On Wednesday, May 26, Kate Bass and Kaia Stoetz, students at B.F. Day Elementary, join more than 40 young writers on stage at the Seattle Public Library (Microsoft Auditorium, Central Library) at 6 p.m. The two girls will read poetry and prose crafted under the guidance of Writer-in-residence Kevin Emerson. Thanks to Seattle Art and Lectures’ Writers in Schools (WITS) program, Emerson conducted creative writing workshops with students at B.F. Day during a year-long residency.
Chosen for their outstanding creative writing, Kate and Kaia will read their work before an expected crowd of over 300 people during the WITS end-of-year reading and celebration. This free event is open to the public and celebrates the best student writing over two evenings. Elementary and middle school students read at 6 p.m. May 26, and high school students on May 27 at 6 p.m. at Seattle Public Library.
Emerson’s bio, from the WITS site:
Kevin is the author of six novels for middle grade readers: Carlos is Gonna Get It, and the Oliver Nocturne Series 1-5. A former elementary school science teacher, Kevin also fronts Seattle band Central Services and their acclaimed kids’ band The Board of Education.
The WITS program matches a local, creative writer – like Emerson (pictured right) – with a school district “to design lesson plans that follow the curriculum, goals, and standards of the classroom, engage students in writing and build self-confidence.”
Seattle Arts and Lectures’ Writers in the Schools program, founded in 1994, believes that through working collaboratively with classroom teachers and professional, published creative writers, students are empowered to become authors of their own lives. WITS writers-in-residence provide a meaningful role model for every student. Since 1994, the program has served 67,500 K-12 public school students and 1,200 teachers in the Puget Sound region.
Parents and teachers interested in bringing WITS to local schools should contact Rebecca Hoogs, Seattle Arts & Lectures Director of Education Programs, at rhoogs@lectures.org or at 206-621-2230 x18.