In the writing community, there is an adage that “everyone has a novel in them.”
And while the medium may not always be a novel, ODU’s 社区作家(绞车) program aims to help people from all backgrounds tell their story through fiction, 诗歌, 散文和更多.
绞车, a branch of ODU’s Master of Fine 艺术 in creative writing program, is a nonprofit group dedicated to helping the diverse community of Hampton Roads cultivate literacy and creativity.
It was founded by Paul Sznewajs, a graduate student who initiated a volunteer artist-in-residence writing program for the patients at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters.
今天, the program is led by a student coordinator in ODU’s MFA program who serves in a funded, 助教奖学金的作用. 现在, 那个学生是凯特·刘易斯, who studies nonfiction and previously was a freelance journalist with bylines in the New York Times, 华盛顿邮报等.
“Kate Lewis has taken the program in an exciting and innovative direction, both because of her experience as a professional writer and journalist and her commitment to the Hampton Roads community,肯特·沃斯科姆说, program director for ODU’s MFA in creative writing.
Since she started leading 绞车 in fall 2022, Lewis has reinvigorated partnerships post-pandemic with organizations like the Norfolk SPCA, 南城男孩 & 女孩俱乐部, the Norfolk Botanical Garden and various public schools in the region to conduct workshops, readings and more led by ODU graduate students.
“It's also a great way for our MFA students to not only gain a variety of experiences that they can be proud to add to their professional resumes, but also experience the different ways community is important to the writing life,路易莎·伊格洛里亚说, 路易斯,我. Jaffe Professor of Creative Writing and English at ODU and former Virginia poet laureate.
宁静马歇尔, a student in the MFA program studying fiction, teamed up with Lewis to teach a March workshop on creative writing at the Slover Library in Norfolk.
“Whether it’s out in the wild or through 绞车, I’ve found that so many people just want to express themselves,马歇尔说. “And I think that whether you want to be a professional writer or you just want to write pretty poems to your girlfriend, reading and writing are something that people really want to do.”
This month, 绞车 partnered with the SPCA to write bios for adoptable animals, hoping the power of words can help them find their forever homes. They also partnered with 南城男孩 & 女孩俱乐部 to offer suggestions about writing essays for scholarships.
Marshall said one of the challenges for young people as they express themselves through writing is the fear of being rejected.
“I think it’s a very vulnerable practice,” she said. “So when we do some of these events, and we meet kids like the ones in the Boys & 女孩俱乐部 who are so terrified to 分享 themselves and we work with them and help them see the power of their words, 这真的很特别, 有趣的时刻.”
绞车 is also active on ODU’s campus, collaborating with other departments and doing readings at events like Mars Fest. 最近, they teamed up with ODU Associate Professor Kevin Moberly to start a video game design and writing collaboration group, and third-year MFA fiction candidate Caitie Van Dore taught a class at the Slover Library on writing for video games.
“I want to shout out Kate Lewis, because I think that her creative vision has driven the program even further than what I imagined it could be,马歇尔说.
When Lewis graduates in Spring 2024, a new student from the MFA program will take over as coordinator. Wascom hopes the program will continue to have a diverse engagement with the community.
“We’re giving people tools that are otherwise difficult to access based on money, 地理和时间,Wascom说. “People who have the tools to express themselves are then able to advocate for themselves. You’re giving them ownership of the arts — it is theirs and something they can do.”