WRITERS WEEK

Goodbye to this blog.

2010-10-12T17:52:00.001-07:00

This blog is no longer being updated.

For information about Writers Week, please visit http://fremdwritersweek.ning.com.

WRITERS WEEK XV: FEBRUARY 23-27, 2009

2009-02-16T04:18:00.000-08:00

Share your thoughts about Writers Week XV here! What inspired you, made you laugh, or gave you a good idea? Give a shout-out to the student or faculty writers or any of the guests presenters!

WRITERS WEEK XIV DVD!!!

2008-06-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

NOW AVAILABLE

WRITERS WEEK XIV HIGHLIGHTS DVD!!!

FEATURING ALL OF THE WRITERS WEEK XIV GUESTS
FEATURING MOST OF THE STUDENT WRITERS & MUSICIANS
FEATURING A SAMPLER OF FACULTY WRITERS
OVER TWO HOURS OF COOL WORDS & MUSIC

$10

contact aromano@d211.org or glanderson@d211.org

A Note from LeAlan Jones!

2008-03-01T13:07:00.000-08:00

I truly appreciated being a part of the Fremd community today. I was energized!!!

Best Regards,
LeAlan M. Jones

Writers Week XIV!!! Blog Your Thoughts Here!

2008-02-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

What was your favorite Writers Week XIV moment? What was the funniest, coolest, most inspirational, most memorable, or wisest thing anyone said? (Feel free to add your highlights each day!)

Writers Week XIV Is Coming Soon!

2008-01-25T12:41:00.000-08:00

Professional writers from six states will visit the Fremd Campus for Writers Week XIV! See the links on the main page for more information about these exciting guests!
Sharon Draper: Young Adult novelist; author of Tears of a Tiger, Copper Sun, and many others; former National Teacher of the Year
Beth Ann Fennelly: Poet; essayist; author of Tender Hooks, Great with Child: Letters to a Young Mother, and others; Assistant Professor of English at University of Mississippi
LeAlan Jones: Co-author of Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago
Dave Clapper (Fremd ’84): Editor of Smokelong Quarterly
Dawn Meehan (Fremd ’88): Writer of the popular blog "Because I Said So"
Billy Lombardo: Author of The Logic of a Rose: Chicago Stories
Laura Van Prooyen: Poet; author of Inkblot and Altar
Daphne Willis & Co. (Fremd ’05): Singer/songwriter; CD: Matter of Time
Scott Woldman, Director and Playwright, and the cast of Speed Dating: The Musical
John O’Connor: Poet; author of Wordplaygrounds
Billy Kelly: Screenwriter of Enchanted, Premonition, and Blast from the Past
Mary Fons: Poet; freelance writer; author of "The Texas EP"
Regie Gibson: Poet; author of Storms Beneath the Skin
Len Upin: Former Fremd Art Department Chair; Stroke Survivor
Marc Smith: Poetry Slam Inventor; author of Crowdpleaser

A Note from Marc Smith ...

2007-04-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Fremd Students, Friends, and Slam Fans!

The power of the word manifests itself in many ways. I as sitting on the porch of my half-restored country home in Savanna, Illinois watching the muddy Mississippi River churn along when I opened the packet of your letters Mr. Romano posted to me. It had been a gloomy day. In fact, a gloomy couple weeks filled with the uncontrollable stuff life throws at you when you're an old man like me. I had slipped into an ugly spiral of doubt and confusion. One of those spinning vortexes we all find ourselves tumbling into now and then when the disappointments and setbacks seem like tornadoes tearing up our chances at happiness.

I opened the packet and began to read:

"You are one crazy dude. I never laughed so hard in school in my life. Ever! Please come back next year."
"Even though you didn't drop the f-bomb, walking on the wall was the coolest."
"I will always remember you telling us that if we feel a destiny inside of us, follow it, because it's real. I've already started doing that. Thank you."
"Outing Mr. Sampson and Ms. Mungai on being engaged was awesome."
"The poem I enjoyed the most was the one about your father's coat."
" ... was the one about 'He says She says.'"
"... was the one about the Wolf."
"... was the one about your daughter ... was the one about money being a rich man's joke ... was the one about pulling people up the mountain."

Thank you, Fremd, for pulling this old man out of his doubts and deep blues, reminding him that the things we say and write do matter, that communication and the arts of writing, performing, and poetry do make a difference, that when we take the time to thoughtfully and openly express to someone how we feel about them and what they've done for us we can change their day, their week, their lives.

Your letters have done that for me. Thank you.

Your grateful friend,
Marc (So What!) Smith

A Note from Ashley Garland!

2007-04-18T10:23:00.000-07:00

Fremd Students!

I wanted to thank you for writing such amazing letters. I was really touched by the observations and insight you had for my performance. Your letters blew me away because you got every point that I was trying to express! You are all so intelligent and your letters showed how much passion you have for your dreams and future aspirations. You all touched me in more ways than one. You inspired me to keep going in the pursuit of my dreams and gave me a renewed sense of purpose. I hope that you all put fear aside and go bravely in the direction of your dreams. Obstacles and road blocks are only stepping stones. Don't get discouraged! Thank you for your support and I hope that we can all meet again soon! A lot of you said you wanted to purchase a cd. My music is now available on iTunes so you can have access to any song you'd like to have. I'd love to keep in touch so feel free to write me at my website.

Thank you and I look forward to seeing you again in the future!

Love,
Ashley Garland
www.ashleygarland.com

A Note from Eric Butterman!

2007-03-07T09:01:00.000-08:00

Hey Vikings,

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed being a part of
Writers Week. What made it for me was the audience, a
bunch of high school students who had tests to sweat
over, were probably hungry as the lunch hour neared,
who spend their day being told what to do -- and yet
gave me their full attention and asked enthusiastic
questions. I meant what I said: you could possibly be
a paid writer now, regardless of your age, and you've
got nothing to lose by trying. I encourage you to find
out more about Cameron Crowe, who became a Rolling
Stone contributing editor when he was only 16!

Eric Butterman
'94 Fremd Graduate

A NOTE FROM SARA HOLBROOK!

2007-03-02T21:05:00.000-08:00

Hey Fremd!

A supersized thank you to everyone! I was humbly honored to be part of Writer's Week. What I noticed from the first time I attended (could it be?) 10 years ago, was the dramatic increase in the number of student writers reading their own work. Wow. Very impressive. Very. And then the way the teachers join the students as writing peers is beyond incredible. In case you would like to read other thoughts posted on my blog about the experience, here's a link:http://saraholbrook.blogspot.com/

Thanks again Mr. Anderson, Mr. Romano, Mr. Sampson, to the cookie bakers, the word shakers and the word takers. Thanks to the entire school for all you do to build a truely nurturing writing and learning community.

ASHLEY GARLAND'S NEW CD "KUKU"!

2007-02-21T14:12:00.000-08:00

Ashley Garland's new CD "KuKu" will be available for $10 at her Writers Week XIII performances on Thursday, March 1! For a preview, visit www.ashleygarland.com!

HEY, ALUMNI!

2007-02-21T12:37:00.000-08:00

Say hi here and share your favorite Writers Week memories!

BLOG YOUR WRITERS WEEK XIII HIGHLIGHTS!

2007-02-21T12:32:00.000-08:00

What was your favorite Writers Week XIII moment? What was the funniest, coolest, most inspirational, most memorable, or wisest thing anyone said? (Feel free to add your highlights each day!)

LOVE POETRY ADVICE FROM MARY FONS!

2007-02-14T17:44:00.000-08:00

Here's an article from the Daily Herald with advice from Writers Week XIII guest Mary Fons on how to write love poetry: http://www.dailyherald.com/story.asp?id=280868

HERE'S THE LINE-UP FOR WRITERS WEEK XIII!

2007-02-14T17:34:00.000-08:00

Visit the Writers Week web site for more information on this year's guests:

--Ted Kooser, United States Poet Laureate 2004-2006 and Pulitzer Prize winner
--Gary Marlon Suson, photojournalist and official photographer at Ground Zero for the Uniformed Firefighters Association; author of Requiem: Images of Ground Zero
--The return of performance poets Marc Smith, Buddy Wakefield, Tennessee Mary Fons, and Michael Salinger
--The return of Sarah Holbrook, author of Outspoken! and The Dog Ate My Homework
--Leslie Goldman, author of Locker Room Diaries
--Singer/songwriter Ashley Garland with her band
--Billy Lombardo, author of Logic of a Rose: Chicago Stories
--Three Fremd graduates working as professional writers: Terry Coli ('93), screenwriter for "One Tree Hill"; Eric Butterman ('94), freelance magazine writer; Jenny Dolan, columnist for The Lacrosse Tribune
--The return of Patricia Smith, poet, journalist, and historian
--A tribute to English Department retirees Kevin Brewner, Henry Sampson, and James Wyman

WRITERS WEEK XIII WEB SITE

2007-02-13T08:49:00.000-08:00

The Writers Week XIII web site is up and rolling! Find out what writers are coming to Fremd this year, as well as all the latest information about this year's big event! Just click on

http://www.fhs.d211.org/departments/english/sgerber/writersweek/index.htm

2006-05-22T06:50:00.000-07:00

Heads Up: Writers Week XIII will be February 26-March 2, 2007! Planning is already underway, and your thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

CHRIS CRUTCHER MOVIE!

2006-03-24T12:28:00.000-08:00

Would you like to see Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes made into a movie? Go here to help:
http://www.chriscrutcher.com/index.2ts?page=sarahbynesmovie

A Note from Mary Fons

2006-03-15T13:35:00.000-08:00

Dearest Fremd:

Thank you so much to the faculty, staff, boosters, organizers & the volunteers who make Writers Week a reality for your incredible students every year. It was truly an honor to be asked to participate in 2006. Being able to tell a crowd (or two) of high schoolers that dreams do come true if you follow your heart was simply exhilarating. I hope the feeling was mutual. Best to all & have a rockin' good summer.

Sincerely,
Mary Fons
2006

A Note from Daniel Ferri

2006-03-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

Tony, Gary, the English Department, associated friends like Maria M.,
and to the Fremd Students and Community,

Thank you for inviting me to WW XII.

You should know what Writer's Week means to the presenters who are
lucky enough to be part of this wonderful event.

Soon after the WW every writer I know that has been part of it has
told me what an overwhelming experience it had been to be welcomed by
that much of your school's student body.

Then, three weeks later I'll generally get a call saying, "I got this
BIG envelope full of letters! They really wrote me; they really
talked about the things I said. They were really listening."

What your school has created is rare. Look how many former students
come back for WW. It's like Homecoming week but with words instead
of football.

For me, this year, I needed the boost of Writer's Week. It has been
a very difficult year personally, and on top of that I am dealing at
the stresses of retirement and emigration. I left Fremd Friday
feeling that a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders. When
young people come up to a short, bald middle aged man and tell him
how much a few words he scribbled on a piece of paper mean to them,
its hard not to figure that at least something is right with one's
world.

Thank all of you, from the staff who makes it happen, to the
administration who supports it, to the students who are the reason
for it, and most of all, to everyone who listens.

My best,
Daniel Ferri

"Tennessee" Mary!

2006-03-02T18:07:00.000-08:00

Be sure to visit www.maryfons.com to see what "Tennessee" Mary had to say about her visit to Writers Week XII!

BLOG YOUR HIGHLIGHTS! BLOG THEM NOW!

2006-02-26T11:49:00.000-08:00

What was your favorite Writers Week XII moment? What was the funniest, coolest, most inspirational, most memorable, or wisest thing anyone said? (Feel free to add your highlights each day!)

Hey, Alumni!

2006-02-22T15:29:00.000-08:00

Say hi and share your favorite moments and memories from Writers Weeks I-XI!

Chris Crutcher Web Page

2006-02-07T07:36:00.000-08:00

Chris Crutcher's official web site has info about Writers Week XII. Be sure to visit www.chriscrutcher.com!