With our second session of summer camp kicking off this week, nearly 100 new writers and their 11 instructors were faced with the task of discovering one another. Who is this person to my left? they asked themselves. And that person to my right? What does she call herself? Is he shy or outrageous? A poet or storyteller? Possibly both? Is he afraid of flying? Will she someday run for office?
There are a zillion ways to better understand those around us, but in Ms. Colleen’s workshop at The Girls’ School of Austin, metaphor became the vehicle for knowing the new writers in our midst: When Caleb (above) says he is a can of aerosol and a tornado and a box, we can see he’s a little ostentatious, out of control, but sturdy and able to fill himself with possibility.
Today, meet two more of our new writers, Anesh and Kyla, and let them introduce themselves, the people they’ve become… and are still becoming.
Myself
What kind of person are
you? I asked myself. I am
somebody who has the bones
of a human and the attitude
of a hawk. I am not flat
and not weird,
but my mind is free.
Anesh, fourth grade, Badgerdog Summer Camp
I Am
I am the man
who would rule the
world I’m the girl
who would demand
to be queen I’m
the dad who would
have a million dollars I’m
the mom who would
own a zoo I’m
the friend who
would own a mansion.
Kyla, third grade, Badgerdog Summer Camp
