St. Louis Poetry Center :: Outreach Programs

St. Louis Poetry Center Outreach Poetry Workshops for Youth and the Under-served: Updated 4/2009

The following are the various outreach programs sponsored by SLPC. Some are currently active, others are awaiting funding and oversight for 2009-10. Please allow us to provide a personal tour by calling 973-0616 or email at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Friends with a Better Plan

The St. Louis Poetry Center has once again been invited to present poetry workshops for FBP's high school students in their after-school enrichment programs at Vashon, Gateway, Soldan and Sumner High Schools. A new site added this fall is Kottemeyer Big Picture High School. Poet educators include Derek Hudson (known by Meru Mauddib), and Arts Educator of the Year, Jane Ellen Ibur. Each site had three sessions with approximately 20 students participating each week. SLPC hopes to continue these sessions in the spring term.

SLPC and "Friends with a Better Plan"

"Raw!.... She helped the kids channel into their feelings about real topics like crime, family, unhappiness and death."
After school workshop assistant for Friends with a Better Plan and their program for students at Gateway High School

“I love the way you teach and tell your life stories! Thank you!”
Student from Gateway High School after school poetry workshops

After School Poetry Workshops

After School Poetry Workshops is an after school program serving students from 20 schools in urban St. Louis in collaboration with Midtown Catholic Charities Community Services' center on S. Boyle. Each of this year's four workshop sessions continue for 6 weeks serving three age groups; upper elementary, middle school and high school. Workshops cover writing tools from metaphor to hip hop and end with a performance for the Midtown families.

Poet Workshop leaders: Jane Ellen Ibur, Alison Palmer and Meru Mauddib

St. John the Baptist school is South City is also hosting poet/educators at its after school program.

Poets in Prison

The Poetry Center delivers multiple-week poetry workshop sessions in St. Louis holding facilities (jails) such as The St. Louis County Department of Justice Services' male inmates. Self-discovery and improved literacy skills bring renewal into these broken lives.

Poet Workshop leader: Jane Ellen Ibur

Edgewood Children's Center Poetry Workshops

Abused and disabled children participate in weekly interactions about self expression, creative writing through poetry. These young lives are encouraged to heal and to grow by the empowerment of self-expression and literacy.

Poetry Workshop leader: Jane Ellen Ibur

Poets in the County Schools

“Visiting Poets” are provided to various county schools in both Missouri and Illinois as a supplement to creative writing classes. Though these are not typically seen as under-served communities, the exposure of these students to poets and poetry may be minimal due to limited funding.

Poetry Workshop leaders: Marie Chewe-Elliott, Loy Ledbetter, Rachel Epstein and Stephanie Williams, Kara Moyer, Gillian Parrish

Interchange: Arts in the St. Louis City Schools

The Poetry Center and numerous other arts organizations in St. Louis continue with a flurry of creative activity at a growing number of city schools; K-8. Our workshop poets are bringing poetry writing to students in the form of nature studies, science classes, geographical histories, and of course personal narratives.