WritersCorps and the Contemporary Jewish Museum present an evening of multi-generational readings. WritersCorps youth poets and teaching artists share the stage with Daniel Alarcón (”War by Candlelight,” “Lost City Radio”), who was recently named one of The New Yorker’s 20 Under 40 writers.

Who: Daniel Alarcón, Rick D’Elia, Carrie Leilam Love, and WritersCorps youth poets.

When: Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 6:30 to 7:30 pm

Where: Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission Street

Cost: Free

About Daniel Alarcón
Daniel Alarcón is author of the story collection “War by Candlelight,” a finalist for the 2005 PEN-Hemingway Award, and “Lost City Radio,” named a Best Novel of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle, the Washington Post, among others, and winner of the 2009 International Literature Prize given by the House of World Culture in Berlin. He is associate editor of Etiqueta Negra, an award-winning quarterly published in his native Lima, Peru, contributing editor to Granta, and was recently named one of The New Yorker’s 20 under 40. His fiction, journalism and translations have appeared in A Public Space, El País, McSweeney’s, n+1, and Harper’s. Alarcón lives in Oakland, California, where he is a Visiting Scholar at the UC Berkeley Center for Latin American Studies.

WritersCorps calls on filmmakers and video artists of all ages to create work based on youth writing for the 2nd annual Poetry Projection Project. This juried competition of five-minute or shorter films will be screened during National Poetry Month (that would be April) at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts and online at WritersCorps.org. Two cash prizes will be awarded. Wining entries will be juried by filmmaker Barry Jenkins and San Francisco supervisor David Campos. Entry deadline is March 26, 2012.

Please see the Call for Entries for contest rules.

The skin of the drum.
The building’s leg was broken.
Winter held us in its snow.

The sweet voice of the wind.
The deep moan of the cave.
I was cradled by the arms of the house.

The river grabbed the boat with its hands.
The laughter of the cold
was all we could hear.

–Joseph Crowell, age 7
From the WritersCorps 2006 anthology “Solid Ground”

Poem of the Month: January 2012

2. Give each student an envelope that contains a portrait, photo, or drawing of a person.

3. Ask the students to write a short story that incorporates one of the settings they’ve called out with the person whose picture they’ve received.

This lesson is from the WritersCorps book “Jump Write In!”

First-year teacher Roseli Ilano

We’re halfway through the school year, but it’s never too late to get acquainted with the teachers who are the face and spirit of WritersCorps. Meet Roseli Ilano, a first-year teacher who works with students at Mission High School.

What inspired you to work with WritersCorps and what is your background as both a teacher and a writer?
I love writing and I love working with young people so it was a perfect fit. I was inspired to join the WritersCorps team because the program embodies the three areas I am most passionate about developing personally and professionally: empowering young people, sharing the power of storytelling, and building meaningful and transferable skills for the next generation of writers.

What has been one of the most formative creative experiences of your life?
One of the most influential moments in my life was when I took time off from college and lived in the Philippines for 5 months. I was inspired by learning more about my family’s roots, and inspired by the country’s spirit of cultural work. There is a long legacy of artists who use theater, literature, film, and painting to shift political consciousness and build awareness about the country’s social issues. It made me reconsider the power and responsibility of art.

What do you like best about working with students at Mission High School?
My favorite part about teaching at Mission High is witnessing my students step out of their comfort zones to take risks. Whether it means sharing a poem out loud for the first time in front of a large group, or writing about a subject that is personal, I love watching students use their writing as a tool to grow.

Currently, what do you find inspires your writing practice?
I write about everyday people doing extraordinary things, so I am most inspired by strangers and people I come across in my day-to-day life. Yesterday I struck up a conversation with the crossing guard I pass every day and he had such an incredible story. He has been helping children cross the street at the same intersection for 15 years, and now that the school is closing down, he is going to lose his job.

City Librarian Luis Herrera

Congratulations to Luis Herrera, San Francisco’s City Librarian, who was recently honored by Library Journal as the 2012 Librarian of the Year! Read about his inspiring leadership, his innovative collection management, as well as his model of mentorship and building effective partnerships, here.

Teen Services Coordinator Jennifer Collins outside current Teen Center

Congrats to our friends at the San Francisco Public Library on winning a grant to build a new teen space at the Main Library! The grant, which was awarded to them by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the MacArthur Foundation, will help transform the teen section into a 21st Century Learning Lab that will include iPads, laptop computers, and video recording equipment. The inspiration behind the lab is bridging the gap between teenagers with ample resources and teenagers without. Planning will officially start next month, so stay tuned for more information on what’s sure to be an exciting project. More info on the project can be found here.

– From the Wishes Postcard Set, featuring WritersCorps students, ages 6, from Visitacion Valley Elementary School

Poem of the Month: December 2011

Check out the 2011 San Francisco Youth Arts Summit, put together by our friends at Out of Site. It’s this Sunday at SOMArts at 9th and Brannan. There will be visual arts, performance, workshops and more, all by youth for youth. See the website or this Facebook event for more details.