A Writing Room

Rapid Eye Movement

This is the poem I wrote during Erika's demo in Summer Institute today.  I was playing around with her question of what a workable democracy could look like.  I sort of chickened out by writing about a dream, in which as Kendra pointed out all of Hamilton's elite must have poofed away.


I dream democracy

Not that
I have a dream
But a dream, like in
la la land
of the free thinking

As Jefferson's sleep turns REM
This democracy dream
Collides with itself in
Popular belief
But not contained
In popular plastic packaging of
Corporate market philosophy

Beliefs held tight to
What (the) people
know about our, and thier and her
history of
protest
tribal life
labor groups
world cutlures
academics
women's circles
grassroots collectives
sci-fied futures
and Hamilton's past life

Wrapped in Cape: Whose Stories Are Covered Over in the Primacy of the Hero

Who is on the other side of the hero narrative?  We (and I mean I) spend a lot of time thinking about and problematizing and wondering about heroes.

Another interesting and maybe more equitable and participatory approach would be to concern our selves over re-seeing the stories of the saved.  I mean they are the ones whose stories might be hidden away in rippling layers of cape swooshing over the possibility until they are lifted safely out of danger of being heard or given any credit.

So what if...

We moved our conversation from loving or hating the he--- who?  Toward considering the storied lives of the swept off her feet- lifted to safety poor thingified person, who might give insight into the fluidity and tension of lived experience, especially for those of us often peeking over the flexed muscles of Superman.

Where I Write... Poem from a Demo

Mary Ellen's demo inspired some poems about writing...

Deadline closing in
And the words flow
I write late at night
By myself
But for the notes in Skype
To be read tomorrow
By my sleeping writing group

And at Jackson's Java
(it's quieter than Amelie's)
With coffee cup
Tea cup
Water bottle
Fully hydrated

And in institutes
Fretwell, Cameron, Portland, Las Vegas (even), Denver
Murray cards, freewrites, mentor texts and sticky notes
With

And in airports
Hotel rooms
Conference nooks and crannies
With Cindy
Papers sea around us
in waves of qualitative

#th Sense

This is the comic I have been working on this week during Summer Institute.  I began to draw it in my daybook during Jenny's demo in response to the conversation and readings in Ashley's demo!  #convergence

There are three panels.  Click this link to see full comic.

How to Plan a Day of Summer Institute

We are thematizing
our learning
in the present

It's not that we all appeared here.
Poof.
In the most unformed or forming only now way.
There is a room full of history that plans this group.

But a careful organization
script,
protocol,
logic model,
outline,
format,
essential question,
standard,
outcome set,
or google doc
couldn't have manipulated this feeling
of synergy of learning with people

In the room today.

Layering with #gnomes: Beginning to Name Values

Here is a beginning to my credo make.  I have some more layers to add to my thinking in upcoming posts... In fact I think I have a lot more to say, but right now I am going to throw out here some thinking I have going so far in terms of re-purposing my toyhack project and invite more voices to think with me in this voicethread.

Press Any Key

What does it mean to be bootable?  

Ready to go where the electric current takes you?  

Mapping onto the flow feeling, 

The current rippling effect

(Do currents move in waves?)

To understand your own interests and 

Let's do the wave 

That's what it's like

The flow of knowing for sure and still being open

To sparking

Somehow a connection to a teacher, learner, neighbor

Person beside you, whose arms flow up 

At just the moment to make that nice meeting place

Of bodies moving in a current 

Ideas that don't overwhelm to the stopping point

But rather well over the brim, 

Sipping to the next person, next idea, next moment

In activity 

Of making

P.S.

It was this little

Seemingly standstill moment

Overheating laptop

Remembering Kim's phone photography

Inserting (or asserting) my own interst

That became a device

To boot up a poem

Day 1 Poemified Storify