Write Out
About Write Out:
Write Out is a community writing collective that partners with local organizations to offer youth-oriented afterschool programming designed to get students excited about writing and storytelling.
Since it was first launched in 2020, Write Out has partnered with teachers, artists, and community leaders from the North Side Learning Center, YWCA’s Girls Inc., MercyWorks, and La Casita Cultural Center, to co-design writing workshops for children and teens in the Syracuse Area.
Write Out and its community partners are committed to challenging assimilationist discourse that focuses on “overcoming” cultural and linguistic differences. They seek to provide youth a space to share their own stories, on their own terms, and encourage students to write across languages and modes of meaning-making. Write Out is a proud member of the Engaged Humanities Network.
Below are creative responses from local Syracuse middle and high school students generated from environmental writing workshops hosted by Write Out.
Vievee Francis
Nightjar
Its flight was soundless, the wings full of air.
The feathers. The feathers. I didn’t imagine this.
I opened my eyes and there above me it hovered,
as if considering what should happen next.
I was not yet asleep. It was dusk. But I had worked
since dawn and needed to rest. Let myself collapse
upon the bed. Had I opened a window?
It seemed to float. I could feel the rapidity
of its heart. It stared as if it did not know it was staring.
Not wanting to frighten it I did not reach, though
I wanted to. It remained just inches away. Reluctant incubus.
Crepuscular darling. How could I fear it? So urgent—
my muscles relaxed as I concentrated
all my attention on the intruder—so hesitant.
I mouthed Lower. I lay still as an invitation.
—Vievee Francis, from The Forest Primeval (2016)
A nightjar is a nocturnal (nighttime) bird that can be found all over the world. It is small with brown feathers that help to camouflage it and mainly eats bugs.
Creative Writing Prompt:
In Nightjar, Vievee Francis writes about an unexpected, or surprising, encounter with a bird. She wonders how the bird found its way into her apartment “Had I opened a window?” and describes how she “lay still”, not wanting to scare it and wanting it to come closer to her.
Have you ever been had a surprising encounter with nature like this? Found a bird or other animal in your home when you didn’t expect it? Or seen an animal or plant somewhere that it isn’t usually?
If you can’t remember something like this happening to you, feel free to imagine it! How might you feel if you woke up and a dinosaur was in your room? Or you walked out your front door and saw a racoon? Or if you set your backpack down while waiting for the bus and picked it up only to discover there was a squirrel inside eating your lunch?
Write a poem, short story, or description of what happened (or what you imagined). Use the following questions to guide you.
What did you first see? What did you hear? Why did it surprise you? Where were you? What kind of animal was it? Where is that animal normally found? How do you think it came to be where it is? Did you try to touch it, or call out to it? Did you scream? Or were you silent? Were you happy to see it? Or scared? Did anyone else see it?
OR choose one of the lines of Vievee Francis’s poem and use it as the start of your poem or story!
Its flight was soundless, the wings full of air….
The feathers. The feathers. I didn’t imagine this…
I opened my eyes and there above me it hovered….
I was not yet asleep. It was dusk. But I had worked
since dawn and needed to rest….
It seemed to float. I could feel the rapidity
of its heart…
It stared as if it did not know it was staring…
Not wanting to frighten it I did not reach, though I wanted to…
AKec, 11
“Guinea Pig Poem”
❤ Its feet pattering against the floor in its cage …
quenching its thirst by drinking its water
Its owner holding it and softly patting its back like its their own child … It run away by just one step of a foot … Its weeking that sounds like a bird call … Guinea pigs are cute in a way that’s what people love in a way. ❤
Mana, 11
I walk in tired from a long day, I sigh and opened my eyes and there it hovered above me with its scaly skin. I close my eyes thinking I’m dreaming but then I see it again. I flee out my room and grab my phone. Five hours later it’s finally time to go to bed. I check it again, it was on my bed. I carefully removed it and admired its beautiful pattern and it doesn’t hurt me just looks scared. I put it in my backyard and let it free as it carefully starts to flee.
Toqa, 12
I was half asleep. I didn’t know if I was cold or the window saw a red bird. I heard a little voice. I didn’t know if I was awake. It was found in a tree. I surprised it, it didn’t yell. I went back to sleep happy and thought it was a small red bird.
It stared as if it did not know it was staring. It was staring at me as if it was mad at me. It was a grey and black cat. I didn’t know if the window or the door was open. I got scared and went to my room to read or to relax. I saw the black and grey cat staring at me angrily. I yelled. My mom came and saw the cat. Gave the cat food and the cat stared at me happy meowing, walking away behind the tree, happy eating his food, staring at me happy.
Roaa, 12
The feathers. The feathers. I didn’t imagine … if I see something that I never seen I would run because I never seen something in my life. I would see it in the forest, I hear it screaming, I will just run. I think the animal was a lion. I get lost in the forest. It was dark, I am scared of the dark at night because I will never know if something jumped at me because it’s dark and I can’t see. I rather be at home watching TV, eating, sleeping. I am not at home now, I think I am dead. I think I was dead but then I just ran and hide in a tree climbing the tree. When I was climbing the tree I seen a yellow eye looking at me in the dark and I said “Yep I am dead,” it had yellow eyes, a big mouth, it looked soft. I got down and seen a small soft bunny. I kidnap the bunny. It’s mine now. I find my house and sleep. The bunny sleeps too.
Sophia, 11
“New Dog”
One day a dog came to my house. Doors and windows were locked. When we got back from work and school the dog begged. As it saw me it whimped and whimped. The dog fell in love at first sight 👀We kept the dog as keen as it is. We took it to the vet to get it checked. Nice and healthy we took him home.
Anais, 10
The feathers. The feathers. I didn’t imagine this … This would be amazing! The feathers are wood!
It stared as if it did not know it was staring… The bird looked curious. I felt happy but calm at the same time because I didn’t want to scare it.
Hawa, 11
Its flight was soundless, the wings full of air as it touched my stuff
The feathers. The feathers. I didn’t imagine this. I didn’t see a human,
I opened my eyes and there above me it hovered. I was not yet asleep. It was dusk. But I had worked since dawn and needed to rest. I went to my bed.
It seemed to float. I could feel the rapidity of its heart since the day I went in her house.
It stared as if it did not know it was staring, it started to look at me.
Not wanting to frighten it, I did not reach, though I wanted to, I’ll stay under the bed.
Xanelyz, 9
“Pregnant Cat”
It was soundless, the meows full of air, of cat meows, and I saw baby cats meow crying.
Alana, 9
One time I was going outside and there was an ginormous wooly mammoth and it kept on stomping so I got at least an 00000.1 second and then I ran and then it broke in!!! The wooly mammoth was chasing me so then I grabbed my life savings and run like flash to a hotel and I hid for an eternity.
Sumaya, 13
“Nightjar”
I was not yet asleep. But I worked since dawn and needed to rest. But my gut was telling me something else, to go lay down inside, but I didn’t pay much attention and continued my rest. Even though I’m not a very paranoid person I started thinking of possibilities, like what if a stray cat comes for me or a snake, spider, or a creature I fear, but I stayed and lived to regret that decision. Later on a stray cat came and I started to hear ruffling in the grass and rapidly stood up and ran into the house, and that day I learned to always trust my gut.
Write Out Responses:
A Healthy & Happy Home
This past Summer, 20 middle school students from the North Side Learning Center reflected on what makes a happy and healthy home environment. Inspired by Vievee Francis’ upcoming visit, they wrote poems that explore their inner and outer landscapes. Below is a selection of work from these young writers.
Rayan
I am sitting waiting for the night.
Hoping not to miss a night
Looking out the window seeing if
anyone is out.
I start to see family
the tables and chairs are up still hoping
not to miss a night.
I come out seeing the moon and stars
the sunflowers seeds that I love.
And something I love is
seeing my friends and family,
but sadly we all moved and some
of us still think of the nights
we had together.
Hibak - My “Happy Home”
A home is when you feel comfortable and happy and everyone feels safe and loved. Home is a starting place for homes and dreams, where we can share beautiful memories with family, annoying siblings, and dirty pets, parents that constantly need your help and alone times. Homes are meant to be filled with everything. Electricity flowing through every electronic: phones to TVs, computers to iPad that's what makes a health home clean walls, clothes, and furniture is what makes a healthy home exercising, clean dishes, good relationships, music, relaxing, and respect. A healthy home is where you can turn to your family and laugh and cry together. A healthy home is where you can feel good, know that you are safe and be you. A healthy home is where you can drink and eat clean, healthy food and water. A healthy home is where you can go to the bathroom and two minutes later your siblings act like they have ants in their butts, knock on the door like the FBI. A healthy home is where you and your family laugh with each other and not at each other. A healthy home is where you can feel happy within yourself.
Saadia - The Cold or Hot House
When I first walk into the house I see the TV playing and someone sitting on the couch. I also see the fire place.
When I first walk into the house, I hear someone. I also hear a spoon and a cup hitting against each other.
When I first walk into the house I smell hot chocolate. In the house there’s a room. A room that’s warm, but not too warm. A room that has a fluffy blanket. But in that room there’s someone in it, someone who looks peaceful. Someone who is sleeping. But when people first walk into the house, they might see a house that is too warm for them. Or a room that is too quiet for them. They might even see a house that is way too hot for them. They might even see a house full of boring people who would rather stay home and sleep instead of wanting to play outside in the snow. When they first walk in, they could see a house they love. A house they think is for them. A house that could relax in instead of overthinking.
The Perfect house for them.
Zakariya - Home Sweet Home
I come home. Home Sweet home. I see and greet relaxation. Say hi to comfortable and as I’m hanging with them I see something that fills my heart with joy, a bright light that encompasses me, a family and entertainment, a board game that comes with a movie made for us and as we sat down to enjoyment I met Home Sweet Home, perfectly suitable for home.