Programs
Our core program places professional writers in schools to conduct creative writing workshops that engage students' imaginations and introduce them to the pleasure and power of writing.
The residencies consist of 25 weekly sessions, allowing writers to become an integral part of students’ experiences. These year-long in-school residencies bring students together with practicing writers who serve as models of the creative life and help students to take themselves seriously as writers.
Publications celebrate and display students’ work in eye-catching, attractive magazines. They bring students’ work to the community at large, creating a sense of pride and interest in written expression of the highest quality. Graphic artists, designers, and other professionals have provided their professional services for the past several years at minimal or no cost.
InsideOut students have won writing awards in most major high school literary competitions including Michigan Youth Arts Festival; National Council of Teachers of English; Broadside Press; Albion College Poetry Contest; Lawrence Tech Writing Contest; NAACP Essay Contest; Detroit Auto Dealers Short Story Contest; Writers Voice, and more. In April 2001, members of
Citywide Poets, InsideOut’s after-school poetry performance workshop, placed fourth out of 25 cities in the National Youth Poetry Slam.
Participating Schools for 2008-2009
Bagley Elementary School
Bennett Elementary School
Bunche Elementary School
Burns Elementary School
Central High School
Chadsey High School
Cleveland High School
Clippert Academy
Cody High School
Coffey Elementary/Middle School
Crosman Alternative High School
Detroit International Academy
Edison Elementary School
Golightly Education Center
Hanstein Elementary School
Henry Ford Academy (Highland Park)
Hutchins/McMichael Middle School
Kettering High School
Lessenger Middle School
Mann Elementary School
Mark Twain Elementary School
McKenny Elementary School
Mumford High School
Northwestern High School
Osborn High School
Schulze Elementary School
Southeastern High School
South Lake High School (St. Clair Shores)
Stewart/MacCulloch Elementary/Middle School
Trombley Alternative High School
Western International High School
White Elementary School
Article# 272, Created Aug. 25, 2005 :: Last Update: Mar. 4, 2009
A list of
Citywide Poets events is located in our News & Events section. Be sure to check out the Citywide Poets Anthologies
ZerO Gravity,
Fresh Ink, and
City Breaths!
Citywide Poets is InsideOut's award-winning after-school workshop for high school poets. You’ll meet once a week to improve your writing and performing abilities and perform annually at venues around Detroit and the region.
To find out more:
- Download the application as a Word Document.
- Call us at the office or email citywidepoets at insideoutdetroit dot org.
Performances
CWP have performed at events and venues including:
- The Brave New Voices National Youth Poetry Slam:
2002 : Ann Arbor
2004 : Chicago
2005 : San Francisco
2006 : New York City
- Noel Night
- Detroit Festival of the Arts
- Arts in the City
- Java and Jazz at the Detroit Public Library
- Starbucks Coffee Shop
- Barnes and Noble Bookstore
- 1515 Broadway
- ArtServe Governor’s Art Awards
- University of Michigan
- Wayne State University
- Wayne County Community College
- Hamtramck Public Library
- Marygrove College
- Brown Bean Cafe
- Detroit People Mover
- The City Club
- Orchestra Hall
- Tangent Gallery
- Art Exchange Gallery
Awards
CWP have won awards, including:
- Four Friends /Variety Creative Writing Scholarship
- Lotus Press High School Poetry Prize
- Michigan Youth Arts Festival, Merit Award
- Controlled Burn Seminar for Young Writers Scholarship
- University of Virginia Writing Seminars Scholarship
- VONA (Voices of Our Nations) Summer Writing Workshop Scholarship
- Cave Canem Scholarship
Publications
CWP poems and publicity have been featured in:
- Teen Voices Magazine
- Detroit Free Press / YAK
- InsideOut Gala Program
- WTVS, Channel 56
- WDTR Radio
- WDIV, Channel 4
- The Furnace
- Strut Magazine
- Comcast TV
Collaborations
CWP writers have met and worked with local and national prominent poets, including:
- Lucille Clifton
- Terrance Hayes
- Nikki Giovanni
- Toi Derricotte
- Naomi Long Madgett
- Tyehimba Jess
- Sekou Sundiata
- Quincy Troupe
This program is funded in part by a grant from the Skillman Foundation.
Article# 273, Created Aug. 25, 2005 :: Last Update: Aug. 13, 2008
The Literary Magazine Publication Center (LMPC)
was founded in 2003 to give high school students from participating InsideOut schools the opportunity to create the page layout and graphic design of their school’s literary magazines. Typically, it is an after-school program beginning in November and ending in April. Students meet once a week to learn the fundamentals of graphic design and other cross-discipline skills such as photography, web-design and drawing. The first half of the class focuses on building the students' skills and visual awareness; the second half focuses on the production and application of those skills.
The 2008â€â€
Article# 276, Created Aug. 25, 2005 :: Last Update: Nov. 5, 2008
A Neon Color Calls Me
A Neon Color Calls Me saw a successful third year in July of 2005. The annual creative writing and arts workshop for teachers, held at the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Opera House, offered 2 days of writing in the galleries at the museum, followed by a 3rd day of performance and practice at the Detroit Opera House.
Topics included "entering" and responding to visual art; using color, metaphor, persona, word-play, paradox, and form; finding and fine-tuning your voice; trusting the flow, and more. Participants worked to discover their own creative voice, found words to shape the magic of the artistic experience, shared the power of poetic language, and found ways to move from "page to stage." Look for this program to expand in 2006, with even more arts interactions and special guest writers.
Presenters for July 2005 Joining InsideOut’s founder Dr. Terry Blackhawk and her award-winning staff of writers and performance poets â€â€Â
Article# 274, Created Aug. 25, 2005 :: Last Update: Aug. 31, 2005
If you are interested in hearing about the program, please contact Nandi Comer at
nandi@insideoutdetroit.org.
Article# 275, Created Aug. 25, 2005 :: Last Update: Jun. 11, 2009
A Poem A Day!
InsideOut's outreach program
A Poem A Day! celebrates National Poetry Month during April.
A Poem A Day! is presented by local sponsors and businesses.
The program features poems written by InsideOut students each day of the month by sharing it with the community via displays in local businesses and
online. The result is an impressive and powerful collection of student writing that touches thousands of individuals over the course of the month and provides recognition to some very talented young writers.
Article# 277, Created Aug. 25, 2005 :: Last Update: Jul. 10, 2008
