Guest blog from Drury House Workshop Leader Joey Ferber The summer heat swelled on the bluffs of the muggy Missouri. In the reprieve of good company and hard working air conditioning units, YourWords STL’s four-week songwriting session began on the first Wednesday afternoon of June. Garbed in a rolled-up Oxford, handed […]
Wayfinding
Feature Blog Post by Program Director, Anna Ojascastro Guzon
I walked into the classroom at 4 PM, when tutoring starts, and nine young men were already sitting down, working. They hadn’t had a creative writing workshop in a couple months because we were starting out the year focused on
Arts Educators, Hold Up
Feature Blog Post by Program Director, Anna Ojascastro Guzon
Sit down, hol’ up… be humble. – Kendrick Lamar
Almost 10 years ago, directors Greg Jakobs and Jon Siskel created the award-winning film about Louder than a Bomb: A Chicago Youth Poetry Festival. The documentary features co-founder Kevin Coval and
Brick by brick
Guest Blog Post from Executive Director, Steve HandoyoThe echo of youth voices and applause over the past month continue to wash over me in astonished waves. Commuting back and forth between Chicago and St. Louis, my month has been suffused with young artists building our future. Last week, I was […]
On Being a Volunteer – Small Kindnesses that Get Big Smiles
Guest Blog Post from Tutor Coordinator and Workshop Leader, Patsy Zettler
All anyone in this world wants is a little love and attention. A little one-on-one. A touch on the shoulder. Some eye-contact. A smile. As volunteers who work with children, though we may be leading an activity, helping
Louder Than a Bomb comes to Town
YourWords STL and Young Chicago Authors (YCA) in conjunction with KDHX will be gathering poets, schools, organizations, and activists as we explore slam poetry as a vehicle for youth empowerment in St. Louis.Acclaimed poets and leaders of Young Chicago Authors, Nate Marshall and Kevin Coval, will each perform, as well as […]
Time-Lapse
Guest Blog Post by Executive Director, Steve Handoyo “Sometimes you need to step back to see the progress you’ve made” – Kunthearath Nhek-Morrissey 1/17Our tutors, Tutor Coordinator, and Programming Director devote hours each week to the students at Marygrove, and now biweekly at Lift for Life Gym. I am only […]
The History of YourWords STL
YourWords STL began when two people had the same inspiration around the same time, with just enough serendipity to bring that thought into action. Two high school friends, Dr. Anna Ojascastro Guzon and Dr. Steve Handoyo, like much of St. Louis, were disheartened by the events that surrounding and
The Bull, Embroidered
Feature Blog Post by Program Director, Anna Ojascastro Guzon
The Day of the Dead, the Cubs win the World Series, 87 degrees in November in St. Louis, and a United States presidential election is bellying-up (either to the bar or like an overfed fish).
The past week has
Valedictorians
Feature Blog Post by Progam Director, Anna Ojascatro Guzon
Farewell the tranquil mind! Farewell content!
Farewell the plumed troop, and the big wars,
That make ambition virtue! O, farewell!
Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump,
The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife,
The royal banner, and all quality,