The StoryBox Project: connecting the world through story

(This is part 2 of my description of my students' first day with Kevin Cordi's StoryBox Project!)

So after my students and I contemplated the power of words and shared our thoughts, and after I told them about experiencing the StoryBoxes at CAWP, I reached behind my desk and revealed the surprise: 

the CAWP StoryBox!

My students are now part of an international network of people who value stories and want to share them!  We are keepers of the StoryBox, charged with appreciating it, adding to it, and passing it on!

I began pulling out stories and reading where they were from: Tennessee, West Virginia, Australia, schools around Columbus... so many exciting stories!  But I also pointed out that despite the variety already in the box, it's mostly empty, because this box is just starting its journey... so we have the opportunity to get it off to a good start!

(This picture links to the electronic story submission form.  Join us by sharing your own story!)

As I stepped back from the box, my students immediately dove in.

Some grabbed CDs and ran to the computers to listen to audio-stories.  Others grabbed a story and sat down with a partner to read together.  Still others clutched a packet of stories and curled up to lose themselves in it.

At the end of class, I knew we had to do something special to cement the excitement and gravity of the StoryBox.  I displayed Kevin's StoryBox Pledge on the screen, and we all stood up and recited it in unison.  When I was planning this, I had been slightly nervous that high schoolers would think that was dumb, but the solemnity of their voices and the pride in their eyes showed me that I had nothing to fear. (One class did make me close the door though, presumably so no hallway wanderer would look in and, as an outsider to our community, think we were weird!)

To remind them of this special day and keep them excited about the project, all students got to choose from a selection of bookmarks I made:

On one side, each bookmark has the StoryBox Pledge and one of the 8 quotations about writing/stories that I had shared at the very beginning of class. On the other side, students are reminded that their words are a gift.

(Just the quotation at the top is different on each of the 8 styles.)

Please make this project even more meaningful by submitting your own story or requesting to have the StoryBox visit you!

"We all have stories that are meant to travel—to be read or experienced by someone else." 

-- StoryBox Founder Kevin Cordi

Follow the journey of the StoryBox on Twitter with #storyboxproject and check back here for more posts about our experience with this exciting project!

Recognizing the gift of words

A few days ago, when my students walked into class, they were greeted by a bouncing me chirping that I had a surprise for them.  On the screen, they found a selection of quotations about writing and stories to contemplate:

Next, I invited students to think even more about the power of words:

(This summer at CAWP, the wonderful Kevin Cordi always told us that words are a gift.)

I shared two examples:

• The daily emails and weekly letters that my husband and I sent each other when I lived in Spain.
• When I wrote an article for the TBDBITL game-day newsletter about how much band meant to me, and the editor put it on the front page!  For the whole next week, band members were talking about how special it was and how my words made them think and feel.

Next, students got a few minutes to sketch or brainstorm their own special memories, and then we came back together to share as a class.  Some highlights (and remember, I teach high schoolers!) were:

• The boy who drew a flower and explained that it represented his mom, who always ends an argument or admonishment by reminding him that she loves him no matter what he does.
• Several students who described how they cherish calls and video-calls to family members back in their countries.
• The shy girl who shared that when she left Japan, her best friend told her to look up at the sky while they're apart, because the same sky covers the whole world.
• The boy who didn't want to share, and then showed me his paper privately.  He'd written: "when my mom and dad say they love me."
• The girl who said that when she'd been going through a rough time last year, a friend had told her to not give up, because "strong bends but doesn't break."

Those brief, courageous moments of sharing certainly brought our community closer, and then it was time to reveal my surprise!  I reminded them that I went to a writing camp this summer, and then began to show pictures of a special day at the CAWP retreat: the day Kevin brought StoryBoxes to share!  

You can probably guess the surprise now, but there's more to share, and this post is already too long... Guess you'll have to read more tomorrow!

a smattering of slices

at Two Writing Teachers!

It's been a whirlwind of a summer so far.  The day after school ended, I attended two days of "tech talks" run by my district.  I had the weekend and two more days to prepare my archeological dig of my writing life for the Columbus Area Writing Project before we embarked on our three-day retreat.  The next two weeks were filled with such intense writing, learning and bonding that we might not have remembered to breathe if Kevin hadn't kept reminding us!

After all that, I guess last week was a break... except that it certainly wasn't the restful kind!  Instead of just telling you about everything we did, I thought it would be more fun to let you experience it with some images and imagery:

We marched in a local 4th of July parade with the Alumni Band and were dazzled by two straight nights of fireworks and a concert by Chicago!

dazzling fireworks crash

hearts soar with familiar songs

rejoicing as one

Seeing Chicago perform right in my high school's football stadium was incredible!  Husband's high school marching band did a Chicago show, and the OSUMB Chicago show from my rookie year was one of my all-time favorites from my five years in TBDBITL, so we both had special memories come alive as we danced in front of their stage.

The view from our table -- WOW!

Even though all we wanted to do the next morning was sleep, we headed up to Lake Erie for a friend's wedding, where we enjoyed seeing old marching band friends and celebrating the power of love.

snippets of laughter

smiles invite: "Remember when?"

united by love

There was a lot of time between the wedding and reception, so we decided to spend it exploring a secluded nature preserve near our hotel.

We walked alongside a docile deer who was content to keep nibbling, certain that we were harmless visitors...

listened to rippling waves lap leisurely, beating out sweet summer songs,

watched graceful herons and egrets soar in circles, become stately statues casting quiet reflections, and dart forward to come back with flipping flashes in their beaks,

and discovered timid turtles paddling hidden in serene wetlands, exploring worlds beyond our reach.

There's not just the one turtle here, although he certainly posed for us!
We counted at least 35+ in this pond!  See if you can spot some more little turtle heads!

The next day, we braved the rollicking roller coasters of Cedar Point... and some thunderstorms too! 

flying and twisting

barreling through rushing wind

laughing together

No wonder I'm ready for a relaxing week at home!

(side note: Originally, I had a completely different idea for today's slice, and then this came out instead! Isn't it funny where writing can take us?)

I write to remember and reflect (dig pt.2)

at Two Writing Teachers!

For the past few weeks, I was immersed in writing, learning, and building relationships at the Columbus Area Writing Project.  It was exhausting and rejuvenating, routine and inspiring, solitary and collaborative.  We were students and teachers, writers and educators, strangers and friends.

A taste of the comments left on my introduction!

Before the Summer Institute started, we each had to make an "archeological dig" of our writing lives.  Throughout the three days of our retreat, we got to spend time diving into each other's artifacts and narratives, leaving behind sticky-note tracks so each writer could see our thoughts.  It was such a fun way to get to know each other as people and as writers, and it, along with other retreat activities, brought our diverse group of strangers together into an authentic community of writers.  I only wished we would have had more time to explore these delightful displays in order to truly honor each writer's unique work!

My "dig" filled 5 binders!

When I posted my introduction a few weeks ago, many of you wanted to explore my dig too!  I wanted to share other pieces of my CAWP experience while it was happening, but now that it's over, I'm excited to dive back into my dig and show you what I discovered!  After spending hours at my parents' house submerged in boxes and piles of my childhood writing, I was able to pick out a few of the best samples... and narrow them down to a mere 5 binders!  Instead of dividing my writing chronologically, I split it into five purposes for writing.  In addition to the overview narrative I shared as my introduction, I wrote an introductory page for each binder to highlight why each artifact is special.

Today, I'd like to share the central part of my writing life: writing to remember and reflect. For me, the primary function of writing has always been personal.  I write to express my emotions, develop my thinking, and capture memorable moments.  When I dug through my past writing, many of the artifacts reflected this... and I knew there were others that I couldn't even find!

Here are some of the highlights from this section:

• early childhood: I found LOTS of biographical labeled drawings with short text.  This one is actually a pretty accurate map of where we usually walked when visiting my grandparents in Marietta, OH!

• kindergarten journals: I loved the journals we wrote in kindergarten so much that my mom helped me make my own booklets to continue journaling that summer!  (The top one is ours from class and the bottom one is my homemade summer journal.)  One of my CAWP colleagues commented that I "seemed like a happy child who loved many things", which captures the feelings of these journals perfectly!

translation of the bottom page:
"i made a parrot piñata it was
fun and it was grate it has
a beak and wings a tail feather
i drew the eyes with a crayon
it is cute i love it a lot."

• First grade journal: In first grade, I started to write a lot of stories (more on those in another post!), so my journal entries were formatted as "real stories", with title & author still listed.

translation: "My trip to Purdue a real story by Jennifer
i went to the Indianapolis Children's Museum.
There was 5 floors on it There was a
Mastadon skeleton and a merry-go-round.
i got to ride the merry-go-round i
rode a horse with beads on it. it
went up and down a lot I had fun.

• Fourth grade journal: This is actually a "book" that I made from football game stories from my journal.  I was starting to add even more specific details (later in this entry, I listed stats for all my favorite players and the names of all the seniors!), while also attempting to develop a more unique voice.  

• middle school & high school journals: I started pasting bits of realia from my life to enhance my journal entries in middle and high school.  Unlike the previous journals, these were never school activities: they lived under my bed at home, with most of the writing done by flashlight when I was supposed to be asleep!  I wrote in these spiral notebooks consistently from seventh grade through the end of high school.

I still have the OSU Marching Band keychain (a beanie OSU band member) mentioned here!  I keep it on my horn case to remind myself of how my horn teacher believed in me -- and she was right!  (Her writing on the tag says "Jennifer -- This will be you someday!") I'll never forget the power her words had!

• travel journals: I usually kept travel journals on big trips, and when I studied abroad in Spain, I started keeping one in Spanish with lots of realia pasted in.  I added to it again last summer when my husband and I vacationed in Spain!

a page from my Spanish journal during my semester abroad

In college, I started keeping a Xanga online journal (as did my boyfriend - now husband - and several other friends) instead of writing in notebooks.  Now, most of my remember-and-reflect writing takes place here every Tuesday, as well as in my five-year journal and my Gratitude app.

I'll continue sharing other parts of the dig soon. What would you uncover if you dug through your writing life?

Wandering writers brought together: inspired, changed.

at Two Writing Teachers!

It's been an amazing two-and-a-half weeks at the Columbus Area Writing Project!  Every day, we learn and write and grow so much that I feel like I'm just overflowing with writerly wonderfulness!

For this morning's quick-write, Robin guided us through an exploration of short, structured forms, with types of poetry and prose both familiar and new.  She pours book floods out to us every day (Kelly Gallagher would be so proud!), and today's mentor texts included delights such as Tap Dancing on the Roof (I'd never heard of sijo!) and Not Quite What I Was Planning.  She then challenged us to play with short forms during our 10-minute quick-writing time.  I didn't get very far then, but the idea stuck in my head and crawled out again on the way home as I was brainstorming slice ideas.

So, here are some short forms to capture my CAWP experience.

1. Six-word memoir: did you notice it in the title of my post?  If not, look again!  :-)

2. Tanka: At CAWP, whenever we need to focus as a group, come together from writing or an animated conversation, or ground ourselves from tension, one of our co-directors leads us in the following ritual:

Kevin intones, "Breathe."
We gulp luscious life and pause,
away from the world.
Together, we push out stress,
finding selves in a new place.

3. Haiku: this just happened!

Husband cooks dinner:
pouring, stirring, simmering.
Grateful, I can write!

Retreating into writing

at Two Writing Teachers!

Last week we kicked off the Columbus Area Writing Project with a three-day retreat at gorgeous Kenyon College.  We explored new ideas as we explored the unfamiliar beauty of the campus, shared our words and our writing lives, and grounded ourselves in the power of story.  Suddenly (and yet gradually), a smattering of strangers came together into a supportive family of teacher-writers.

We had some free hours to discover the inspirations hiding around Kenyon's campus, and I was lucky enough to be one of the first from our group to discover the magical wishing tree.

As soon as our project directors mentioned that there was a special tree people could "go inside", I just had to find it.  I was always that kid who loved crawling under tables, benches, and bushes to create secluded forts and cozy hideaways.  However, I wasn't prepared for the surprise that awaited me.

I was picturing a stately tree with a hole or hollow in the trunk.  Instead, I found a gangly, unkempt monster.

But when I dared to come closer, I discovered that the unwieldy arms of this hulking beast actually hide inviting passageways into an enchanted paradise.

Looking back toward the "doorway" through which I entered.
(The tags are wishes left by visitors)

Following a well-worn path to duck through the curtain of leaves, I reeled with the magic of what I found:  The tree's branches enclosed it in a mystical living shroud, 360 degrees around.

Were forest nymphs going to shyly come out of hiding, or would talking animals greet me  with songs of welcome?

In the center of this secluded dome, the tree's massive trunk stood strong, reaching toward the sky even as delicate strands from its its branches dangled back down toward the ground.

Delighted, I scampered around the bright green bubble, taking pictures from all angles.  I crawled onto the massive branches and climbed until the ground seemed too far away. 

I knew I HAD to write here, so I settled into a branch that seemed made to hold me.

Relaxing, I opened up all my senses, and the words came...

Soft sunlight wafts down onto my skin, peeking through gnarled branches and tumbling green cascades.  Wispy puffs of cotton sail by high overhead.  Enveloped in a green sanctuary, I am completely alone, but not lonely.  Cheerful birds call to their friends, occasionally interrupted by the deep brassy bellowing of sacred bells.  Spindly, shiny ants toddle through their tiny lives along these branches we share.  The soothing breeze gently ruffles waxy leaves that dangle with veins full of life.  I gulp renewing breaths of untainted air as my muscles slowly let go of lingering tensions.  The sturdy gray branch against my back reassures me as it cradles me.  These worn knots and ancient wrinkles hold a thousand dreams and wishes.  If I am still enough, I can almost feel the heartbeat of those stories coursing through the coiling branches.  Faraway, yet right outside, bright tennis shoes and deep blue jeans stroll by, unaware of my hidden refuge.  Do they know what they are missing?

(Special thanks to my CAWP colleague Shelly, who discovered me writing and took the last 3 pictures!)

Un mundo de relatos

at Latinaish!

Today is Spanish Friday, so this post is in Spanish!  Feel free to use Google Translate to get the main ideas if you need to!

Acabo de regresar de tres días maravillosos en el hermosísimo Kenyon College con mis colegas del Columbus Area Writing Project.  A pesar de la tormenta amenazadora del miércoles, disfrutamos de muchas horas juntos para escribir, aprender, compartir historias, conocernos, y forjar amistades nuevas.

Se construyeron los edificios viejos de piedras de la región.

Hoy por la mañana, los directores nos presentaron una sorpresa muy especial: la oportunidad de participar en el proyecto StoryBox.  Kevin, uno de nuestros directores y un cuentacuentos encantador, nos relató cómo inició este proyecto y reveló dos StoryBoxes (cajas de relatos) que había traido.

StoryBox: una caja de relatos

Corrimos a las StoryBoxes como unos niños hacia el árbol de Navidad.  ¡Qué tesoro!  Historias, cuentos, poemas, cartas, y dibujos.  Unos de crayones, otros escritos a máquina, de niños y maestros, de nuestra ciudad y países lejanos.

Emocionada, agarré una carpeta con la etiqueta SPAIN y la abrí...

¡cuentos de estudiantes de Madrid, mi ciudad querida!

Saboreé las palabras españolas, dulces y suaves: una colección de fábulas y cuentos escritos por dos clases de un pueblo de la Comunidad de Madrid en 2009.  Su maestra había puesto su dirección del correo electrónico, así que me sentí ganas de escribirle un mensaje breve.

Unas estudiantes escribieron un cuento de una tortuga, el animal favorito de mi esposo! Las palabras negras son españolas y las moradas son una traducción al inglés que hizo su maestra.

Más tarde, en otras partes de la caja, descubrí otras colecciones de otros países:

¡cuentos de Nueva Zelanda, donde vive mi amiga!

¡una caja de información y cuentos de Irlanda!

cuentos tradicionales de Australia, con unas fotos de las presentaciones de los niños

Leímos y sonreímos por casi una hora, disfrutando del regalo de los cuentos y esperando las semanas que nos tocará añadir nuestros propios relatos y compartir este encuentro con nuestras clases.

Es cierto que los relatos tienen el poder de unirnos con todo el mundo.

Digging up my writing life

at Two Writing Teachers!

I've spent most of the day today pouring through old pieces of my own writing, from kindergarten journals, drawings, and "books", to recent blog entries.  Tomorrow, my journey with the Columbus Area Writing Project begins, and we've been assigned an "archeological dig" of ourselves as writers.  Each participant gets to set up a small display of "artifacts" from our writing lives, with an accompanying narrative to weave them together. 

Here's the introduction to my display:

If you looked around any house I’ve lived in, you’d notice two things: notepads and books.  Surprised at my early literacy skills, my kindergarten teacher asked my mom how many books were in our house.  My mom got tired and stopped counting at 1,100.  Is it any surprise I tried to fill every free minute with reading? When I got a little older, I started stashing books everywhere: on the couch, in the bathroom, under my bed.  If there wasn’t a book within reach, I’d read anything I could get my hands on, from the upside-down newspaper across the table to the ingredients on my cereal box.  (One morning at breakfast I bewildered my parents by asking what guar gum was.  It had to be important, because it was listed in the ingredients of almost everything!)  Late at night, my thoughts always kept me awake far after my parents thought I was asleep, and those nebulous dark hours would always find me curled up with a flashlight, soothing my racing mind with a book or a notepad.  While I’m usually so exhausted now that I have no trouble falling asleep, I still have to keep notepads by the bed for those delicious moments when the perfect words jolt me awake in the middle of the night.

When I told my mom I needed some samples of my old writing, she started dragging out boxes. “I hope the Writing Project rented a semi truck for you to drive to Kenyon College,” she joked.  From messy poems drafted on tiny midnight notepads to wallpaper-covered books “published” at my elementary school publishing shop, my early writing life took hours to explore.  Even through times when my memory told me I had “lost” my writing, I discovered that casual journals, carefully crafted essays, and heartfelt letters continued to sustain my writerly self.  While my writing may not leave such an obvious physical trail anymore, it now flourishes through clicking keys and tapping fingers. (Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still notepads scattered around the house, waiting to catch those sparkling ideas that arrive in the middle of dinner preparations, TV shows, showers, and sleep!)  No longer confined to wrinkled pages hiding under my bed or cautious sharing to a few select friends or teachers, my words now fly courageously across the country and around the world just seconds after I push “publish”!  

To complete the display, I filled five binders with a variety of "artifacts" of my writing life, organized into five areas:

• Writing to Remember and Reflect
• Writing to Tell Stories
• Writing to Play with Words
• Writing to Explain and Discover
• Writing to Communicate and Connect

I had so much fun "digging" through my writing life, and I can't wait to interact with the other writers' displays and read their comments about mine!