Loose Leaf Notes

No spit balls were thrown.  No one giggled or whispered. The students actually listened and seemed interested in hearing my writer’s story.   It was a small Literary Art Project class at the new Blue Mountain High School, where the students (currently six girls) are re-launching Artemis, a Roanoke literary arts journal that was founded in 1976 and ceased publication in the 90’s.  With the help of regular BMHS adjunct teachers, Artemis founder Jeri Rogers and graphic designer Virginia Lepley (who were both out of town), along with nature writer/blogger Fred First, students will be learning all aspects of producing such a journal, which, in this case, will have a nature theme. 

Interested in stimulating the poetic writing content of such a journal, I presented some exercises to encourage right brain stream of consciousness.  We pulled up my blog page. They were interested in what kind of camera I use, and didn’t know who Dear Abby was.  After reading them my blog bio, ‘Whenever I don’t know exactly what it is I’m doing and it borders on wasting my time, I call it research. Dear Abby, How can I get rid of freckles?’ was my first published piece at the age of 11,’ I explained who Abby was.  They explained the meaning of fandoms to me.     ~ Read about my visiting local writer visit to a Floyd High School English Composition class in 2010 HERE.