Poetry Slam Project
“Eviction”
Themed Creative Writing Lesson with author Kimberly J Simms
You will need paper and something to write with.
Agenda
Quick Write (1 minute): �What do you know or what do you want to know about the topic of EVICTION?
What is something you noticed in the video?
Eviction was an immersive art experience at the National Building Museum in Washington DC in 2019. A collaboration with Matthew Desmond, professor of sociology at Princeton University, a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, and best-selling author, Evicted offers an immersive experience bringing our visitors into the world of low-income renter eviction.
#EvictedExhibition #artiststatement
A stable place to call home is one of the best predictors of success. Yet each year, more than 2.3 million Americans, most of them low-income renters, face eviction. While it used to be rare even in the poorest neighborhoods, forcible removal has become ordinary, with families facing eviction from the most squalid, barely inhabitable apartments.
Author’s purpose
National Building Museum “Evicted”
Discussion: From this art installation, what can we observe about evictions in SC?
(Data from 2016) How does this visually communicate information?
Warm-up
Pair Share:
What makes a home a home? What does “home” mean to you?
Hurricane Florence Creating Housing Shortage for Displaced Carolinians
Complete the sentence with a metaphor:
Home is . . .
Walker Evans (artist)
American, 1903 - 1975
Farm Interior, New York State
1931
gelatin silver print
image/
Ekphrastic writing is writing or poetry inspired by the visual arts.
Complete the sentence with a metaphor:
Home is . . .
PATTERN: Noun + ING Verb + prepositional phrase (a where phrase).
Home is an apple pie steaming on the counter.
Home is a baseball rolling beneath the unmade bed.
Home is a tabby cat meowing by the back door.
Brainstorm
Dorothy Rutka, Eviction, 1937, aquatint, Smithsonian American Art Museum
(draw or fold a quadrant)
Day Two
Warm-up: Breath & Shake-out
Review
Imagery mini-lesson
Draft Poem
Discussion
Dorothy Rutka, Eviction, 1937, aquatint, Smithsonian American Art Museum
Writing Sketch:
Character:
City:
Year:
Season:
You can set your writing in the city / year / season of your choice. #Ekphrastic
Think about your author’s purpose.
Imagery
Example:
I shiver in the cold, dripping morning.
Let’s break this down:
I (verb) = (adj.) + (verb -ing) + (noun)
I (verb) = (adj.) + (adj.) + (noun)
LET’S WRITE ONE EXAMPLE TOGETHER
I see . . .
Writing Sketch:
Imagine you are a character dealing with eviction and write from their perspective. You can write a poem or prose poem.
You can set your writing in the city / year / season of your choice. #Ekphrastic
Think about your author’s purpose.
Eviction Poem with Imagery
I gaze ________ ___________ ____________ at . . .
I notice _______ _____________ _____________ on . . .
I hear ______ _____________ _____________ in . . .
I hear __________ ____________ ____________ across . . .
I remember the smell of __________ _________ ____________
I taste ___________ __________ _____________
The ________ air feels __________ ____________ _____________
I turn my face towards the _______ _________ _____________
My hand reaches ___________ ____________ _____________
I hope ____________________________
Word Bank: Night
Verb (ing)
Falling
Soaring
Sinking
Shining
Waning
Stacking
Blooming
Drifting
Disappearing
Glowing
Singing
Exploding
Loving
Opening
Trembling
Pounding
Dreaming
Dozing
Sparkling
Burning
Drifting
Colors / Adjectives
Red
Bright
Lunar
Lucky
Full
Rhythmic
Young
Solar
New
Free
Black
Tough
Crystal
Massive
Silent
Nocturnal
Long
Blue
Dark
Glacial
Muddy
Nouns
Honeysuckle
Sunflower
Rose
Dream
Waterfall
Dumpster
Air
Mountain
Sun
Fire
Flame
Cat
Oak Tree
Cherry tree
Street
Lake
Deer
Bonfire
Laughter
Rabbit
Frying pan
Star
Sharing
Themed Creative Writing Lesson with author Kimberly J Simms
Extension Lesson:�Author’s Purpose: �“Evicted” & “Perfect Storm”
The purpose of the exhibit “Evicted” was to raise awareness of the scale and prevalence of the issue of eviction, so that the National Building Museum could inspire people to raise their voices to address housing insecurity in their own neighborhoods and cities.
The purpose of the article, “Perfect Storm,” was to raise awareness of the connection between extreme weather and homelessness.
As an author, what might your purpose in writing on this theme?
Perfect Storm: Housing Shortage & Natural Disasters
Weeks after Hurricane Michael hit the Florida Panhandle last fall, leaders of the local recovery initiative estimated that as many as 20,000 residents of Bay County—more than 1 in 10 residents in the community of 185,000—were experiencing homelessness as a result of the storm.1 Rental homes make up nearly three-fourths of the community’s damaged properties, and when residents scrambled to find new places to live, they discovered that rents had skyrocketed due to the sudden supply shortage.2 The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been slow to provide temporary homes—which are only offered for up to six months—and is approving very few extension requests for the small number of residents lucky enough to receive temporary housing.3 As a result, many residents are living in structures that are not fit for human habitation, including damaged homes and tents, while others wait and wonder what will happen when the clock runs out on their FEMA housing.4