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Fall Dream Keepers Writing Workshops


I'm thrilled to announce that this fall Dream Keepers will be doing nine Writing Workshop residencies at branches of the Milwaukee Public Library. These four-day writing workshops offer students an opportunity to flex their creative muscles, hone their writing skills, and tie it all together with art. The workshops are designed for children ages 8-14 and are free and open to the public. Students can attend a single hour-long workshop or four days of classes! Teachers and parents, let your students and children know about this wonderful opportunity to express their ideas! 

Check back here regularly for reports on our adventures!




September: The Book of Me

Students will create poetry, essays, and artwork about their name, where they’ve come from, who they are, and what they dream about being and doing in the future. Each day, students will create a unique piece about themselves. Students who attend all four days will craft a small book about their lives.


September 23-26, 2013
Bay View Library, 3:30-4:30 PM
     2566 S. Kinnickinnic Avenue

Forest Home Library, 5:00-6:00
                                 1432 W. Forest Home Avenue


October: Boo! Scary Stories
Can you tell a scary in six words? Have you ever written a ghost story? This class will give students the opportunity to invent monsters and villains and put them into scary poems and stories. Come for one day and write a short scary story or attend all four and create a book of terrifying tales.


October 7-10, 2013
                Center Street Library, 3:30-4:30 PM
                     2727 W. Fond du Lac Avenue

                Washington Park Library,  5:00-6:00 PM
                     2121 N Sherman Blvd.    

October 21-24, 2013
                Martin Luther King Library,  4:00-5:00 PM
                      310 W. Locust Street

October 28-31, 2013
                Atkinson Library, 4:00-5:00 PM
                      1960 W. Atkinson Avenue


November: National Novel Writing Month at Milwaukee Public Library
Come write a short novel for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Over the course of four days, students will create characters, dream up a setting, craft a plot, and write a novella (that’s a really short novel). Students are welcome to come for single days and participate in a part of the process or do the whole thing and write a big ol' novella!

November 18-21, 2013
                Mill Road Library, 3:30-4:30 PM
                     6431 N. 76th Street

                Capitol Library, 5:00-6:00 PM
                                                              3969 N. 74th Street


December: Winter Tales
What have you noticed about the season of winter? During this four-day workshop, students will write stories about the sights, sounds, and smells of winter in Wisconsin; create a how-to guide for surviving winter in Wisconsin; and write concrete poems in the form of snowflakes and snow people. Come for one day or attend all four and create a book of winter tales.

December 9-12, 2013
                Villard Square Library, 4:00-5:00 PM
                      5190 N. 35th Street

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In 2004, I began attending a church in the heart of my city. During my first visit, I had a vision: I would teach writing to the young people in this place. I dismissed the thought. I’m too busy. It’s too hard. They wouldn’t be interested. But the visions persisted. Each time I sat in the pew, the dream would come. Finally, I accepted this vision as a calling. I shared the dream with others, but I didn’t believe it would come true. Then a friend asked, “What can you do right now to make this happen?” In the fall of 2006, I embarked on a writing journey with four young women from the church. We have named ourselves “Dream Keepers,” after a poem by Langston Hughes. Hughes believed that writers were the dream keepers of the community. We are! In addition, recent studies suggest that people who write down their deepest thoughts, feelings, and dreams are healthier, happier, and have better success achieving their goals. Every Saturday I meet with four or five young women. We talk and write....