::WordPlay Teen Writing Project::
www.wordplaybr.com
teaching poets
Anna
West, WordPlay
Project Director and Mentor Writer
Anna is a poet, educator and community arts organizer. She has innovated youth writing programs in diverse community settings for eight years. She served as the Program Director of Young Chicago Authors from 2000-2005 and was the co-founder of YCA’s Say What Magazine and Louder Than A Bomb, the highly acclaimed Chicago Teen Poetry Slam. She holds a B.A. in creative writing and has taught community arts pedagogy at Columbia College Chicago and Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education. In August 2004 she was featured in UR Magazine as one of thirty Chicagoans under the age of thirty who has shaped the city’s cultural life. Anna recently returned to her hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Ch
ancelier
"xerØ"
Skidmore, WordPlay Mentor
Writer
Chancelier “xerØ” Skidmore is a poet, educator and organizer from Baton Rouge. He is the Artistic Director of Baton Rouge’s City at Peace teen theater ensemble. He is one of the primary organizers of a weekly open-mic and poetry slam, The Eclectic Truth and has represented Baton Rouge at the National Poetry Slam since 2000, serving both a coach and team member. He has been ranked twice among the top five poets in the United States through that competition. He has facilitated writing workshops for youth and adults throughout Louisiana over the past five years.
La
tasha
Weatherspoon, WordPlay Mentor Writer
Latasha Weatherspoon is a native of Ville Platte, Louisiana. She is a mentor, educator, and poet. She is also an active member of the Baton Rouge Poetry Alliance and has served on both the 2005 and 2006 Baton Rouge National Poetry Slam teams. Latasha is a recent graduate of Southern University where she recieved a BS in Speech Language and Pathology. She is currently a mentor writer for WordPlay as well as a Community Mentor for Project Rise.
www.myspace.com/latasha_weatherspoon
Ann
a Hirsch, WordPlay Project Assistant
Anna Hirsch is a fiction writer, book artist, and teacher. She is currently a member of the Louisiana Delta Service Corps, serving at WordPlay, and a recent graduate of Louisiana State University where she earned an MFA in creative writing. At WordPlay she oversees WordSkills Tutoring and Academic Advising and Teen Publications. She is also the website czar.
www.songtrabong.squarespace.com
Dr. Susan Weinstein, WordPlay Advisor
Dr.
Weinstein is an assistant professor of English and Director of the
Secondary English Concentration at Louisiana State University in
Baton Rouge. She conducts ethnographic research into the writing
practices of teenagers and young adults. Dr. Weinstein's work has
been published in
English
Education,
Pedagogy,
and the
Journal of
Adolescent and Adult Literacy
(upcoming). She has presented papers at numerous national and
international conferences. Finally, Dr. Susan Weinstein, head
of the LSU Secondary English Education Program, serves as an advisor
to WordPlay. She monitors the workshop activities and offers
suggestions to shape WordPlay curriculum and events.
***
Adult Spoken Word in Baton Rouge
ECLECTIC TRUTH OPEN MIC POETRY READING
every Monday night
Chelsea's Café
2857 Perkins Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
www.myspace.com/thepoetryalliance