WINTER 2010
In March, the Neighborhood Writing Alliance hosted a three-session special workshop with publisher and activist Daniel Tucker. “Gone Tomorrow: Thinking Critically about Urban Planning and Limited Resource” utilized “Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage” by Heather Rogers to help participants think about urban environments and long-term sustainability. Tucker facilitate discussion and writing prompts around the impact of consumerism, government policy, personal choices, and politics as they relate to the long-term impact of our city, especially as they relate to class and political clout.
On March 4th, NWA presented “Wilson Wants it All” at House Theatre of Chicago at Chopin Theatre as part of our "Our Environment" theme.
In February, NWA presented Erin Hogan in a two-session special workshop. "Journey Mapping" utilized Hogan's book Spiral Jetta: A Road Trip through the Land Art of the American West as a model to encourage participants to examine how they interact with the environment on a daily basis and to think about their physical and emotional responses.
On January 27th, the NWA partnered with the University of Chicago, the Applied Research Center, and UCAN to co-host "Gray vs. Green: Why Urban Renewal Didn’t & The Green Economy Must." As part of this 2nd Annual Race~Class~Environment Roundtable of Diverse Perspectives, leading thinkers and everyday neighbors came together in a dialogue for healing, honoring, educating, and advancing ourselves and our villages. The panel and participants explored the questions: Is “race” for real? Is “class” a state of mind? Is our environmental movement free from segregating along these lines?
FALL 2009
On December 4th, Neighborhood Writing Alliance(NWA) writers read their own works originally commissioned by the Goodman Theatre as the opening for the Jazz Institute of Chicago's presentation of "Until Emmett Till: Ernest Dawkins' Chicago 12" at Hamilton Park.
On November 8th, NWA was thrilled to present our writers at the 2009 Chicago Humanities Festival in direction with performer and vocalist Glenda Zahra Baker. "Where I'm From" was full of vivid, original, and thought-provoking stories about laughter and humor across Chicago, accompanied by percussion, song, and movement.
On October 24th, NWA Board Member and Workshop Leader Sue Eleuterio and Program Director Rupal Soni presented as part of Finding Home: Creativity and the Expression of Place, a forum at the 2009 American Folklore Society Annual Meeting in Boise, Idaho. Programs in three communities—New York City, Chicago, and Harrisburg—were described, including the Neighborhood Writing Alliance’s Journal of Ordinary Thought.
On September 14th, NWA presented special guest speaker Ron OJ Parson, Director of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey‘s Black Bottom for our theme “Where I’m From.” Ron OJ Parson, director of Court Theatre’s current play, Ma Rainey‘s Black Bottom, talked about the play and led a discussion on his experience in directing the only August Wilson play to be set on the South Side of Chicago.
In September NWA presented Writing about Music, two workshops led by Erin Hogan. Erin Hogan led NWA writers through exercises to put words to the memories, feelings, stories, and associations they have with particular songs or musicians. Erin works for the Art Institute of Chicago, and last year she published a book, Spiral Jetta, about road trips and art. She is currently working on a book about learning to play the fiddle.
In September NWA hosted Bookmaking with Sue Eleuterio and Ian Weaver. This special 3-session workshop led by professional folklorist Susan Eleuterio and bookmaker/artist Ian Weaver helped participants to capture and document family roots and community histories in a handmade book.
SUMMER 2009
On July 15th, NWA joined the anti-violence community to present a special workshop facilitated by Donna Kiser that resulted in an anthology delivered to the Illinois General Assembly. In Using Our Pens! Donna Kiser lead the group to develop stories that show the individual impact of violence and the necessity of maintaining full funding for services that help survivors.
On July 14th, NWA presented a film screening of Dislocation and discussion at the Hyde Park Art Center. Dislocation is a documentary by Sudhir Venkatesh. In it, Sudhir follows LeeLee and Chuck, two people whose families had been living in Chicago’s Robert Taylor Homes public housing development for decades but were suddenly given 180 days to move. Discussion was led by Mary Pattillo, professor at Northwestern and author of the books Black on the Block: The Politics of Race and Class in the City and Black Picket Fences.
On July 9th, NWA hosted a special Collage Workshop with Krista Franklin at the Hyde Park Art Center. Using visual images and words, participants created collages exploring the places they are from.
SPRING 2009
In partnership with The Illinois Humanities Council, the Newberry Library, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, and the Burnham Plan Centennial on June 30th, NWA presented two writers at Checking the Gauge: The Legacy and Future of Oil and Water Policy event at the Newberry Library. Sharon Warner and Nedra Mixon opened the program reading personal stories of how these large, systematic issues affect us as individuals and communities.
On June 6th, NWA presented 15 writers for the 5th consecutive year at Chicago Tribune's Printers Row Lit Fest. Writers read narratives, poetry, and personal accounts focused on issues involving choices directly, on individual (what we choose to eat or where we live and work) or collective (war, democracy, environment, prison system) levels.
This Spring, four pieces from the Journal of Ordinary Thought (JOT) will be featured in the study guide for the Goodman Theatre’s production of Magnolia – Regina Taylor’s play about an Atlanta family during the Civil Rights movement. The authors will attend the production and, using the guide, participate in a post-show discussion with the cast and students.
The Neighborhood Writing Alliance (NWA) presented two Blues Poetry workshops in May with poet Tyhimba Jess. Taking inspiration from individual, family, and community histories, Jess led NWA participants through the creation of blues poems, a kind of writing rooted deeply in Chicago’s tradition and music.
On May 8th, NWA celebrated the genius of Rafael Hernandez Marin, Puerto Rican composer and musician in a collaborative performance with the Lowell School Band and the Puerto Rican Community Choir, as well as readings from Norma Mateo and Edmee Cappas Velez of the San Lucas Writing Workshop.
On May 1st, three NWA writers – Christelle Evans, Larry Jackson, and John Quirk – read at the release party for AREA Chicago #8: “Everybody’s Got Money Issues.” Their pieces answered the question “How does money affect you, and how does it affect the choices you make about your life and work?” These were published, along with pieces from over ten more NWA writers, in that issue of AREA. Here, we’ve posted all the submissions in full.
On April 15th , NWA and Jane Addams Hull House partnered to present
Who Framed Sex Ed? an informal speed-dating style chit-chat on reproductive choice, abstinence-only education, and sex ed using film clips and response boards.
On April 7th, NWA joined the
Jane Addams Hull House to present
RePROductive Choice?? an engaging and lively Soup soap box on the topic of:
What does choice really mean as it relates to reproductive rights and justice? Who gets to choose? If reproductive services are legal but accessible only to some, does one really have reproductive choice? How does the framing of the issue of choice in media influence our thoughts and the predominant public discourse?
On April 2nd, NWA partnered with
The Field Museum and the University of Chicago's Civic Knowledge Project to host a special workshop to explore what the environment means in an urban setting, and how we can work together to create environmentally-friendly communities.
Short film clips and other interactive materials were used to help participants think about how the "environment" plays a role in their everyday lives.
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