Everything You Never Knew You Wanted to Know About Literary Service Projects

As part of their midterm exam, Creative Writing Workshop students must come up with a plan for a LITERARY SERVICE PROJECT. This project must, in some way, take their love of the written word out of the classroom and into the larger community. The plan itself is a requirement for the midterm; the implementation of the plan is a requirement for the final. Read: students have from the end of January until the beginning of June to make their plan a real, live occurrence! The plan must contain - but is not limited to - the following information:

*Who will be involved in this project? (Students may work individually or in small groups.)
*Who is our audience? Who will be helped as a result of our efforts?
*Where will our project take place?
*Will it be a one-time occurrence or will it happen over the course of several weeks?
*When will our project be put into action?
*What contacts do I need to make/to whom must I reach out in order to make my project a reality?
*What resources and/or materials will I need?
*Why am I doing this?

During the final exam, students must provide evidence (in writing, in photographs, in video) of their experience. They also must reflect on it in writing: was I successful? did I do something important for others? how did people react to my work? etc.

I am always impressed and surprised by where students take this project. Here is a sampling of some student-generated literary service projects, past and present:

*Chris's mother works in a lawyer's office. Chris got permission to post a selection of her favorite poetry in the waiting area. Individuals will be able to offer feedback on the postings - and the subject of poetry in general - on a survey that Chris will make and provide.

*Seniors Jody and Melanie are going to create their own "favorite poetry t-shirts" (seven of them) and wear a different one each day during one week in April (National Poetry Month). Since no one can resist reading a t-shirt, they hope to spark someone's interest in poetry. They are also going to decorate their vehicles with poems so that everywhere they go, they will be a traveling billboard for the art they love.

*Eric, who works at the local coffeeshop, is going to organize and host a poetry open mic night for the community.

*Former students Jess, Julia, and Robert engaged in "Drive-By Poetry," where they spoke poetry to passers-by at local parks, where they went through the Dairy Queen drive-thru and wowed the attendant with their spoken word prowess, where they videotaped themselves sharing poems with secretaries, cashiers, and other individuals.

*Brian, Tom, Michelle, and Sarah went back to their elementary school and spent the morning sharing their love of writing with third and fourth graders. They planned a variety of kid-friendly writing activities, culminating in a reading celebration.

*Jenn became pen-pals with Amber, a middle school student who struggled with writing. Jenn sent Amber some of her own poetry, wrote a paired story with her, and showed her that writing could be a lot of fun. It was an experience for which Amber - and her parents and teacher - were incredibly thankful.

These are just a few of SO MANY incredible ideas that students have created and implemented over the years. This project empowers students and allows them to inspire others with their love of the written word. What could be better? :)

Next Topic: planning a poetry reading or open mic coffeehouse event - in your classroom or beyond!