An Exciting Opportunity

I've been looking for a volunteer activity to be involved with the wider St. Louis community, and I've found one that looks like it will be a fabulous fit. StudioSTL, a group whose mission is "to help students discover, develop, and celebrate their individual voice through writing," will be working with 36 college-bound students from two urban high schools to put together an anthology of student writing. Writing mentors will help the students develop their pieces.

On Saturday, despite being fuzzy-headed due to a cold, I felt instantly at home when I met the StudioSTL members and volunteers. What a group of enthusiastic, creative people! I could also feel dormant parts of myself awakening--the teaching part, and the community-minded part. Memories from the past kept bubbling up: the homeless writing group I helped lead in Oxford, the interdisciplinary project I worked on my first year teaching, the peer tutoring I did in college. I'm thrilled to be able to use my experience, and I'm psyched to work with students without the burden of grading and testing and classroom management. The kickoff is in a week and a half, and the writing will take place through December; in the spring, the anthology pieces will be revised and finalized. I'm a little nervous to get started, but I can't wait.