PORT TOWNSEND — If some adults steer away from poetry because it can be dense and obscure, a local school is showing kids that it can be a lot of fun.
“We are showing our students how they can express themselves through poetry,” said Grant Street Elementary School Principal Steven Finch.
“So a lot of kids who aren’t particularly skilled with prose can learn to write with confidence.”
All the students in the school, which includes kindergarten through third grade, are participating in one way or another culminating in a “poetry festival” that took place Tuesday.
“Every year we select the kids who are the best writers to attend a writers’ workshop,” Finch said.
“We decided to bring the workshop to the school so all the kids could participate.”
While some famous poems are used as examples, the workshops are more participatory than attempts at appreciation.
During one exercise, instructor Christine Hemp played some improvisations on a wooden flute, instructing the kids to close their eyes and listen before writing down the words the music evokes.
After this the kids used the words in a pre-written sentence, such as “I used to be . . .”
“And now I am . . .”
A group of third-graders found some interesting combinations.
Hemp was especially thrilled with a verse that stated, “I used to be good, now I am bad red.”
She encouraged the kids to improvise.
“You need to write down whatever comes into your head,” she said. “There is no right or wrong, even if it is wacky just write it down.”
Once the kids find out what they can do with words and images, they can write a whole poem themselves without relying on the “I used to be . . .” structure.
“During these classes I see the kids grow as writers,” Hemp said.
“I don’t expect any of them to become poets but to open their eyes to the possibility of what can be done with words.”
Hemp encourages the kids to create, the wilder the better.
“You have some great words here,” she said to one student.
“You don’t have to use them all today; you can save them for another poem tomorrow.”
Another example: “I used to be trumpets, now I am music.”
Hemp has taught poetry to children and adults across the country, but gets a extra kick out of this particular program.
“These kids are very bright,” she said.
“But I get a special joy out of working in my own back yard, in my own community.”
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Jefferson County reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
