Turning Children On to Poetry: A Creative Writing Experiment

In a school atmosphere, where faculty must of necessity adhere to rather strict rules of teaching, the author was given the opportunity to work with a group of 50 students in a non-traditional teaching environment. The children were taught to write and appreciate poetry in an experimental setting, with almost unbelievable results. One newspaper reporter, covering one of their meetings, wrote"Watching Lee Oliver coax words and smiles from the handful of young poets before him is nearly as beautiful as the poems themselvesThe youngsters here produce verse that inspires reactions like "they must have had help" or "I bet their parents wrote that"until you watch them."

Lee Oliver is a former professional musician, award-winning essayist, and poet. His work with young students in schools throughout South Jersey produced extra-ordinary results in elevating the level of creating writing and poetry written by these students. A former Vice President of the New Jersey Poetry Society's School Chapter Program, Lee is committed to getting younger students excited about poetry and creative writing. His method is to work with one or more schools each year, visiting on a weekly basis and work with students as a visiting poet. His efforts resulted in his being awarded the South Jersey Reading Council's Literacy Award in 1998. This was the Council's first award to a non-professional educator in its 20-year history. The material covered in this book is a compilation of the material used in conducting workshops for teachers in different teaching organizations throughout the state of New Jersey.