A while back Juan was contacted by a middle school teacher from another town who was planning an overnight trip for her 8th grade class. As part of that trip, the Hungry Eye staff is scheduled to do a poetry/fiction reading on Wednesday for these students and anyone else who's interested. It should be fun, I think the 8th graders will make for a great audience.
They also make for a slightly problematic one. Once I committed to be a reader, I tried to think of what I had that would work. I've got two pieces that have been in the Hungry Eye, so that's a starting point. Except, they're both pretty gore-filled. Hrm... I went through a mental list of poems and stories, only to realize that those which came to mind tended to be pretty R rated.
Somehow I've gotten into a pattern of writing dark stories. I didn't mean to, really.
Now, what pieces can I read for 5-10 minutes that don't involve gore or death? I should have something appropriate, right?
2 comments:
Madeline L'Engle said something along the lines of "If the subject is too difficult for adults, then it's a children's book."
I don't know if that helps you...but keep in mind that a lot of "young adult" books involve death (a recent bestseller is called 13 Reasons and it's about a guy who receives a series of tapes recorded by a girl who has just committed suicide...and she wants him to know the part he played in her decision...after he listens he's supposed to send it on to the next person on her list).
Good point. I think I'll still err on the side of caution (especially since this is a public school event). I have to remember that I started at the Raptor Center (i.e. Gore Central) in 7th grade. So, maybe the rattlesnake story could work...
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