Writing in Autumn

Tonight we met some new Dream Keepers. How fun! They are students at the Young Leaders Academy. They wrote I AM poems and Urban Haiku poems. One of our founding members was also present, working on a scholarship application. Sitting in a bright, big room in the library, looking out the window to take in the leaves—it was a perfect afternoon. Enjoy!

I Am

by Daquan May, age 10

I am tall, caramel, handsome, skinny.

I am smart, goofy, playful, me.

I am a gymnast.

I play basketball.

I jump around.

I read books.

I am a son, brother, worker, player.

I am 10-years-old.

I am Daquan.

Money

by Daquan May

In my pocket I have

a lot of green.

Money is not the most important.

part of me.

I Am

by Davonn May, age 13

I am tall, handsome, smart, funny.

I am dark chocolate.

I am fast.

I play basketball, football, baseball, and swim.

I am Davonn May.

I am a son, a brother, a cousin, an uncle.

I study. I do my work. I love school. I have good grades.

I go to church. I read the Bible. I am a son of God.

I am Davonn May.

Fall

by Davonn May

Leaves falling off the tree

Birds staring; looking at me.

The season changes, it gets cold

Back to the basic, the same old...

I Am

by Tierra N. May, age 13

I am skinny, tall, chocolate, pretty.

I am funny, smart, goofy, me.

I am basketball player, runner, talker, bike rider.

I am daughter, sister, friend, kid.

I am Tierra N. May.

Fall

by Tierra N. May

Out of the seasons that change

leaves are beautiful

but all the same.

I Am

by Leroi May, age 12

I am short, funny, handsome, skinny.

I am funny, goofy, smart, me.

I am a basketball player, football player, runner, baseball player.

I am a brother, friend, kid.

I am Leroi May.

Leaves

by Leroi May

Leaves turning different colors

Bird flying over me.

People staring; I'm jumping in the leaves.

Comments

Six-word Scary Stories

We've done six-word memoirs. Tonight the Dream Keepers wrote six-word scary stories. Read and enjoy! (Then write and submit your own in the comment field!) A vampire destroys the city with power. —Tramonta Garner (pictured above) One virus. One town. No survivors. —Jaimee Bogard-LaMar, 14 One girl. Many monsters. What's next? —Jaimee Bogard-LaMar, 14 Big zombie eats eyeballs. City blind. —Elisha Branch, 14 One house. One family. Both gone. —Elisha Branch, 14 Knock, knock. Who's there? Killer mysterious. —Derranesha, 12 Baby cries. No answer. What happens? —Derranesha, 12 Ring, ring. "Hello." Please help me. —April, 12 The spooky monster ran towards me ... —Sonya, 17 The worm crawls into the brain. —Sierra The slippery, slimy monster grabs two. —Quintoya Eskridge

Write Your Dreams

--> Write Your Dreams by Rochelle Melander Your dreams can be a rich source of stories, images, metaphors, and sensory details for your writing. Many famous novels began with the writer's dreams. Mary Shelley was staying with Lord Byron in Switzerland during a frightful cold spell. Byron suggested they write a ghost storied. After Shelley came up with the idea of a reanimated corpse, she had a spooky dream: that dream became the core of her famous novel Frankenstein . While traveling on a train, E.B. White dreamed of a small, adventurous mouse. Although he started writing the story almost immediately, it would be twenty years before he published, Stuart Little . When Stephen King snoozed on a long flight, he dreamed about a woman who kills her favorite writer, using his skin to bind a book. That dream gave him the idea for his bestselling book, Misery . You, too, can use your dreams...

To Be Young, Gifted and Black

Last night the Dream Keepers and I met for the second time this fall. As usual, our time together begins slowly. We would rather talk and eat than write. Giggles abound. I'm tempted to be more teacher than facilitator. Both are necessary--but I sense that the young women work better for the facilitator. Last night we read together the poem, HOWL by Nikki Giovanni from her new book of poems, Acolyte. The poem is dedicated to singer Nina Simone, who write a song called To Be Young, Gifted and Black inspired by a play of the same name written by Lorraine Hansberry. After reading the poem, the two young women decided to write on this theme. Here is their work. As usual, it is moving to me and I hope for you. Young, Gifted, and Black by Natalie Branch I am young, smart, and African American. I know that may seem like a little, but it's saying a lot more than you know. To people like my sister, being young means not having your own voice and always having to prove yourself. To me, be...

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