On stages, in schools, and on the road. This season brought us into the ninth-grade classrooms at NEST+m public school, to Prep for Prep for a poetry workshop with Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Muldoon, and to the Youth Poetry Stage of the New York City Poetry Festival on Governors Island.
Student Poets at NEST+m
This spring, our teaching artists Paul LaTorre and Harris Hayman brought poetry into classrooms at NEST+m public school, working alongside students as they wrote, revised, and performed their poems. What began as words on a page became voices on a stage—proof of what happens when young writers are given the room to be heard.
“The poetry workshop really helped me understand how I can express myself in ways I’ve never really done before. Through this poetry workshop, I was able to write a poem that helped me express my feelings and emotions to people.”
Student participant, poetry workshop
SpeakEasy, Paul Muldoon & Prep for Prep
Prep for Prep is a leadership development and gifted education program dedicated to expanding educational access for students in New York City. In July, we brought Paul Muldoon to a cohort of Prep for Prep students. Over the course of a 90-minute workshop, students collectively wrote poems, discussed their relationships with poetry and literature, and benefited from Paul’s wit and wisdom.
SpeakTogether Students at the New York City Poetry Festival
SpeakTogether student poets, alumni of our programs with NEST+m and Williamsburg High School of Art & Technology, took the stage on July 19 at the 15th annual New York City Poetry Festival on Governors Island. Emboldened by the camaraderie of their peers and the ebullient Paul LaTorre, our emcee and teaching artist, these students read their poems boldly, eloquently, and proudly.
The Xanthe Barton Poetry Fund
Xanthe was passionate about House of SpeakEasy’s mission—not just because she was such an avid reader herself, but also because she felt that books were an essential part of life. In her honor, we established the Xanthe Barton Poetry Program, a series that will nurture new voices and bring poetry to young people to enjoy and explore for themselves. Through this program, Xanthe’s love of words will continue to open doors, spark imagination, and share the power of poetry with all.
What Is SpeakTogether?
House of SpeakEasy’s SpeakTogether programs connect writers and students in New York City schools to foster a love of literature and writing, provide insights into what it means to be a writer, and help students develop the critical-thinking skills to pursue higher education.
Alison Davis Curry
Executive Director
Annie Kiyonaga
Manager of Educational Initiatives