Upper School Focus: Right Here, Write Now

On a picture-perfect fall morning in late October, eighth graders dotted the grass behind the Picardi Art Center. Some leaned back against a sturdy tree trunk, gazing thoughtfully into the distance, while others sprawled in the grass, observing the cloudless blue sky. The students were in the midst of a Right Here, Right Now poetry exercise, each sitting alone in purposeful silence. They tuned in to what usually goes unnoticed, the soft buzz of nearby insects and the carpet of autumn leaves around them. In the stillness, their thoughts sharpened, and they began crafting poems rooted in the sights, sounds, and feelings of the moment. 

 

This exercise was just one part of the Eighth Grade Poetry Symposium, a full day devoted to exploring poetry, language, and the craft of writing. Students heard worked with Tina Cane, a poet whose five books of poetry and YA novel-in-verse have earned wide acclaim. From 2016 to 2024, Tina served as Rhode Island's Poet Laureate. In her presentation, Tina shared her journey to becoming a poet, the writers who shaped her, and the practices that guide her work. She read from her books, answered students' questions, and spoke about how she continually learns from writers she admires. "One of the most powerful ways to learn something is to read about it," she told them. "Find people who are good at the thing that you like, study their work, their habits, and their mindset."

 

Students drove the conversation, asking about her use of metaphor, imagery, and even punctuation. Again and again, her advice returned to the same idea: write without worrying too much about the finished product. Tina explained that she often shares work she's not satisfied with because it creates "energy around the work" that moves it forward. When asked what she wishes she had known earlier in her writing career, Tina offered a candid admission that even for her, writing is still a challenge. "I don't find writing easy, and that's okay," she said, "I try to write and not worry about the outcome." And for students who feel stuck, she encouraged persistence. "Just keep doing what you're doing to the best of your ability. Don't hesitate. Do it and see what happens."

 

Then students rolled up their sleeves for two hands-on writing workshops. In one workshop led by Upper School English faculty, eighth graders explored poems related to the Right Here, Right Now theme, including works by Mary Oliver and Walt Whitman. Students discussed the poets' vivid imagery and close observation of the world around them, and then they headed outside to find solitary spots across campus to write.

 

In the second workshop, Tina led students through a workshop inspired by Emily Dickinson's prolific letter writing and Tina’s own novel, Are You Nobody Too? After discussing the difference between poetry and prose, she invited students to spend 10 minutes writing a letter to someone or something that evokes strong emotion. Her challenge to them: "Take your vocabulary to the next level, use words and images that are really specific." Students then shared their letters, addressed to subjects ranging from a grandmother to a basketball. Tina guided them through an erasure exercise, encouraging them to cross out filler words and circle the ones that "pack the power, the meaning, the music, or the imagery." When they reread their pared-down letters, the distilled narratives that remained were even more powerful. "When we move towards poetic thinking, we're trying to get to the distillation, the syrup, the sweetest or strongest part of language, where the meaning resides," Tina emphasized.

 

The day concluded with several students bravely sharing their poems. Reflecting on the experience, English teacher Matthew Lippman said he was struck by how thoughtfully students applied what they learned, doing the deep work of observing, imagining, and shaping their ideas into poetry. "I hope they took away from this that they can allow their imagination to drive the engine without too many parameters," he said. "Writing is a path to discovery–about identity, the world, and where they intersect." 

 

 

 

What is emotion?

As I sit alone on this warm day on the top of the playground,

Does the calm sense in me count as emotion?

Does the fear of getting stung by the bee behind me count as emotion?

Can you ever have more than one emotion?

Can you mistake emotions?

Like how I fear this bee, is it possible the bee fears me?

Maybe he's thinking, “ I must keep my distance so he doesn't hurt me.”

But that's what I'm thinking as well. Which can keep us from being kindred to each other

Maybe the bee isn't a bee but a person, sitting on the other side of you on this warm autumn day.