Showing posts with label lauren zuniga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lauren zuniga. Show all posts

Recap: Breaking Ground Poets @ the Vintage Theater

Posted by Unknown | Posted in , , , , , , , , , | Posted on Monday, October 29, 2012

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There's a storm blowin' in. Sometime. At least that's what they say. I'm not particularly worried, though. I've weathered the storms before. All kinds of them. Some of them worse than others. They say this one is a big one. Panic and scrambling people clearing the shelves of milk and eggs. All I grabbed this morning was some coffee and tea.


The weekend was long. Incredible, but long. Full of surprises and poetic beauty. On Saturday night, the Breaking Ground Poets, led by Tunkhannock Area teacher Katie Wisnosky, held their first poetry slam of the season. I had been invited to be a judge in the event. I was, to say the least, blown away.

Lauren Zuniga @ the Vintage Theater
The Vintage Theater in down town Scranton was packed. It was a a sight to behold on a Saturday night to see so many people out supporting poetry when they could have been at any number of Halloween parties and gatherings. 

Lauren Zuniga, a nationally touring poet and teaching artist, opened the night with a half hour performance. Zuniga moved effortlessly from piece to piece, delivering her words with beautiful sincerity. For the remainder of the night, she MC'd the event introducing the student poets while interacting with the crowd and keeping the momentum going.

What can I say about the students? It's difficult to come up with the words. Judging them was no easy task, either. All of the poets ranged in age from 16 to 18. The imagery and delivery of their work was simply impressive. Those students stepped onto the stage, ripped open their chests, and poured out everything beating against their ribs. We all ate it up and were belly-full by the end of the night.

Lauren Zuniga and the Breaking Ground Poets
Now I find myself a bit nervous. Nervous to step into a room with some of these students and lead a workshop. Nervous to partake in the next slam where the students will take on the adults. Somehow, I've been roped in to competing against them. I've got to sharpen that dagger pencil and scrawl something impressive because these students aren't going to go down easy. They've got fight. They've got heart. And none of them are afraid to use it. To bare it all. I commend them. 

Nervous or not, I'm excited to work with them. I'm excited that something like this is taking place with the youth in Tunkhannock and all around the area. Kids excited about poetry? Who would have thought. Much respect to Katie Wisnosky for pushing forward and on to make this happen.

And here's to the students. In the wake of the storm, I sit here contemplating my own words. They've inspired my own thoughts and I can feel my own words beating and pounding on my ribs. They need out. Where's my typer...



My Alma Mater Breaks Ground with Poetry

Posted by Unknown | Posted in , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Posted on Friday, September 21, 2012

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Truly incredible teachers sometimes seem hard to come by. At least for me, they did. I always admired and respected those who broke away from the norm. Those who challenged me. Who made me think. I didn't want to do anything for teachers who seemed like they didn't want to do anything for me. 


A teacher should have the same drive as writers. They shouldn't teach because they want to, they should do it because they have to. They should have that drive and urge to foster true education and exploration.

I had some great teachers at Tunkhannock high school. I can still remember some lessons they taught like they were yesterday. That was (almost) ten years ago. Time has passed. But one thing hasn't changed. There are still incredible teachers back in my hometown doing things I never thought would be done in Tunkhannock.

Katie Wisnosky, who I had the pleasure of hearing read some of her own work at the last Prose in Pubs event in Scranton, teaches in the English department at Tunkhannock area high school. And of all things for her to bring to Tunkhannock, she's brought poetry. If you know Tunkhannock, poetry is probably the last thing you'd associate the town with. And that's exactly why it needs to be there.

Katie has started a group called the "Breaking Ground Poets", a rather appropriate name considering the booming business of drilling in the area and Katie's determination to build such a group where others would find even the idea daunting. Katie describes the groups in her own words:

The Breaking Ground Poets’ mission is to inspire, foster, and promote artistic expression, personal growth, and social justice for youth in our collective communities through the use of the spoken and written word.
Our goal is to engage young people in workshops, events, and mentorship across Northeast Pennsylvania.
Although we are a new organization, our goal this year is to develop and foster young people’s capacity in creative writing, public speaking, emotional literacy, and civic engagement. We will use the transformative power of storytelling and each individual’s voice to help build a stronger community of teenage writers.

Katie has recently launched a campaign to bring Lauren Zuniga, a nationally touring poet and activist, to Tunkhannock area high school for a day of workshops followed by a poetry slam featuring the students. 

It's been ten years since I've walked the halls of Tunkhannock high and in those ten years the town and surrounding area has gone through major changes. Some good, some bad. But here is a change that I can only describe as incredibly inspiring. I only wish I could be back in school to experience it. Luckily I've been invited to participate.

Needless to say, Katie's idea comes with a cost and she's set up a fundraising site at indiegogo.com which you can find here. 


This is an incredible opportunity for the students at Tunkhannock high. In a country where the arts are being left behind in our educational system, funding projects like this is absolutely essential to our youth. It's uplifting to see educators who will go beyond what their job requires of them on paper and truly reach for higher goals. To feed the creative minds of youth. 

I'm hoping that the Breaking Ground Poets can reach their goal and I'm going to do everything in my power to make that happen. So, if you can, please donate to the cause. If you cannot, please spread the word. It costs nothing to pass on information. 

Thanks to everyone out there who helps in any way.

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Donate and spread the word: http://www.indiegogo.com/breakinggroundpoets

Lauren Zuniga's site: http://laurenzuniga.com/

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