Dear Friends,

We wanted to let you know about a new project at WritersCorps. We've just launched the Poetry Projection Project, a new contest that challenges filmmakers and video artists of all ages to make short films based on poems written by our students.

Entries will be juried by filmmaker Peter Bratt, and will compete for two $150 cash prizes and the opportunity to screen at two venues in April 2011 -- during National Poetry Month. The contest deadline is March 27.

Many of the poems that we're providing to filmmakers are from City of Stairways: A Poet's Field Guide to San Francisco. We've recorded our students reading these poems -- and we invite you to listen.

We've attached two of the recordings to this post ("Imagine" by Robin Black, and "Untitled" by Marcella Ortiz). To listen to the other poems, please visit our site here.

We hope you enjoy hearing the young authors reading their poems. And if you know any filmmakers, please pass along the contest information to them. Thanks so much!

- WritersCorps

Hello Kickstarter Friends,

We're excited to be reading this weekend during San Francisco's annual literary extravaganza, Litquake. WritersCorps will be participating in the legendary Lit Crawl through the Mission District on Saturday, October 9.

Both our student apprentices and teaching artists will be reading about city and place in celebration of "City of Stairways: A Poet's Field Guide to San Francisco." We'll be handing out free bookmarks too. If you are in the area, please stop by to say hello and also check out the many other readings taking place that evening at Lit Crawl.

WHAT: City of Stairways: Exploring Place in San Francisco

WHO: WritersCorps teaching artists with WritersCorps students Indiana Pehlivanova, Annie Yu, Marcella Ortiz, Nicole Zatarain Rivera, Sandra Pulido and Robin Black

WHEN & WHERE: Saturday, October 9, 2010, 7:15 to 8:15 pm
Serendipity, 803 Valencia St, (near 19th St)

Cost: Free!

Hello Kickstarter friends,

Just a note to let you know that we are having an event Thursday night in San Francisco. We're kicking off the school year with a very special reading of "City of Stairways: A Poet's Field Guide to San Francisco at the Red Poppy Art House (one of the many cool sites mentioned in the book)!

In addition to our student authors, this event features local musicians who will be performing work in response to the poems in "City of Stairways." The artists include rapper/emcee Hopie Spitshard, global avant-garde songstress Tbird Tall Flame Luv, and indie rock band The Invisible Cities. We hope you can join us if you're in the Bay Area. Read more about the event and our special guests.
WHEN & WHERE: Thursday, Sept. 23, 7-9pm
Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom Street

COST: $5-10 sliding scale ($10 suggested donation for adults)

We've also had the opportunity to talk about the book on the radio recently. Last week, one of our students, Annie, went to Pirate Cat Radio here in San Francisco to talk about the book. She had great fun talking about the process of putting the book together and even read a poem on the air. Special thanks to Martin at Pirate Cat for having us!

Watch for us next at Litquake. We'll be reading from "City of Stairways" during the legendary Lit Crawl on October 9.

Hello Kickstarter Friends,

We have many little things to share with you!

Reading August 26 at Book Passage

The young authors of City of Stairways: A Poet's Field Guide to San Francisco continue their summer reading series. Join us this Thursday, August 26, at Book Passage in San Francisco's Ferry Building. Our young writers will be reading with award-winning poet Michael Warr. Writer Chrissy Anderson-Zavala will be our emcee for the evening.

About our guest poet: Michael Warr wrote his first poem at the age of nine in San Francisco. He is the author of “We Are All the Black Boy” and a co-editor of “Power Lines: A Decade of Poetry from Chicago’s Guild Complex.” His digital photo/poetry performance, Poetic Aperture — An African American Interprets Africa, based on his poetry and photographs created as a photojournalist in Ethiopia and Mali, debuted at Chicago’s The Field Museum.

WHEN & WHERE: August 26, 6-7pm
Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, #42

COST: FREE

City of Stairways Reviewed

Our book was recently reviewed in the San Francisco Examiner. LJ Moore praises City of Stairways for being "your treasure map to a San Francisco seen though the eyes of young visionaries who are willing to give you a rare glimpse into what most passers-through pass right by." Read the review here.

Photos from our Reading at the Green Arcade

Thank you to everyone who packed the Green Arcade bookstore for our reading there earlier this month. See photos from the reading here. Below is a photo of our students Annie and Indiana with special guest readers Kevin Thomson and Amanda Davidson from San Francisco literary journal Instant City. Many thanks to Ian Wang for taking the photos.

Hello from WritersCorps headquarters!

We have some exciting updates about our book, City of Stairways. First, if you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, we invite you to attend our events. Our next one is this Thursday, August 5, 7 pm at the Green Arcade Bookstore at 1680 Market Street (at Gough).

Aside from the student authors of the book, the reading also features special guests Amanda Davidson and Kevin Thomson from local literary journal Instant City. Instant City publishes fiction, non-fiction, and art generating an ongoing psychogeographic exploration of San Francisco. Details for the reading here.

And now, for a recap of what's been happening this past month:

We had a lovely launch for the book on July 15 at Get Lost Books in San Francisco. After the reading, students answered questions from the audience. (Photo below).

A reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle was in attendance and he interviewed the students, asking them about their favorite places in San Francisco, as well as favorite lines from the book. It was such a great moment for the students to see themselves in the newspaper. Read the story here!

One of our students, Annie Yu, also recently wrote a little piece about being a resident of San Francisco on the blog I Live Here:SF. She writes about some of the places that hold personal memories for her, including the Wave Organ, where she and fellow WritersCorps apprentices went on a field trip. Read Annie's piece here.

We were also featured on Youth Outlook TV. Watch the segment here.

By now, we have mailed materials out to you, our fabulous Kickstarter friends. Thank you, eternally, for your support. If you were expecting a copy of the book and didn't get your package, please let us know. It should have arrived by now. We are also missing a few addresses, and we have emailed asking for them, so please write us back!

Hugs and kisses,
WritersCorps