Dream Keepers Blog

Last night we read poems and essays about beauty in the book edited by Iris Jacob called, My Sister's Voices: Teenage Girls of Color Speak Out. The girls wrote poems in response.  Standards of Beauty by Natalie Branch I’m that girl who never fits in. I’m not fat nor am I thin. I’m an African American with light skin. When I walk out the house, I’m full of curiosity— Not knowing what others will think of me. Some may be jealous, others furious. Me, I’m just curious. My confidence isn’t low; it’s not high either. My emotions are building up—like a deadly fever. People like me because of who I am. People hate me because I’m not like them. Sometimes I ask myself: should I stay the same, or become someone else? That’s something you will never again hear me say. People say change, but I stay the same. I am me, and I was born this way. And this is how I will stay. Yo! I’m sayin’! by Deanna Branch Q: Why you wear yo’ hair like that? Yo! I’m sayin, My hairstyle reflects my personality. When...

Greetings Dream Keepers' Fans! It's been awhile since I've posted the girls' writing. Well the hiatus is over! A little over a month ago, I read that our local independent bookstore, Schwartz Bookshops, was hosting a contest based on the new book, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure. I bought the book, brought it to the Dream Keepers, and read a bunch of the memoirs to the group. The Dream Keepers were immediately captivated by the idea! Over the next two weeks, the Dream Keepers created several memoirs in the six-word style. I entered the Dream Keepers in Schwartz's Six-Word Memoir Contest--and they won! Last night, I brought five of the Dream Keepers to Schwartz Bookstore on Downer for the store's six-word slam. They were all recognized and given an honorable mention (AND PRIZES!) for their writing. The Dream Keepers read their work to a good-sized crowd of community members. And, as a special treat, the Dream Keepers ...