John Hay Community Academy Poetry: Poetry Broadsides

About Hands on Stanzas

Hands on Stanzas, the educational outreach program of the Poetry Center of Chicago places professional, teaching Poets in residence at Chicago Public Schools across the city. Poets teach the reading, discussion, and writing of poetry to 3 classes over the course of 20 classroom visits, typically from October through April. Students improve their reading, writing, and public speaking skills, and participating teachers report improved motivation and academic confidence. You can contact Cassie Sparkman, Director of the Hands on Stanzas program, by phone: 312.629.1665 or by email: csparkman(at)poetrycenter.org for more information.

For the last two weeks of the residency, students chose their favorite poems they wrote this year. Then they revised their work and created a broadside that incorporated images from their own poems. Finally, we took a "gallery walk" where students could see the amazing poems of their peers. It was a great 20 weeks at John Hay Academy!

Check back next fall for new poems!!