Plamondon School

I have been working through the poetry center of Chicago as a poet in residence at the Plamondon School on Chicago's near southwest side. It has become almost a sacred experience for me in the sense that I am able to introduce to these 4-5-6 graders poets not only that I love and respect but poets who I have also dismissed. I have had to move outside of my personal-poetic interests and teach poets that have not interested me in the past like Langston Hughes or Gabriela Mistral along with poets who do interest me like WCW and Lorca.

I do not know if these kids are getting the full impact of what I am doing but what I do know is that I am trying my best to give them good poetry. Some of the kids write great verse-- and some of the kids are clueless but most are interested. The state of the schools in Chicago are
decrepit at best but these kids are overcoming that I think?