Bend, Oregon. May 4, 2009. The Nature of Words Creative-Writing-in-the-Schools
program has inspired PoetryNOW!, a public presentation of poetry written by Prineville High School students who participated in
the writing class. Students will read and perform their works on Wednesday, May
6, starting at 6:00 p.m. in the Eugene Southwell Auditorium in the Prineville High School, 1100 SE Lynn Boulevard. The presentation is free and the public is
invited to attend.
As Central Oregon’s premier literary organization, The
Nature of Words has provided leadership in delivering week-long creative
writing workshops to Prineville students, as well as schools in Sisters, Redmond, and Sisters
Academy Bend and LaPine campuses. In June, classes will be held at the Deer
Ridge Correctional Institution in Madras,
Oregon. The program is funded by
grants from the Collins Foundation and the Oregon Community Foundation.
Jim Churchill-Dicks, English teacher at Crook County
High School, said, “In
light of the scarcity that schools are experiencing, the generosity of The
Nature of Words has been a gift to my students.”
With school budgets tightening, there is an even more
critical need for creative writing opportunities for high school and at-risk
youth in the region, The Nature of Words is helping to fill this gap by collaborating
with regional schools, academic programs and organizational partners in
offering this program. The curriculum for the program addresses and compares
poetry, fiction and nonfiction through readings and writing exercises.
Later in May, another event will showcase the poetry of Sisters,
Bend and Redmond
middle school Caldera students who have participated in the Creative-Writing-in-the-Schools
program. The Words Without Walls event on May 28, 2009 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. will
be held at Evergreen Studios, 435
Evergreen Avenue in Redmond, Oregon.
This year, Caldera and The Nature of Words collaborated in bringing creative
writing opportunities to the Central Oregon middle school population served by
the Portland-based Caldera program. The
program includes summer arts camp experience at Blue
Lake for Portland
and Central Oregon under-served youth and
follow-up arts curriculum throughout the school year.
For more information about the Creative-Writing-in-the-Schools
program, or other programs of The Nature of Words, visit www.thenatureofwords.org, email info@thenatureofwords.org or call
541.330.4381.
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