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Dream Keepers Writing Circle Spring 2016

Dear Super Writers,

I'm delighted to announce that Dream Keepers will be offering many exciting workshops this spring at various libraries. We'll be giving ourselves secret super writer names, unleashing our wild imaginations, and creating stories of magic and wonder! Take a look below and join me to write poetry and stories! 

-Ms. Rochelle

The Details



The Book of Me
Students will create poetry, essays, and artwork about their name, interests, family and neighborhoods. Each day, students will create a unique piece about themselves. Students who attend all three days will craft a small book about their lives. 







Forest Home Library
February 10, 17, 24
4-5:30 PM
1432 W. Forest Home Avenue

Center Street Library
March 2, 9, 16
3:30-4:30 PM
2727 W. Fond du Lac Avenue




Boing! Bam! Boom!
Try your hand at writing poems that use words that sound just like the noises they are describing (that’s called onomatopoeia)! We’ll read some famous onomatopoeia poems and write our own. 

Central Library
Saturday, March 5
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
814 West Wisconsin Avenue





Poetry Rocks!

Students will read poetry from popular children’s authors. Then, they’ll write their own poems using a variety of poetic styles. Topics for the three days may include Bug Off!, Art and Poetry, My Milwaukee, Disgusting Love Poems, and more.
Washington Park Library 
April 7, 14, 21
2121 N Sherman Blvd.  
 3:30-5:00 PM





Art and Poetry
For TEENS

For students who love to create with both pictures and words, this workshop will provide you with wonderful inspiration from the world of picture books and art. Write your poems in reaction to famous works of art. Create art to accompany your favorite words. And learn how to make art with words.

Zablocki Library
2:30 PM
3501 W. Oklahoma

The Dream Keepers Writing Circle
The Dream Keeper Writing Circle will give you the opportunity to work on your writing project and share it with other young writers. Students will spend the first hour of the session writing, with writing prompts and encouragement from author and writing coach Rochelle Melander. During the final 30 minutes of the session, students will share these stories with each other, learning how to read aloud and respond to one another.
Capitol Library
3969 N. 74th Street

 Dates
January 5, 19
February 2, 16
March 1, 15
April 5, 19

 Time
4:00-5:30 PM

Spring Project


This spring, students will have an opportunity to work on a longer project—either a novella or an autobiography, The Book of Me. Each writing opportunity will include an art option, allowing students to write and illustrate their books!


The Book of Me

 January 19 
The Book of Me: My Name
What does your name mean? Are you named after a family member or famous artist? How does your name reflect you? Students will research their names and write about them. 
February 2 
The Book of Me: Metaphor Me

If you could choose one metaphor to describe yourself, what would it be? Are you like an iPod, bursting with music and information, or more like a tall mountain, quiet and sturdy? Students will search for a metaphor that reflects their personality and write a poem using that metaphor. 
February 16 
The Book of Me: The Best Part of Me
What do you like about you? Do your legs run fast? Does your hair curl and bounce in the wind? Can your hands create beautiful pictures? Students will read, The Best Part of Me, edited by Wendy Ewald, and write poems and essays about their favorite traits. 

 March 1
The Book of Me: Where I'm From
Where do you come from? Students will read George Ella Lyon’s poem, Where I’m From and write their own version using their life experiences and their own style of writing.

March 15 
The Book of Me: My Hood
Where do you live? What makes your home yours? What do you love about it? What would you change? Students make maps of their home or their heart and write about what they love and what they'd change. 

April 3 
The Book of Me: My Dreams for Me
What do you dream about achieving in your life? We'll brainstorm our dreams for the future and write about our best possible future selves. 

April 19 
The Book of Me: My Dreams for the World
What do you dream of creating that will change the world or your community? Maybe you think that an indoor garden would help families eat all winter or you have an idea for how people can get along better. We'll read the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech and write about our own dreams. 



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