MSWP got off to an amazing start on Friday, October 18th. Editor Betsy Maury kicked off our day with a few words about the importance of finding your voice and writing with an audience in mind. There was never a dull moment as Resident Writer Nikoo McGoldrick and Guest Writer Ameen-Storm worked passionately and enthusiastically with our 120 middle school students. Students met peers from other schools with an ice-breaker activity and then students got their creative juices flowing with a Wake Up and Write activity before breaking into groups for two hour-long writing workshops. Major themes for the day included: finding yourself in your writing, finding your voice, and writing with an audience in mind. Both authors focused on poetry as a mean to accomplish this theme.
Nikoo McGoldrick and her husband Jim have been a writing team since 1994, however you might not recognize their names. They have written historical romance and contemporary romantic suspense novels under the pen names of Jan Coffey, May McGoldrick, and Nicole Cody proving to be a successful writing team. Recently, they have added young adult novels to their long list of titles. Although, it wasn’t always easy to write as one voice, they will tell you that one of the most important steps in the writing process is editing. Nikoo and Jim have spent a great deal of time perfecting their writing routine which has been extremely effective. Some of their titles include (but are not limited to): Tropical Kiss, Five in a Row, Borrowed Dreams, Arsenic and Old Armor, and Silent Waters.
Students worked both independently and together to write lines of poetry using metaphors, similes and idioms.
Personally, my favorite Nikoo-ism for the day was: Which came first the chicken or the egg is not as important as realizing that one cannot exist without the other.
Students worked both independently and together to write lines of poetry using metaphors, similes and idioms.
Personally, my favorite Nikoo-ism for the day was: Which came first the chicken or the egg is not as important as realizing that one cannot exist without the other.
Poet Ameen-Storm has always had a passion to pursue lasting peace and to see that visible especially among nations. Always searching as he wandered the road towards peace, Ameen-Storm began writing poetry at an early age. He received his first award for his work while in the 8th grade.
Evolution Ink, a not for profit organization founded by Ameen, produces a poetry series and is dedicated to the intention of peace as a realistic expectation. Their summer festival is a witness to the power of love and art to heal the fractures among people.
Ameen has received numerous awards for his poetry and has been published in The Voice, The Day Keeper Journal, The Lakeville Journal, Vietnam Veteran’s Journal, the Underwood Review, The Chameleon, and Our Heritage sharing his message of peace along the way. Through Evolution Ink, Ameen is able to share his message through community outreach and by empowering students to work to achieve any aspiration that they might have. Ameen teaches for the Litchfield Preforming Arts and works to ignite a passion in his students.
During his writing workshop, Ameen-Storm introduced the LUNE to our students. A lune is a poem made up of 3 words, then 5 words, then 3 words. Students wrote these poems on various topic ideas which ranged from their own name to a description of Autumn. Students then read their lunes together forming one whole poem. The idea of each person making up a piece of a whole was just beautiful and really spoke to our students.
Evolution Ink, a not for profit organization founded by Ameen, produces a poetry series and is dedicated to the intention of peace as a realistic expectation. Their summer festival is a witness to the power of love and art to heal the fractures among people.
Ameen has received numerous awards for his poetry and has been published in The Voice, The Day Keeper Journal, The Lakeville Journal, Vietnam Veteran’s Journal, the Underwood Review, The Chameleon, and Our Heritage sharing his message of peace along the way. Through Evolution Ink, Ameen is able to share his message through community outreach and by empowering students to work to achieve any aspiration that they might have. Ameen teaches for the Litchfield Preforming Arts and works to ignite a passion in his students.
During his writing workshop, Ameen-Storm introduced the LUNE to our students. A lune is a poem made up of 3 words, then 5 words, then 3 words. Students wrote these poems on various topic ideas which ranged from their own name to a description of Autumn. Students then read their lunes together forming one whole poem. The idea of each person making up a piece of a whole was just beautiful and really spoke to our students.
November is National Novel Writing Month!
For more information: http://ywpnanowrimo.org
Thank you to Nikoo, Ameen-Storm, Betsy Maury, teachers, students and EDUCATION CONNECTION Staff who made our first MSWP session a successful one!
See you on November 19th for cartooning, storyboarding, and two wonderful writing sessions with Nikoo and Joe Young, Jr!!
For more information: http://ywpnanowrimo.org
Thank you to Nikoo, Ameen-Storm, Betsy Maury, teachers, students and EDUCATION CONNECTION Staff who made our first MSWP session a successful one!
See you on November 19th for cartooning, storyboarding, and two wonderful writing sessions with Nikoo and Joe Young, Jr!!