All They Need Is Space - Leave It To Youth and The Creations Are Endless @cwpfairfield @fairfieldu #CLMOOC

Yesterday kicked off the first day of our poetry young adult literacy lab, and although our enrollment for this lab is a 'small package' we quickly learned that 'GREAT' things come with them (including two of the best instructors I could find for the weeklong workshop - Attallah Sheppard and Gina Forberg, two Connecticut poets with a passion for working with youth).

I conducted a short workshop in the morning and the student crew was rather quiet. Yet, by afternoon I learned they came out of their shells and then became a very empowered youth group. One of the young women in the room found duct tape and made our resident poets handbags and wallets - a great use of extra material lying around the room.

I am looking forward to hearing what they create this week and seeing their spoken-word debut during their writing 'prom' this Friday. I think the 15 teachers in the Invitational Summer Institute will be impressed by the powerful punch these kids are already packing after the first day of:

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Exploring Poetry, Rap & Spoken Word

It is a week of language play, expression, empowering the self through declaration, and taking our words to another level. I am THRILLED by the energy already exuding from the room adjacent to the teacher institute.

The revolution has begun!