(upbeat instrumental music)
-: Hi there.
My name is Shelby, and I am a poetry teaching artist,
and I'm really excited that we just get to sit down together
and write today.
Our theme for this lesson is going to be
who will I become?
So we're going to be writing about ourselves.
We're going to be writing about the future,
imagining the future,
imagining ourselves in the future.
So it's going to be kind of an epic journey, I'll admit it,
but the only thing that you need to bring on this journey is
something to write with, like a pencil or a pen or whatever,
and something to write on, some paper or a notebook.
All right, I hope you've got your materials
and that you're ready to do some magic on the page.
And we're gonna do a warm-up.
So for this warmup what I'm gonna do
is I'm actually going to repeat the same question
over and over as a prompt to you,
and the question is gonna be, "Who are you?"
And this is a prompt that's borrowed
from the teaching artist, Shawn Ginwright
and what you're going to do is every time I ask it
I want you to write a different word.
So I'm just gonna (snaps) a couple of seconds.
I'm gonna say (snaps), "Who are you?"
Then you're gonna write a word.
(snaps) Who are you?
Or a couple of words or a phrase.
And the point is to just keep writing.
Don't judge yourself.
Just the first thing that comes to your mind
(taps) that's what you write on the page.
Okay?
So let's go for it.
Who are you?
Keep writing whatever comes to your mind.
Who are you?
Okay, good job.
The hardest part's over 'cause I know that's kinda weird
to hear the same thing over and over but I wonder
if you noticed anything about as you kept writing
the further you went, sometimes people notice
they go deeper and deeper into who they are.
So thank you for doing that warm up.
And now, before we keep writing,
we need to get a little bit of inspiration
so I'm going to read you a poem that is on our topic
of who will I become.
And this is a poem called "Blueprints?" By Sara Holbrook.
"Will my ears grow as long as grandpa's?
"What makes us look like kin?
"Tell me where'd I get long eyelashes
"and where'd I get my chin?
"Where'd I get my ice cream sweet tooth
"and this nose that wiggles with I walk?
"Where's I get my dizzy daydreams
"and my foot-rolling, side-step walk?
"Did I inherit my sense of humor
"and these crooked, ugly toes?
"What if I balloon like uncle Harry
"and have to shave my nose?
"How long after I start growing
"until I start to shrink?
"Am I going to lose my teeth some day?
"My hair?
"My mind?
"Do you think I'll be tall or short or thin
"or bursting at the seams?
"Am I naturally this crazy?
"Is it something in my genes?
"I'm more than who I am,
"I'm also who I'm from.
"It's a scary speculation,
"Who will I become?"
So inspired by Sara Holbrook,
you all are going to write a poem
that is going to be a series of questions
but don't worry, I'm gonna give you the questions
but you're going to finish the questions, all right.
So I'm going to give you some starting lines
and I just want you to write the first thing
that comes to your mind.
And you can use some of the images or ideas or words
that you did during your warmup, if you get stuck.
All right, first line, when I grow up
will I be dot dot dot?
Will I be tall?
Will I be daring?
Will I be adventurous?
Whatever comes to your mind, go for it.
(upbeat instrumental music)
Okay, let's keep writing.
Next line I want you to finish,
why do I have?
Why do I have blue eyes?
Why do I have this really loud cackle?
Where does that come from?
Finish that line, go for it.
(upbeat instrumental music)
Next line, where did I get my dot dot dot?
Where did I get my sense of humor?
Where did I get my love of dogs?
Where did I get my strange fingernail shape?
Whatever it is, whatever comes to your brain, go for it.
(upbeat instrumental music)
Let's keep going.
Will I become dot dot dot?
You could think of something like who you're gonna be
when you grow up.
Will I become a firefighter?
Will I become a sailor?
Will I become a poet?
Or it could be more like a characteristic.
Will I become brave?
Will I become bold and wild and true.
Whatever comes to your mind, go for it.
(upbeat instrumental music)
All right, now these last two lines
are not going to be questions,
they're going to be statements.
So finish this statement, I am.
Go for it.
(upbeat instrumental music)
Okay, the last line, I will be.
And you can write a couple of things like a list.
Don't put pressure on it, just whatever comes to your brain.
Let that take you to that future.
I will be.
(upbeat instrumental music)
All right, finish up that line.
Good job everyone.
You literally just manifested some weird, wild future
that you didn't even know existed
before you started writing.
No big deal.
I would love to know what you wrote.
I'm very curious what future you conjured
in your free writes.
But since I'm not with you, I really wanna encourage you,
if you feel like it, no pressure,
to maybe go share this with someone in your house
or you could call someone on the phone
or video chat someone and share with them
the poem you just wrote.
And in that spirit, I'm gonna share the poem
that I just wrote with you.
"When I grow up will I be wise enough
"to be strong and soft?
"Why do I have a fear of being big in my joy?
"Where did I get my love for history's sadnesses?
"Will I become green and brave like the trees?
"I am a lilac parade.
"I will be the entire circus tent of giggles."
Thank you all so much for writing with me.
Again, my name is Shelby and I just have huge gratitude
for you sitting down to write today,
for practicing future telling,
for practicing rhyme and repetition
by using these same starting lines over and over.
Great work and have a great day.
(upbeat instrumental music)