This spring Boston Arts Academy students began corresponding with students at Artist Proof Studio in Johannesburg, South Africa. They were sent a group of poems about social justice written by students, and a photograph of a resistance mural. Ms. Bayer and Ms. Brown’s BAA 9th Graders began corresponding with them by email, and on Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th, they exchanged their own works of resistance art with the
South African students using a video chat on Sype in the library. Musicians, dancers, sculptors, painters, and poets all shared their work with other artists halfway around the world, and discussed social issues and art’s potential for affecting change.
Skyping with Artist Proof Studio in South Africa
Next Up At Fenway
Today for DEAR time, author Steve Marantz read a selection from his new book Next Up At Fenway: A story of high school, hope, and lindos sueños. Thank you to Steve, and thank you to the students and teachers who came to hear him talk.
Videos of today’s DEAR time can be found here:
The library has three copies of Next Up At Fenway for students (and teachers!) to check out, generously donated by Steve.
First Monday
On Monday June 3rd, the library will be hosting BAA’s SPEAK time. Come in and share your own works or listen to others share theirs.
Also, June 3rd is another special DEAR time. This month, we have Steve Marantz, the author of Next Up at Fenway.
“Next Up at Fenway: A Story of High School, Hope and Lindos Sueños tells the true story of Marcos Baez, whose public high school next to Fenway Park—Fenway High—was his best hope of a college education and a better life. Inspired by his daily view of the ballpark and mentored by the Red Sox Foundation, Baez turned his passion for baseball into a love of learning in his quest for a path to college.
As a child, Marcos’ first exposure to baseball came through a neighborhood team, sponsored by the Foundation’s RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program. As a Fenway High School junior, Marcos was chosen for the Foundation’s Lindos Sueños program, which paired up American and Dominican teens for baseball and community service in the Dominican Republic. From Lindos Sueños, Marcos found his voice for the essay he would use to apply to college.
Author and journalist Steve Marantz spent a year in the classrooms and hallways of Fenway High, alongside Marcos Baez, his classmates, and teachers. With unlimited access, Marantz has chronicled the soul and intellect of one of America’s most amazing and unusual schools.
A story of culture and empowerment, Next Up at Fenway explores what one youth can accomplish against all odds to become an inspiration to his community and Latino youth everywhere.” (from Sports Media Guide)
Come join us for this very special event.
Alisa Libby, Author Talk
Today during SPEAK and DEAR time, the author Alisa Libby came to talk about her books and writing process. Ms. D recorded her talk to BAA during SPEAK time and it can be found on YouTube in three parts:
Ms. Libby talking about her book:
Students:
Alisa Libby’s bio is as follows:
I grew up in Natick, Massachusetts and attended public school. I always wanted
to be a writer. I wrote short stories and a many, many terrible poems; maybe
one or two decent ones. As a young writer, I bristled at the old dictum “write
what you know” or “write about real life”. I was awkward, shy. Writing was a
beautiful escape for me. I had no interest in holding up a mirror to my reality.
When I was a teenager, I read a story of Countess Bathory, a 16th century
Hungarian countess who murdered virgin girls and then bathed in their blood,
believing it would keep her young and beautiful for eternity. I was enthralled
and horrified. It didn’t occur to me, then, to write about Bathory, but that story
stuck with me for years.
While at Emerson pursuing a degree in writing, I thought again about that
crazy Countess. I wrote it as a fairy tale. I wrote it as a contemporary story with
references to Bathory. I wrote it in the point of view of the sister of one of
Bathory’s victims. Eventually I wrote a story in the point of view of Bathory’s
best friend—that story was about six pages long. Each draft was an experiment,
trying to answer the questions “what was she thinking? Why did she do it?”
Finally it occurred to me that this was Bathory’s story to tell, in her own words,
her point of view. This is the fun of fiction: you can slip into someone else’s
voice and tell your own version of their story, creating a sense of logic to
explain their morally corrupt actions. The final result was my first novel,
The Blood Confession.
I like writing about characters who do bad things.
A few years ago I came across the story of Catherine Howard, the fifth of
King Henry VIII wives. Her story immediately fascinated me: an overlooked
teenage girl suddenly chosen above all others at court to marry the wealthy,
powerful, and ailing King of England. She seemed very human, full of faults
and flaws that I could understand, regardless of the time period. But at the crux
of her story was also a question, waiting to be answered: why would she have
an affair with a courtier—a favorite of the king, no less—knowing what she
already knew about this particular king? He had divorced his first wife in order
to marry Anne Boleyn, only to have Anne executed on charges of adultery just
a few years later. And Anne was Catherine’s cousin. What was this girl thinking,
robed in velvet and draped in jewels? Did she consider herself safe upon her
throne, beyond reproach? There must have been more to it than that. I set out
to address those questions in The King’s Rose. This is where fiction comes in:
filling in the details between fact and conjecture.
After years of writing, I have a new understanding of the advice to “write what
you know”. Write what inspires you, fascinates you, horrifies you—regardless
of whether or not it is part of your real life. The key is to find a way to connect
with your character—a fear or insecurity or dream that you share. This will
create empathy for your character and help you figure out how they think, and
why they do the things they do. I do write about “real life”. Just not my own.
Visit me online!
http://www.alisalibby.com
http://alisamlibby.wordpress.com
CultureGrams!
What is CultureGrams?
CultureGrams is the handy new database that “goes beyond mere facts and figures to deliver an insider’s perspective on daily life and culture, including the history, customs, and lifestyles of the world’s people” (CultureGrams). It has information from more than 200 countries, every single U.S. state, and all the provinces and territories of Canada.
This database might come in handy for writing a paper or doing a project about a specific country. The information is current AND accurate, so it would be a great database source to use.
To access this source, go to: http://online.culturegrams.com/
Login ID: boston
Please ask in the library for the password! boston
Before there was reality TV…
There was non-fiction!
We have a new display in the library of fun non-fiction books. This books span all non-fiction, from The Greatest Cases of the New York City’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to the true Friday Night Lights and even books on pirates and the Salem Witchcraft Trials. Check them out today!
National Poetry Month
It’s almost April, and you know what that means…
April is National Poetry Month! The first National Poetry Month was held in 1996, and was established to recognize the importance of poetry in our lives.
Poets.org, the official site for National Poetry Month, lists these goals of National Poetry Month:
• Highlight the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets
• Introduce more Americans to the pleasures of reading poetry
• Bring poets and poetry to the public in immediate and innovative ways
• Make poetry a more important part of the school curriculum
• Increase the attention paid to poetry by national and local media
• Encourage increased publication, distribution, and sales of poetry books
• Increase public and private philanthropic support for poets and poetry
The library has some fantastic poetry books by people like Shel Silverstein, Alice Walker, and Maya Angelou, among many other famous poets. We also have books of poetry about many varied topics, such as love, sports, ballerinas, growing up Latino in the United States, and poetry about being GLBT.
Author and poet Maya Angelou. She’s a pretty awesome lady.
A very popular type of poetry is urban poetry. Urban poetry is about life in a city, and the things that happen in the city. Many of these types of poems focus on social injustice and often tell the story of someone facing a kind of injustice. Sometimes urban poetry is fictional, but other times it is very real and may be a story of the poet who has composed the piece. Many poets have found places amongst online communities where they share their works. Have you created a poem and shared it on one of those types of websites?
Would you like to share your own poetry? BAA’s SPEAK (spoken word and poetry) is being held on Monday, April 1, during Advisory. Ms. D and Ms. Recka are hosting SPEAK this month, and can’t wait to see you there!
Go Panthers!
Congratulations Lady Panthers on winning the state title! Here is a link to the Boston Globe’s write-up of the game.
