Mass Poetry-certified Poet-Educators, or those with comparable experience, work in public schools for a minimum of three sessions, and up to an entire school year. Residencies are customizable and can include co-teaching, workshops, performances & open mics, after-school programming, and/or one-on-one mentorship. The residency culminates in a capstone, such as the publication of an anthology of students’ work or a poetry open mic for the entire student body.
We currently work with poets who speak a variety of languages in addition to English, including but not limited to Spanish and ASL, and who also have experience working with students of all abilities and backgrounds.
Mass Poetry will work with participating schools on building a structure and schedule for the Poet-in-Residence program. We will recruit a poet for the program, taking into account any preferences for workshop topics or poet background (language, gender, ethnicity, LGBTQIA, etc.). We will then connect the school with a poet and facilitate the schedule and logistics, run Cori checks, and even help the school locate and/or apply for grant funding.
School enrollment occurs on a rolling basis to determine the best start/end date for the residency and to acquire funding as needed. Poet-in-Residence programs typically cost between $750-5,000.Because the Poet- in Residence program can span a few weeks to a full year, planning and scheduling can occur any time throughout the year for the upcoming semester/school year. There is no legally binding document with the Boston Public School District to take part in this program. We have not used formal MOUs, though we do work with the schools to determine what the schedule will look like and check in periodically to ensure that all parties are happy with how the residency is progressing. To get started, schools should reach out to our Program Director, Danielle Jones.
Mass Poetry also facilitates larger scale Capstone Celebrations, involving multiple classes or multiple schools coming together for an open mic or performance. You can get a sense of what one of these celebrations feel like by watching this short video:
Students have said:
“I was inspired to write poetry. I actually went home and wrote poems.”
“I liked all of the different styles of poets and how they each presented such different things in different ways—it showed me there’s not just one way of writing poetry.”
“[I learned that] poetry can be more modern and relatable.”
“I learned a lot about myself; that I am capable of writing and creating my own works of poetry.”
“I basically learned how to imagine.”
“I enjoyed listening to the open mic of the kids from our school. It made me look at them in a different way and with much more respect.”
“I learned about metaphor and imagery and the importance of searching for the truth beneath the surface.”
Past Field Trips
Coming Soon.
