Posts Tagged ‘StoryCorps’

The KIPP Scribes Present — The Whole Fiasco

---

I’m very excited to announce the release of The Whole Fiasco, the latest bound collection of stories from the KIPP Scribes. Details of the launch party are below.

The KIPP Scribes are 5th and 6th graders from our neighborhood charter school, KIPP STRIVE. Aatallah, captured below by Jason Travis, is one of the Scribes.

Each week for three months Aatallah met 1-on-1 with a professional writer to record an important family story. She interviewed her mother and wrote “A Generous Decision,” about the time her mom invited a family without a home to share their small apartment.

She learned how to identify a great story, how to perform an effective interview, and how to craft creative nonfiction. Aatallah wrote six or seven drafts of “A Generous Decision” to get it just right.

Last year we found that the KIPP Scribes Program fundamentally changes the students’ relationship with the written word. Watching Aatallah develop as a writer and storyteller over three months was an astonishing transformation. And she’s just one of twenty-three new writers featured in The Whole Fiasco.

This year we partnered with Storycorps to allow some of the Scribes to record an interview with their chosen family member. The stories will be recorded in The Whole Fiasco, and their interviews will be archived at the Smithsonian’s National Musuem of African American History & Culture.

Saturday September 3rd from 11 am – 12 pm we’ll celebrate the release of The Whole Fiasco at the Decatur Book Festival. We’ll have books for sale, a few readings from the writers, and a lot of autographs upon request at CORE Dance Studio. It will be a very important day for these young writers. Will you join us?

If you can’t make it to the party, here’s how you can help —

Buy a copy of the book. It’ll be available in our store starting September 3rd.

Tell someone about this program. We need your help to spread the word.

Many thanks to the Kim King Foundation and the Fulton County Arts Council for funding the KIPP Scribes Program. Tremendous thanks to the many volunteers who gave so much of their time and themselves to the KIPP Scribes. We couldn’t do it without you.

For More — About the KIPP Scribes Program, Photo Update from the 2011 Scribes, Pictures from the Don’t Forget That Day Launch Party

That Time StoryCorps and the Wren’s Nest Partnered Up

---

Once upon a time — like, in February — the Wren’s Nest partnered with StoryCorps to record the stories of our neighbors in West End.

Amber, our valiant new program director, was all like, “Let’s get StoryCorps here! They record 2 people talking for 40 minutes at a time to preserve the stories of every day people. IT IS NOT AT ALL UNLIKE HOW WE DO IN OUR MISSION. You’ve probably heard their stories on NPR.”

She even tried out StoryCorps with her mom Sharon to make sure they were legit. (Yep: 100% legit!)

So Amber invited StoryCorps to set up shop at the Wren’s Nest, and they were like, “Cool.” And, further:

“We’ve wanted to do something like this in your neighborhood as a part of the Griot Intiative! You know the one, where the voices, experiences, and life stories of African Americans will be preserved and presented with dignity. All interviews recorded as part of the Griot Initiative will be archived at the Smithsonian’s National Musuem of African American History & Culture in addition to the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.”

Then, Amber and our good friends at WEND got together and duped some of our neighbors into recording their stories one day here at the Wren’s Nest.

Neighbors like  Al-Yasha Williams and Robert Thompson stopped by:

And so did the Jackson family:

In all we had six recording sessions during the day, each lasting 40 minutes.

We had such a good time with the Storycorps people that they were all like, “Here, keep this kit for a few weeks. Then have 8 kids in your KIPP Scribes program record their family stories with family members.”

And then we forgot the camera. But it happened! No really!

Either way, we’re indebted to the Atlanta StoryCorps office for their interest, flexibility, and mad skills. We’re also thankful for Brent Brewer, one of our most spectacular neighbors, for helping rope people into this little partnership.

StoryCorps has locations in Atlanta, New York, and San Francisco where you can sign yourself and a partner up to record your stories just about any time after breakfast.

 

New Writing and Publishing Project with KIPP STRIVE — Volunteers Needed!

---

I’m pleased to announce that next month the Wren’s Nest Publishing Company is starting a new program with the help of the Decatur Book Festival.

It’s like StoryCorps + 826 Valencia + the kids in our neighborhood.  Y’all with me?

KIPP STRIVE Academy is the new APS charter school just around the corner in the old J.C. Harris Elementary building.  Starting in late March, each week the Wren’s Nest Publishing Company will bring volunteers with significant writing experience to work 1-on-1 with about 25 KIPP STRIVE 5th graders. The goal is to help improve and broaden their writing skills.

We’ll be working on a creative nonfiction project — the students will identify a great story told to them by a significant adult in their life, be it a parent, grandparent, neighbor, whomever.  Volunteers will guide the students, helping them craft the story to the best of their abilities.

The stories will be compiled for a book to be released at the Decatur Book Festival.  We’ll have a big book release party to celebrate at the DBF.

Our mission boils down to the fact that everyday people have remarkable stories, and that these stories deserve to be heard. We’ve got an opportunity to tell the stories of our community, and you have the opportunity to help these students find their voices.

StoryCorps and 826 Valencia in particular have been inspirations in demonstrating the power of story and the power of 1-on-1 tutoring.  See for yourself –

We’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join us in this venture, starting… now.  Interested?

Check out the details below and then email Amelia (amelia@wrensnestonline.com) with “Writing! Woo!” in the subject line before March 12th. She’ll send you a (very brief) application form.

• Orientation sessions (2 hours maximum; beers to follow) will begin in mid-March
• Tutoring sessions will be held Tuesday afternoons from 3 – 4 pm, April – early June
• Volunteers must be willing to commit to 10 hours of service over a 2 month span.
• Volunteers must have experience in some sort of writing (you need not have written a book, mind you! We’re merely looking for good writers. If you think you qualify, you probably do. Amelia, for example, wrote a lot of literature papers in college and now writes this blog. She counts!)

Finally, we would deeply appreciate it if you would forward this opportunity to anyone you feel would be great for this project, but isn’t smart enough to regularly read our blog.  Assembling 20 – 25 volunteers is no small feat, but with your help, we feel up to the task.