The Everyday at Poetry Camp!

Chicago Poetry Camp is in full swing at Twain Elementary with 6-8th graders! We have an exciting group of students ready to explore how poetry lives on the page, on the stage, through visual art, movement, and the world around them. For our first day, we created studio agreements to honor our time together, played some theater games to get into our bodies and out of the desks, read poetry by Marie Howe, and explored perspectives through a viewfinder exercise, loosely inspired by Corita Kent.

Students read “What the Living Do,” and wrote about their own experiences with the everyday life that brings both joy, boredom, frustration, and everything in between. Check out day 1 of 8 for our poetry camp writings.

Mr. Barr 6th-8th Poetry Camp!

"My Ups & Downs" Megan U.M.

Things make my day
like listening to music,
or playing soccer.

Other things ruin my
day like when my mom
tells me to do chores.

Then after giving up and
admitting my day is ruined
Ashley texts and brings
my hyps on, and my brother
comes in with me.

That’s when I see it’s not
ruined for sure it was
just a moment.

"Joy" Leslie O.

drawing brings me Joy
you do too!

Music brings me Joy
you do too!

Writing brings me Joy
you do too!

my comfort characters bring me Joy
you do too!

getting art block frustrates me
you don’t though

My spotify keeps pausing and that
makes me frustrated
you don’t though

People sometimes look at me in public
and that makes me uncomfortable
you don’t though

you bring me Joy not frustration
thank you for everything.