12 minute read
Acknowledgments
by 826nyc
Poem of Life
by Daniel Salinas
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I’ve lived in New York, where pizzas are a ten out of ten. A city inhabited by people who never sleep. That is why it is known as “The city that never sleeps.” Yet the scent and smell of the Bahamas call me. The big blue sea along the beach. The tranquility and peace I see among the people when I think of the Bahamas calls me. 89
Ode to Farm Camp
by Torben Schrieber
An ode to farm camp! Yes I’m writing about this again. I love the soft ground under the trees The big ol’ rock in
The middle
Of
the woods The overpowering smell of Every single farm animal in existence . . . AND a peacock! Batman the llama too (RIP) I love the thousands of flowers in the garden,
And the fact that I still can’t make a flower crown I love the permanent hoodie weather and
I love the fact that I can wear dresses and not get Hate-crimed. I love the hypothermia-inducing Chill of the creek and the Overnight Canceling relent less thunderstorms I love the people I meet there And the time I spent there I’ve only said this a million times
But I do, I really do love this place. 91
Ode to “Wah-Nee”
by Jamie Sulimani
“Wah-Nee” “Wah-Nee” is the camp for me, Each day is fun, each day’s a blast Memories of “Wah-Nee” will last and last, My friends and family who I’ve known for long Who have proved to always help in times of wrong, The smell of pine and the lake nearby Makes it harder in the end to say “Goodbye,” But while I’m here the days are bright It makes me feel no wrongs, just rights, Camp traditions are ones I’ll never forget Just like how I’ll keep close all whom I’ve met, Color-war is the time we all split We all try hard and never quit, In the end we all come as one We sing alma maters then color-war is done, The people in charge Harv, Heidy, Pete, and Roos, Always keep the camp together, never loose, I’ll never forget all “Wah-Nee” has done for me The people and traditions, after all that’s “Wah-Nee” 93
The Whole is Equal to the Sum of Its Parts
by Jamie Sulimani
World Situation The situation we’re living through, Is comparable to Hell In years to come those who survive Will have many stories to tell
First a Baby First I was a baby Then a boy was I, My dreams were deep inside of me Sometimes they made me cry, One day I’ll be a grown man With children I’ll adore For when I think of my future life Who could ask for more
Miracle of Life Isn’t it amazing How every year flowers die, Then reappear, That’s a miracle one cannot explain, Some call it “God” But “God” is just a name
Test of life Chess, and golf, and tennis too Are some of the things I like to do I try very hard to be the best Every activity I do Feels like I am taking a test 95
Untitled
by Ellen Tan
The smell of melted chocolate was sweet yet gentle. Its scent was enough to whisk you away. It takes you off your feet. Creative mind Creative hands Whisk Whisk Whisk away Get yourself a full box of creative chocolates, my dear. 97
98
Then Again
by Christian
Though I am ordinary just like others, Velazquez I like to consider myself as different. I adore wearing sweatpants and oversized graphic tees, the comfortness of it. The soft, silky cotton-made attire tightly gripping onto my skin. I wear Vans with just a bit of dirt across the edges for uniqueness.
Living in the city is not easy. From Manhattan to the Bronx. The stench of onions reeks through the city. Layers of mold and bags filled with outdated items taking over sidewalks. Hispanics blasting weird music on a boom box during the weekends. Food vendors selling pupusas and empanadas for two dollars. Apartments infested with mice and creepy crawlers. The city is filled with entertainment. People fighting.
People dancing on public transportation. People finding love. A place for it all.
The nice views are only for the wealthy. We try to stay far away from them. Though sometimes I wish I was rich, being able to afford a condo on the Lower East Side of Manhattan would be nice but it would forever be a dream.
As the storms pass by, hearing the soothing sounds of heavenly water splashing across the city is calming. As the raindrops slowly come down, I feel more relaxed and sleepy. The aesthetically pleasing view of rain in the city, trying to suppress myself from gently and softly shutting my eyes tight. The city is a place for it all. Though, sometimes I wish I could escape. 99
by Micah Williams
I lived in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn during my early years as a youngin’. I was project-raised. Sketchy elevators that smelled like piss, men chilling in front of the building constantly smoking and eyeing you as you walked by . . . lots of stuff. I witnessed many crimes in my area growing up. It’s sad that as a kid I had to see the harsh side of our world but ay, that’s life, ya know. But, during those days, I would play Mario Kart. A game that honestly changed the video game industry for me. It was a very fun and competitive game that occupied most of my time. I would play against my dad and brother every night before going to bed. It was something I enjoyed and always looked forward to! I also really enjoyed McDonald’s. Every kid has had an obsession for McDonald’s at least once in their life, so I know I’m not alone on this one. I lost hope in my parents ever getting back together when I was younger. Them sadly separating when I was only five hurt me. From having to choose who you wanted to move in with, to seeing the other parent that isn’t having their own blood children move in with them crying. Although I was very young, I still had strong emotions. I think this is mainly due to the fact that I’ve seen so much. From this loss however, I won double Christmases LOL, new family members, happiness, and music. Music has helped me a lot, it kinda holds me together in a sense. And no, I am not depressed. I am very much happy, and I can truthfully say that! I love everybody in my life currently, whether that’s the teachers I have, the friends I have, the family I have, the stuff I have (which I am very grateful for), etc. These past experiences have really shaped me into the person I am today.
Early Dayz
101
102 In our Young Writers Publish program, 826NYC develops creative writing projects with classes of students and teachers in schools throughout New York City. In the spring of 2022, ninth and tenth grade students from the Urban Assembly Gateway School for Technology dove deep into themes of identity and community, and developed writing across genres including poetry, memoir, and flash fiction that speaks to these themes. Wild Dog on the Streets is a compilation of the original work of these students. A huge thank you to the 826NYC teaching artists, Daniel Goulden and Jaydra Johnson, for creating classrooms where students were able to explore new styles of writing and tackle challenging topics with confidence. Your support, encouragement, and consistency helped our young writers tap into their imaginations and memories to produce such moving work, and your care in helping them brainstorm, write, and revise throughout this project was invaluable. We are particularly grateful to Evan Rosenberg, Dan Burns, and Gabriela Gallegos for their support of this project. Thank you for inviting us into your classrooms and facilitating such a smooth collaboration. Your hard work and steadfast dedication to your students allows them to flourish as young writers and thinkers. Thank you to Principal Kristina Dvorakovskaya and Assistant Principal Rachana Patel for supporting the amazing team at Gateway in implementing this project. We are so appreciative of your time and energy! Thanks as well to Urban Assembly and the Shippy Foundation, whose funding helped this partnership come to life. At 826NYC we depend on the dedicated volunteer editing and design cohort that make our publications a reality. Thank you to Vanessa Friedman for overseeing the editing, proofreading, and design of this book.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to Gil Andrei Fontimayor for designing such a beautiful book for our students. To copy editors and proofreaders Hannah Garner, Shari Hazlett, Melody Serra, Hillary Tacuri, Chuckry Vengadam, and Oana Whaples, for their careful attention to each of the student’s pieces, thank you. For their ongoing support of 826NYC’s school-based programs, huge thanks to 826 National, the Amazon Literary Partnership, The Jane Friedman Anspach Family Foundation, Con Edison, The Find Your Light Foundation, The Hawkins Project, International Paper, The Rona Jaffe Foundation, The Kettering Family Foundation, The Minerva Foundation, The Resnick Family Foundation, The Yelp Foundation, and Youth, Inc. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. The program is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Additional support comes from the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov. 826NYC is grateful to the many individuals who support our work. To see our full list of supporters or make a donation, please visit 826nyc.org/donate-us. Thank you especially to the 826NYC staff for their behind-the-scenes support of this project, from curriculum development and the book-making process to volunteer recruitment. Finally, thank you to the students at Urban Assembly Gateway School for Technology for taking risks with your writing and sharing your words and worlds with us. Your dedication to your craft and your vision shines through in these pieces. We are all excited to see what you’ll write in the future! 103
826NYC Location and Leadership
826NYC and The Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. 372 Fifth Ave Brooklyn, NY 11215 718.499.9884 www.826nyc.org
STAFF Joshua Mandelbaum Executive Director
Jesusdaniel Barba Programs Coordinator
Janna Cisterino Development & Communications Manager
Rico Denard Store Associate
Chris Eckert Store & Operations Manager
Vanessa Friedman Publications Associate
Julianna Lee Merino Programs Coordinator
Summer Medina Volunteer & Programs Coordinator
Stella Raffle-Wax Store Associate
Mandy Seiner Volunteer & Programs Manager
Naomi Solomon Director of Education
TEACHING ARTISTS J’miah Baird David Ewalt Willie Filkowski Daniel Goulden Varud Gupta Daniel Jackson Jaydra Johnson
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Michelle McGovern President
Ted Wolff Vice President
Ray Carpenter Treasurer
Kathryn Yontef Secretary
Michael Colagiovanni Jen D’Ambroise Liza Demby Jamal Edwards Amir Mokari Sheila Peluso Katie Schwab Danielle Sinay Andrew Sparkler Alyson Stone Maura Tierney Thom Unterburger Sam Valenti
826NYC Programs
Write After School Reading and writing go together like peanut butter and jelly. Write After School students work alongside 826NYC staff and volunteers to build their reading, writing, social-emotional skills and unleash their imagination as they play and learn about the power of language. Three times a year, students revise their creative writing for publications that are printed in English and Spanish and shared with families, volunteers, and community members at celebratory readings.
Write Away Workshops Young writers come together in Write Away Workshops to explore a multitude of genres and subjects and to develop their voices. Groups write freely and participate in imaginative writing activities and lessons. Whether it’s a song, a piece of climate justice sci-fi, or a nature guide, young writers leave the workshop with a piece to be proud of, as well as a newfound understanding of the topic, and new friends.
Write All About It In Write All About It, reporters from grades 5-8 learn how to conduct a great interview, how to write a classic news story, and more importantly, how to sniff out where the great untold stories of Brooklyn are hiding. We focus on hyper-local news to see how it connects to what’s going on across the country and around the world. Student work is published regularly in The 826NYC Post on 826NYC’s Medium page.
Young Writers Publish Turn your classroom into a creative writing lab. During Young Writers Publish residencies, 826NYC teaching artists collaborate with educators on creative, impactful, curriculumaligned projects that transform students into published authors. Residencies run from six weeks to a full year, depending on the project. Each Young Writers Publish culminates in a book, newspaper, zine, podcast, film, or performance featuring your students.
Write Together 826NYC hosts classes across New York City for Write Together: an interactive writing experience that encourages creative expression, explores the elements of storytelling, and strengthens writing skills. Elementary-aged classes collaborate on illustrated children’s books, middle schoolers choose their own adventure, and high schoolers learn the art of memoir writing during a fast- paced and whimsical 90 minute narrative program.
Teen Writers Collective Teens are the next generation of literary leaders. That’s why we launched the Teen Writers’ Collective. The collective brings together young writers from around the city to explore the art of writing and literary citizenship. They are a community of passionate and creative peers, serve as 826NYC youth leaders, and inspire younger students and peers across the network.
Dungeons & Dragons & Writers Dungeons & Dragons, the epic fantasy role-playing game where players craft characters to take on magical quests that can change with the roll of the dice, has a home at 826NYC. A band of adventurous authors in grades 5-8 play out an entirely original tale and chronicle their fantastical deeds in character point-of-view journals, histories, and scene writing. Sometimes the greatest gift is the friends we make — and make up — along the way.
Student Publications Through our programs, our volunteers work with students to help them create stories, poems, and ’zines. Because we believe that the quality of students’ work is greatly enhanced when they are given the chance to share it with an authentic audience, we are committed to publishing student works. By encouraging their work and by guiding them through the process of publication, we make abundantly clear that their ideas are valued.
