writing | Debra R. Borys

I’ve written about Pongo Teen Writing Project in the past, but in case you missed it, it’s a program here in Seattle that mentors kids in juvenile detention (begun in 1998) and the state psychiatric hospital for children (begun in 2000). Volunteers work with these youth to express themselves through poetry as a way to understand, deal with, and recover from difficulties in their lives.

They continue to make huge differences in these kids lives, and are expanding as they are able in order to spread the goodness. Here’s an excerpt from a recent email they sent out talking about their continued efforts:

I’ve completed a chapter on Pongo’s methods for teaching writing to distressed youth. The chapter will be included in a book “Expressive Writing: Foundations of Practice,” edited by Kathleen Adams (Therapeutic Writing Institute), that will be published by Rowman & Littlefield Education next year. “Foundations” is the first book in a series of titles on expressive writing, to which I will be contributing!

Pongo is mentoring new poetry projects at agencies in Seattle and around the country. In addition to Pongo’s first duckling project at Friends of the Children, we have projects starting up locally at New Horizons Ministries (drop-in for homeless youth) and at Children’s Hospital (in-patient psychiatric clinic).

If you are a teen anywhere, their website offers writing exercises and for teachers who believe in the power of words to change lives, they also list free resources. If you know of similar programs around the country or the world, I invite you to post information and links here to spread the word.

Here’s the second installment sharing the work of my homeless writing workshop from my days of volunteering with the Open Door Shelter at The Night Ministry. The first post which gave the background of the two main protagonists can be read here.

I was so pleased with the group as we worked to come up with these interesting characters.

Symbolic Characters

DUMOS is an Asian store clerk who is absolutely in love with the store. It is his life. He works 90 hours a week. The dairy is his favorite, though he likes fruits, too. At home he reads drug store flyers?? and organizes and restocks his cabinets (food stuffs).

DUMOS is also the gatekeeper to good in the mystical back story His obsessed world will be thrown out of whack by the race to beat the window of time offered to Brian and Brew. His actions are calculated by forces beyond him to provide windows of opportunity for success and an end to the cycle.

JOSE is a bicycling ice cream vendor. He is an immigrant who came to America 2 years ago. At night he drinks like there’s no tomorrow. He is unemployed in the winter and thinks people are stupid for buying his stuff. He has secret fantasies of being a drug or arms dealer, but is content with his simplified life and his fantasies.

JOSE is also the Gatekeeper to evil. His actions (by direction of forces beyond himself) set up or complicate obstacles to success.

THE CATHOLIC GIRLS are symbolic of a higher power, but remain inactive, and vague though they appear in EVERY scene as a group. Can also be used individually, but never as a main character or plot participant.