Chapter 5: Dialogue

Exercise: Chapter 27
The Invisible Scene: Interspersing Dialogue with Action

“Upstairs!” she called when the dog barked, alerting her to a guest in the house.

At the top of the stairs, looking into her bedroom, I saw her left foot, clad in a man’s white tube sock, twisting uncontrollably at the behest of its big toe. The rest of my mother lay sprawled between the bedroom and the bathroom, almost upside down, as her entire left leg jumped and danced to its own beat, while her right hand attempted to paint the bathroom door frame. With paint all over her shirt and more green in her hair than gray, she smiled up at me, “Isn’t this a fabulous color?”

Chapter 4: Perspective and Point of View

Exercise: Chapter 22
An Early Memory, Part One: The Child as Narrator

Like us, the Siegels have a Black maid. I don’t know her name, but ours is Doris. This lady looks a lot like Doris, and she’s really nice, just like Doris. And, she thinks my little brother is the cutest thing ever, same as Doris. Her and Kenny have been playing in the kitchen since we got here. We had to come early because Mom had to help Mrs. Siegel get dinner ready for Seder. You wouldn’t believe how much there is to do, my mom kept saying. Between the matzoh ball soup and the charoset, you’ve got the hard-boiled eggs and the gefilte fish. Mom’s been talking about it for weeks.

Mom and Mrs. Siegel are sitting at the dining room table rubbing that gooey stuff on the silver and talking about all the people coming over later. I’ve been upstairs to the playroom, but the ping-pong table is boring by myself and they won’t let me play Barry’s drums because they’re too loud, so I’m back downstairs now. The maid is really nice to me, too, and gives me and Kenny both three squares of Hershey bar because we helped put the water glasses on the table and didn’t break any.

She reaches down to wipe chocolate off Kenny’s face. I don’t think I have any on me because I’m older and know how to eat a candy bar, especially when I have on a nice dress. Hold still, sugar pie, you’ve got chocolate all over your sweet little face, she tells him. Let me just rub that off you, child.

Kenny doesn’t sit still too good. He doesn’t really like when people try to clean him up. Next thing I know, he tells her, Why don’t you rub it off you? You’ve got chocolate all over your whole self!

The maid is laughing now like nobody I’ve ever seen. She says, Child, if I could wipe this chocolate off me, you know I would, but this here chocolate is here to stay! She keeps laughing and pretty soon Mom and Mrs. Siegel are laughing and Kenny and me are laughing, even though I’m not sure Kenny really knows what he’s laughing about. Mrs. Siegel even lifts up her glasses and wipe her eyes; she is crying from laughing so hard. The maid keeps laughing all night long, Wipe that chocolate off myself! Oh, child!


Exercise: Chapter 23
An Early Memory, Part Two: The Reminiscent Narrator

It seemed every Jew in Memphis had a Black maid. If you lived in a certain neighborhood, even though it was the South, you could go days without seeing another Black person except for your maid. So, while we grew up with a Black person in our house every day after school, we didn’t really know any.

Like us, the Siegels had a Black maid. I don’t remember her name; ours was Doris. At the time, it seemed normal there would be a Black maid in every house we visited. They were more like family members than people who were getting paid, or at least that’s what we liked to believe: Sweetheart, meet Mrs. Seigel, her husband Mr. Siegel, her son Barry, her daughter Wendy, and her maid whose name I can’t remember.

The Siegel’s maid was helping out with Passover Seder, which meant she was expected to do any combination of cooking, cleaning and entertaining the kids who were getting in the way. She definitely had a soft spot for my little brother, as did most adults who met him. We had arrived early because my mother insisted on helping Mrs. Siegel get dinner ready. You wouldn’t believe how much there is to do, my mom kept saying. Between the matzoh ball soup and the charoset, you’ve got the hard-boiled eggs and the gefilte fish. Of course, she didn’t mention the extra help she was getting from the Siegel’s maid, or the help she had gotten from Doris earlier in the day.

As mom and Mrs. Siegel sat at the dining room table, polishing the silver and talking about the guests who had yet to arrive, Kenny and I were getting bored. After exploring every inch of the upstairs playroom, we returned to the main floor and proceeded to get in everyone’s way. The Siegel’s maid made us a deal: three squares of a chocolate bar if we helped put the water glasses on the table and didn’t break any. Done.

As we finished up our candy, the maid reached down to wipe chocolate off my little brother’s face. Hold still, sugar pie, you’ve got chocolate all over your sweet little face, she told him. Let me just rub that off you, child.

Kenny, cute and adorable and precocious, smiled up at her and said, Why don’t you rub it off you? You’ve got chocolate all over your whole self!

My eyes darted to the dining room where my mother sat. I expected someone to scold him, to explain that her skin is not made of chocolate and that what he said was certainly rude. But, my mother simply looked up, saw that the maid was laughing, and began laughing as well.

I heard the maid say, Child, if I could wipe this chocolate off me, you know I would, but this here chocolate is here to stay! We all laughed and the story was told again and again as each new guest arrived. Kenny stood, the center of attention, only slightly embarrassed by his mistake. It looks like chocolate, he insisted.

To this day, I still wonder why it was so funny.

Writing Fiction, Part 1

Exercise: Chapter One
First Sentences: Beginning in the Middle

When she realized her children would actually make her wear that ridiculous neck brace every waking moment, she started to regret her decision to water the plants on the back deck.

Thank God for caller ID; without it, I would have surely answered the phone.

I couldn’t quite figure out who she was, but I knew for certain she was not my mother.

The leaking wouldn’t stop, no matter what she tried.

Once she held the child in her arms, she knew he was hers.



Exercise: Chapter Three
Pairs of Beginning Sentences

Birth/Death:
He thought babies were supposed to be cute, but he wasn’t so sure about his own.

She would never forgive him for not allowing her to say goodbye.

Blistering Heat/Freezing Cold:
They drove around in the cool comfort of the car for hours, avoiding the stifling humidity of their shared apartment.

He told her to take off her clothes and wrap her arms around him; he had read this was the best way to treat hypothermia.

Toddler/Teenager:
The boy ran through the house with the crazy abandon of the child he was supposed to have been.

To know all there was to know about everything was the worst feeling in the world.



Exercise: Chapter Eight
People from the Past; Characters of the Future

Craig was the cutest, most talented boy in the school. He had every lead in every play; he scored the highest on every test; he was every teacher’s favorite student; and he had complete control over the entire class. But, Craig and I had a history. He had lived across the street from me since we were four years old. We were best friends on the kickball field and taught each other how to kiss in a secret hiding spot in his room. Of course, all of that changed in middle school. Craig started to torture me: spitting in my hair and teasing me through each minute of the excruciatingly long car ride to school; stealing my bike and claiming to have no knowledge of how it ended up propped in a neighbor’s tree; and turning the heat up on my fish tank, simmering the little guys to death. Smug, arrogant and conceited, Craig was trouble from sixth grade on.

I heard a rumor that Craig worked for Barnum & Brothers circus in some type of sales position. And, while this is probably a very lucrative job, it certainly doesn’t compare to his little brother’s career as a cardiologist. I’ve been told he lost all his hair, which seems like poetic justice to me. I think he is married to a woman whom he makes feel less than what she is or could be. They probably have three children; he focuses on his son’s potential and his daughters’ limitations. He has affairs on the road and thinks this is his right, as the breadwinner in the family. His wife knows about these betrayals, but feels helpless to confront him. He lives a pretty-on-the-surface lifestyle, but is deeply disappointed by the path he has chosen.



Exercise: Chapter Nine
Mining Memory

Things that pleased me:

Having the plumber come and finding out the leak was clean water from the tank and not dirty water from the toilet bowl.

The Starbucks barista gave me a free venti nonfat latte when I forgot my wallet and didn’t even make me pay for it the next day when I tried to.

Scheduling a babysitter to go out with old friends I have fallen out-of-touch with.

Getting a huge hug from one of my newest and dearest friends when I showed up to a happy hour I didn’t think I would be able to make.

Watching my son look like a teenager, walking outside with a camera to take pictures.

Having my husband leave for work, turn around, and come back inside for an extra hug and kiss goodbye.

Writing lists of things that have made me happy and things that have made me angry and realizing I have more happy things than angry ones.

My two sons sitting in the living room with me, quietly reading.

My neighbor’s little girl, Gretta, calling me “Aunt Denise” even though I am not her aunt.

Having a little brother who makes me laugh: I told him I’d like a new family and he responded that I’ve wanted that since I was 14.


Things that made me angry:

My father ignoring my request that he NOT go to California while I am there visiting my mother.

Preparing the Passover Seder meal completely by myself.

Overhearing a neighbor’s homophobic remarks toward possible buyers of the house across the street.

Waiting for a huge lump to rise on his forehead before believing my son when he said he punched his cousin only because his cousin had thrown him into the hard corner of the couch.

Hearing judgment in the voice of a student for a girl in a situation not unlike her own.

My boss telling his staff (including me) how great the conference was that I was not allowed to go to.

Hearing about services my students cannot be assessed for because they are too expensive.

Hearing my sister smirk over the phone when I mentioned my friend is gay.

Seeing the engine light come on in my car and knowing that this repair will be expensive.

Going to pick something up at my school and realizing my key card doesn’t work after a certain hour of the day.



Exercise: Chapter 12
He/She: Switching Gender

I choose my shirt and pants with little thought, knowing that one or the other will be replaced. Susan never lets me leave the house without changing at least one item of clothing. It’s sort of like a boss who needs to put his thumbprint on everything; a person who makes change just to make change, not for any real purpose. I don’t care too much. She’s probably better at this than I am. Probably. But, sometimes, I question her taste. To myself. Not out loud.

When I walk outside the closet door, she’s there, waiting. She looks great, as always. She’s everything I’ve always wanted; she’s everything my ex-wife is not. Suzie’s got a great body, a good sense of humor, and will try anything once. She has changed my life for the better. Definitely.

She looks me over, assesses the damage, and quickly slips into my closet, emerging with a patterned shirt she bought me last Father’s Day and a belt with ten thousand colors. Nice, I guess. She brushes a kiss on my cheek as she hands me the shirt and walks past to finish her makeup. I give myself a half-smile in the mirror and go to change my shirt.



Exercise: Chapter 18
Creating a Character’s Background, Place, Setting, and Milieu

She shows me my bedroom, but all I see is pink. Obviously, she’d rather have girls. The bed is old: I can see the mattress soft and sagging in the middle. I don’t want to sit on it, much less sleep there. A faded pink comforter with some light brown stains lies crookedly, so the top corner of the pale yellow sheets can be seen. The comforter used to have some type of floral print, but that seems to have faded over time. The bed itself is painted pink with little strips of wood showing through at worn-out edges. It could be someone’s lame attempt to make the frame look old (I’ve seen that in magazines before), but I think this one really is old. On the pillow, there is a baby blue dog with a tattered ribbon around his neck. I’m surprised no one has taken it yet. Maybe he’s too old for anyone to want. I think I might like him. At least he’s not pink.

Lesson Plans: Creative Writing Class Midterm

I really like to use visual images to get students started with creative assignments. Giving them a starting point seems to take away some of the intimidation factor, in addition to providing some (often needed) inspiration.

Theme: Using Photography for Creative Writing

Preparation:

Teachers need to collect black and white “headshots” of various people. These can be historical images (only use photos of people the students would not be familiar with), snapshots, advertisements (without writing), little-known actors, or any other type of image the teacher can find.

You will need two copies of each photograph and should have the same number of photographs as you have students. Have a couple extra copies on hand in case there are an odd number of students and you need to use three of one photo.

Label each image with some type of “code” (not a name) so that the students can record which image they worked with.

Lesson One: Searching for Details

Use half of your photographs (for example, 2 copies of 20 different shots for a class of 40). Each student will be given one image so there are two copies of each photograph distributed. Try to separate the images around the room so that two of the same photographs are not near each other.

Have students “study” their images for 2 minutes before writing.

Brainstorm: Have students write 30 words describing the physical attributes of the person in their photographs. These words can be any part of speech and should be the first things that come to mind. (This is a good place to insert a grammar mini-lesson if you want to require a certain number of each part of speech.) Students should focus only on the physical characteristics of the person in the photograph.

Write: Have students create a poem from their lists of words. The poem may be created with any additional words, but MUST include the 30 words they brainstormed. Be sure each student puts the “code” on his poem so you can later match the poem to the image.

Pair & Share: Have each student pair up with the person in the room who has the same photograph. Have the paired students compare their poems. Once finished, have the pairs present their poems to the class and give a brief synopsis of what they found when comparing their poems.

Lesson Two: Inference

Distribute the second half of images (for example, 2 copies of 20 different shots for a class of 40). Each student will be given one image so there are two copies of each photograph distributed. Try to separate the images around the room so that two of the same photographs are not near each other.

Have students “study” their images for 2 minutes before writing.

Brainstorm: Have students write 30 words describing the personality traits of the person in their photographs. These words can be any part of speech and should be the first things that come to mind. (This is a good place to insert a grammar mini-lesson if you want to require a certain number of each part of speech.) They should focus on the perceived/inferred personality/mental characteristics of the person in the photograph, but should also extend to things like education level, career, family life, etc.

Write: Have students create a poem from their lists of words. The poem may be created with any additional words, but MUST include the 30 words they brainstormed. Be sure each student puts the “code” on his poem so you can later match the poem to the image.

Pair & Share: Have each student pair up with the person in the room who has the same photograph. Have the paired students compare their poems. Once finished, have the pairs present their poems to the class and give a brief synopsis of what they found when comparing their poems.

Reflection: Have each student reflect individually on the differences between the comparative processes when they were writing only about viewable physical characteristics versus inferred characteristics. Were there more or less differences between themselves and their partners in one case over the other? Why do they think that is?

Lesson Three: Dialogue

Redistribute the photographs the students used for Lesson Two. Have students review the photograph and their brainstorming and poems.

Write: Have students write one sentence this person might say.

Pair & Share: Have each student pair with a student who has a different photograph. Have the students share their poems and sentences from Lesson Two.

Write: Have the students develop a scene where the two people from the two photographs might interact with each other. Working with this scene, have them create a dialogue between the two characters. This may take the form of a poem or a short story, but it MUST include the original two sentences created by each student.

Present: Have students act out their dialogue, each student acting out the part of the person whose photograph they were originally working with.

Lesson Four: Final Project

Have students find photographs on the internet or in magazines to craft a creative writing piece. Their photograph may be of any subject, including people or not. But, it must be something that inspires them to write a work of poetry or fiction.

Once they have chosen an image, have them work through the steps practiced earlier:

Brainstorm #1: Have students write 30 words describing the physical elements apparent in the photograph. These words can be any part of speech and should be the first things that come to mind. They should focus on the physical aspects of the photograph.

Write #1: Have students create a poem from these lists of words. The poem may be created with any additional words, but MUST include the 30 words they brainstormed. Be sure each student attaches the original image to his poem.

Brainstorm #2: Have students write 30 words describing what they can infer from the photograph. These words can be any part of speech and should be the first things that come to mind. They should focus on anything not physically apparent in the photograph.

Write #2: Have students create a poem from these lists of words. The poem may be created with any additional words, but MUST include the 30 words they brainstormed. Be sure each student attaches the original image to his poem.

Write #3: Using writing exercises #1 and #2 from this lesson, have students write a poem or short story about the photograph they have chosen.

Present: The poems/stories may be presented orally with the image displayed during the performance, or they may be presented visually on a poster board or digital medium.

Commentary on "Penny for Your Thoughts"

Our group chose a poetry piece from Def Poetry Jam entitled "Penny for Your Thoughts." Part of what I think works so well in this piece is the element of surprise. First, the poet surprised me because he's a big white guy and doesn't fit the stereotypical image of what I have experienced with spoken word poetry. The spoken word artists I have heard have all been people of color or more alternative looking white people. Second, his topic is surprising. His entire poem is about the sexiness he finds in a woman's mind, rather than her body. With this, he again defies stereotypes of this type of poetry: he's not angry or victimized.

While the surprise element is certainly a large part of what makes this poem good, I think his use of language is amazing and makes the poem great. His ability to use very sensual language typically used to describe the body to instead describe his attraction to the mind is wonderful. It confuses your head just enough to really have to pay attention and be pleasantly surprised by what he is saying.

I think it qualifies as both a poem and a performance piece in that it is rhythmic, has an amazing use of poetic language, and draws strength from being performed rather than just read. However, I think the performance aspect could be improved. I though the poet was a bit stiff, especially at the beginning, and the piece could be more powerful if he were able to perform his words to more fully invoke the images they create in our minds.

Poetry Slam Debate Lesson Plan

As I was researching and trying to get ideas for a performance poetry lesson plan, I came across a definition for a poetry slam that used the word "competitive." This made me think of a way I could do a poetry slam in the classroom that would work for students who are too shy or self-conscious to perform in front of the class. By developing a group project, I thought students would be able to contribute to the poetry without feeling the pressure of performing. In addition, I wanted to introduce the concepts behind a debate, since many performance poetry pieces seem to be arguing for some type of cause/point of view.

Here is my idea for a classroom poetry slam debate.

1. Have students view videos of performance poetry to get an idea of the multiple directions this could take.

2. Have students choose a topic to debate. The teacher may want to have a list of possible topics, or suggest one from recent discussions in class.

3. Divide students into two group: one for and one against the topic. Keep groups as even as possible. It is a good lesson for students to be placed in a group they don't agree with; they will have more "arguments" than they think.

4. Have each group write 2 poems to be performed in front of the class. The first poem will introduce their point of view and make their argument for or against the topic. The second poem will be a rebuttal of what they think the other group may argue. If this is beyond the students' ability, they may appropriate a poem by using existing poetry performance pieces and changing the words to fit their topics.

5. Each group will be responsible for choosing two students to present the poems: one student for argument and one for rebuttal.

6. The performance piece will take the form of a debate between the two sides, alternating as follows: argument (group 1); argument (group 2); rebuttal (group 1); rebuttal (group 2).

My Attempt at Performance Poetry

It seems that the only performance poetry I can think of writing is angry. I don't know if this is because most of the performance poetry I have heard (spoken word) has been by urban teenagers and has had pretty serious, often angry, anti-status quo messages. Actually, writing this down was difficult because I felt the need to mark the words I wanted to emphasize so the reader would know where to place the emphasis. On the other hand, I changed quite a bit of it once I heard myself recorded; hearing it aloud really changed what I wanted to do with it.

I cannot seem to get any type of audio file to upload here, so here is the written version.


You Think You Know

You think you know something
about me?
You think you're smarter
than me?
You think you know kids
like me?

You think you understand
my life?
You think you see something in
my eyes?
You think you get what's in
my head?

Fuck you.

You tell me to look inside.
You tell me to think some more.
You tell me to calm down.
Fuck you.

You say you know about
my mom.
You say you've heard about
my dad.
You say you've seen
my kind.

You say you understand
my situation?
You say you're here to help with
my life?
You say you can relate to
my reality?

Fuck you.

You tell me to look inside.
You tell me to think some more.
You tell me to calm down.

But you don't bother to listen to what
I say.
You don't bother to hear what
I speak.
You don't bother to see what
I see.
You've never touched what
I feel.
And you don't even know how to taste what
I taste.

So fuck you.

Don't tell me to look inside.
Don't tell me to think some more.
Don't tell me to calm down.

I know what's inside.
I know what I think.
And I know what my life's like.

But you don't listen
You don't hear
You don't see
So fuck you.