Chicago Writes

Honoring Student Voices is a language arts technology program of Global Writes, New York, the Chicago partnership includes a collaboration between the Chicago Public Schools Office of Information and Technology Services eLearning and the Office of Arts Education along with Young Chicago Authors. This program is designed to globally foster communication and collaboration among students around literacy-based projects that integrate the arts using technology as a resource. Each semester, students write, critique and memorize poems that may be selected to represent their classrooms in poetry slams via videoconferencing. The winning Chicago Team competes in a final round versus the winning New York Team.

Young Chicago Authors provides a year-long residency to each participating class led by a Young Chicago Authors teaching artist- Avery R. Young. Each year the Office of Arts Education produces an anthology which represents the written work of students in each participating class.

My Mother
Ashley – Nathaniel Pope Elementary School,
Grade 6

What are you doing with your life? Don’t waste your time on reality.
That’s not the kind of person
you want to be.
Get up and change the world… Read more

Can Life Mean More?
Victoria – Brighton Park Elementary School,
Grade 8

Can life be more than a simple task?
Is the face a disguise similar to a mask?
We carry out challenges almost every day
and control life in every way… Read more

Love
Pierre – Chalmers Specialty – Grade 6

Trapped in a bottle
Love is when he holds you
if you’re cold.
When you think about it,
love makes you get tingly in your soul.

Love is when you see them and
you can’t even speak… Read more