All posts in Cai Sherley

Hyde Park Is Calling

This week at Hyde Park we discussed calls to action and what it means to push for changes large and small. These young men brought their grievances and visions to the table, confronting everything […]

Call ‘Em

Alice Walker’s poem “Calling All Grand Mothers”, inspired Lawndale to make their own calls this week. The theme was Calls To Action, bringing people together to make things happen. After having students brainstorm all […]

Retellings – Triumph & Magic

Two weeks ago, before illness took this poet away from the 4th floor of Hyde Park High School, we all sat around a table in Ms. Gholston’s art room and discussed magic. How would […]

Out Of This World: Retellings

After being ill last week, I could not have been more excited to return to Lawndale this week, which was all about reimagining the past and revitalizing our power, our magic. After a game […]

The Projector, El Tiburón, and Other Personas

This week was all about personas at Lawndale. After an enthusiastic game of “What’s My Name?” we read “Being A Bag” by Washington Elementary’s Asano L, and got to work. Please enjoy! Ms. Barker […]

“Black so cool it must be golden”

Black History Month is a time for celebration and reflection, and this past Thursday, Hyde Park High’s poets celebrated their own Blackness. Called on by Gwendolyn Brooks’ “Primer for Blacks,” the poets took to […]

“I am a force, a legend, an echo”

This week, Hyde Park’s poets discussed big egos and big statements. Using Nikki Giovanni’s poem “Ego Tripping,” we explored the power of hyperbole and what it means to overcome and bet on yourself. These […]

Blackout! Blackout!

This week Lawndale tried their hand at Blackout poetry. Using Aesop’s fables, song lyrics, and the full text of the national anthem, poets explored how to tear something up and put it back together. […]

Chicago Born and Raised

This week Hyde Park’s poetry club read “Where I’m From” by Willie Perdomo, a poem about the people, lessons, and experiences that define our “origins.” Enjoy these poems by two Chicagoans about the push […]

Where Are We From?

Last Saturday two bold poets represented Lawndale’s 6th and 8th-grade poets at the Poetry Center’s All School Reading. In another turn of events, the 8th grade class became two sections of poets, instead of […]

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I’M FROM THE CITY LIGHTS / STREAMING OUT IN THE NIGHT / AND HUGE SKYSCRAPERS / TOWERING OVER THE LAKE – MELISSA E., 7TH GRADE POET