for residencies
As public funding for things like writing residencies through arts councils, for example has become increasingly difficult, schools, libraries, and other institutions have had to become increasingly creative in the ways that they fund residencies. In addition to including residencies in their regular budgets, schools can also pursue funding through local agencies and through parent organizations. Libraries can charge a fee for participants, and other institutions can, like schools, include residencies in their regular budgets as well as seeking funding through local agencies.
I'm always open to interesting and creative ideas for funding my residencies. If you have any ideas to share, please contact me. Something can almost always be worked out.
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| Red Rock Job Corps Center (2007) |
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For more information about programs for students
which can be custom-designed to fit the needs of any school or library
contact me at
mrbassett@verizon.net
(Writing "programs for students" in the subject line will make it easier for me to keep track of my incoming mail!)
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