Dream Keepers Blog

We haven't had many entries in our Urban Haiku contest. But several of our Dream Keepers have been writing Haiku over the past few weeks on Wednesday nights. One of the Dream Keepers wrote poems suitable for publication. Enjoy! Wanted: Tom Jackson Wanted since June, 2000 Worried about pollution? —Elisha Branch Bethel Baptist Church Rummage Sale is this Friday How much for Jesus? —Elisha Branch No child left behind Have faith in education I'm ten; I can't read. —Elisha Branch

Dream Keepers is Back! Dream Keepers has been on hiatus for the past six weeks. In that time, I've been doing a lot of reading and thinking about what I want Dream Keepers to look like this year and in our future. I've become enchanted by the Young Writer's Project in Vermont and New Hampshire. Founder Geoff Gevalt started the project in his free time while working as a managing editor for T he Burlington Free Press . In the beginning and still today, students from all over the two states write and submit in response to scheduled writing prompts. The submissions are then judged and the best are submitted to local newspapers for publication.  For a long time, I have wanted my work with Dream Keepers to connect with the work teachers are doing in the classroom, students are doing online, and writers-in-residence are doing in schools. To that end, we're going to try adding writing contests this year. WInners will be published at the Dream Keepers blog.  I'll ...

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 ...

We've been meeting at the library since September. Some of our work has to do with self-discovery. The young people have written about difficult past events—trying to make meaning from them. Psychologist James Pennebaker links this work with increased happiness and wellness over time. That work was beautiful and private. The girls have also been writing about their future—either a vision of their best possible future selves or a list of the fifty to one-hundred things they want to do before they die. Psychologists also link visioning a good future in great detail to increased happiness. These exercises are harder for the young people to do. I'm not sure why. I need to ask them about that.  Here's a collection of poems that come from our various meetings this fall. I always have an assignment, but often the teens just want to write whatever comes to mind. Their goal is always to make something that's raw—or cool. And they do it. Every single time. Enjoy! Alone by Elisha ...