Days I Moved Through Ordinary Sounds: The Extraordinary Work of WritersCorps Teachers

by Chad Sweeney (Editor)

The poems and short stories collected in this volume are the outcome of fifteen years of an amazingly successful asking accomplished writers to teach workshops in juvenile detention facilities, homeless shelters, inner-city schools, and schools for newly arrived immigrants. Follow these teacher-artists in the National Writers Corps on their journey into the halls and streets of America's diverse neighborhoods as they enrich the lives and creativity of their students—and find their own voices changed in the process. As one writer-teacher puts "Writing in community gathers us around the proverbial campfire and reminds us why we do because hearing stories helps us make sense of the world, and because telling them helps us make sense of ourselves."

Genres: Poetry

200 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2009

About the author

Chad Sweeney is the author of PARABLE OF HIDE AND SEEK (Alice James, 2010), ARRANGING THE BLAZE (Anhinga, 2009), AN ARCHITECTURE (BlazeVox, 2007), and A MIRROR TO SHATTER THE HAMMER (Tarpaulin Sky, 2006). He is editor of Days I Moved Through Ordinary Sounds: the Teachers of WritersCorps in Poetry and Prose (City Lights, 2009) and coeditor of Parthenon West Review with his pal, David Holler.

His work has appeared in Best American Poetry, New American Writing, VERSE, Colorado Review, Denver Qtly, Crazyhorse, Forklift, Barrow Street, Pool, Slope, GutCult, H_ngM_n, Electronic Poetry Review, Coconut, Interim, American Letters & Commentary, Bird Dog, the tiny, Tea Party and elsewhere. He is a PhD candidate at Western Michigan University where he teaches creative writing and serves as assistant editor of New Issues Press in Kalamazoo Michigan.

Reviews

[City Lights Booksellers & Publishers · Rating 5 out of 5]

"For Minahal and the anthology's other firty-nine contributors, the place of poetry and fiction in their students' lives proves indisputably relevant. With grit and sophistication, this collection chronicles the use of art as creative social instrument, and attests to literature's enduring contemporary importance." —Rachel Mennies, Rain Taxi

The Brooklyn Rail
"This anthology cuts across the board. It's an important sampler, not only of poetry, but also of the rainbow underbelly in the rough hoods of Washington, DC, San Francisco, and the Bronx. It is also valuable as a chronicle of hope and a reminder that poetry is a shared endeavor. " —Jeffrey Cyphers Wright

"This anthology is more than a record of WritersCorps. It is a chronicle of our times."
—Martín Espada, author of The Republic of Poetry

"It has been so exciting for me to read what WritersCorps has been writing, those who are going to carry poetry in the future. "
—Tille Olsen, author of Tell Me A Riddle

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Poetry teachers really work hard.
They are right when they say, "We(the students) learn from them(the teachers), and they learn from us".
Michelle, Myron, Beto, Milta and Chad... You are the best!

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I've picked up in a long time.

[Connie Langhorst · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a student pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing (in a program that includes a pedagogy strand), this book is a must read for anyone who wants to teach or is teaching in a non-traditional setting.