Our Environment -- Spring/Summer 2010
NWA participants explored the theme of Our Environment, including topics from natural and built surroundings to social and cultural constructs.
Within NWA workshops, the environment is a relevant and recurring topic about such things as gardens, foreclosures, closure of health clinics, and challenges caused by reduced CTA routes.
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Where I’m From -- Summer/Fall 2009
NWA participants examined the theme of Where I'm From.
Writers discussed topics like migration, immigration, regional colloquialisms, understood by folks who share backgrounds but not necessarily everyone, and focused on their cultural origins.
NWA’s Where I’m From Project, including the production and printing of “Whistle Talk,” was supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Harper Court Arts Council, and the Southside Arts and Humanities Network.
Related Events
- Blues Poetry - Special workshop with Tyehimba Jess
- Collage Workshop with Krista Franklin
- Film Screening - Dislocation with Mary Pattillo
- Bookmaking with Sue Eleuterio and Ian Weaver
- "Where I'm From" - Chicago Humanities Festival performance led by performer and vocalist Glenda Zahra Baker
- Writing about Music - Special workshop led by Erin Hogan
- Publication of "Whistle Talk" with introduction by Ronne Hartfield.
Making Our Own Choices -- Winter/Spring 2009
NWA participants explored the theme of Making Our Own Choices, ranging from individual to collective choices.
Choices affect each individual, both directly and indirectly. Some issues work on both levels. There are choices we make for other people, and choices that other people make for us. "Making Our Own Choices" examined how every person’s life – our path, the decisions we made, and the understanding that results– is inextricably linked to the choices we made along the way.
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Raising Questions/Generating Answers -- Fall 2008
Neighborhood Writing Alliance (NWA) participants addressed what questions they thought should be on America's agenda.
These days, most of our conversations, whether nationwide or at the dinner table, are shaped by those other than us. Our "Raising Questions/Generating Answers" project was an attempt to reclaim those conversations.
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Where Were You -- Winter/Spring 2008
Neighborhood Writing Alliance (NWA) participants explored their connection to historical moments
"Where Were You?" was taken from the question commonly asked in relation to major historical events such as “Where were you when Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed?” or “Where were you when U.S. astronauts landed on the moon?” "Where Were You?" illustrates the connections between the writer's personal, family, or community stories and broader events, helping to define their place in history.
Related Events
- Question and answer session with playwright Ifa Bayeza
- Writings of reflections on Emmett Till (displayed in the Goodman Theater Lobby)
- "Defining Our Place in History" reading as part of Chicago's 2nd Annual Looptopia
- Reading at Jazz Institute of Chicago
- Publication of "Authors of History" with introduction by Salim Muwakkil.
Getting Around -- Fall 2007
NWA participants explore the theme of transportation
"Getting Around" illustrated the impact of transportation on our daily lives and on our city, examining the topic from various perspectives, including getting around town and navigating Chicago's traffic, as well as barriers to mobility and access and safety on public transportation.
Related Events
- "Getting Around" -- Chicago Humanities Festival performance with Artistic Director Baba Eli Hoenai
- Chicago Public Library Book Festival Reading
- Publication of "Round About," with introduction by journalist Richard Cahan.
Learning Curves -- Winter/Spring 2007
NWA participants explore the theme of formal and informal education
"Learning Curves" took a broad approach to the issue of education, exploring people's individual learning experiences, and examining the deep historical and cultural relationships between education and issues of race, culture, gender, and class. The project also questioned what defines education, emphasizing the role of informal and non-school-based education.
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Previous Years Projects
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