Remixing Poetry at the SIUE/East St. Louis Charter High School

Student listens as another student shares his poetry remix with the group

On Thursday, March 19, I coordinated a "remixing poetry" activity with students at the SIUE/East St. Louis Charter High School. First, we read poems by Margaret Walker, Gwendolyn Brooks, Kelly Norman Ellis, and a few other poets. Then, I re-presented aspects of those poems with blanks in various place where the students could insert their own words.

For example, at one point, in her poem "My Truth and My Flame," Margaret Walker writes:

I am a Black woman
and my beauty is my power.
In my strength is the turning wind.
I am a flower, a fern, a tree.
I am the spirit in all living things

I re-presented the excerpt of the poem with the following blanks.

I am a ____________________
and my _________________ is my power.
_____________ is the ____________________.
I am a __________________, a _________________, a ___________________________.
I am the spirit in all living things

What follows are some of the student responses.

I am a Monster.
and my strength is my power.
Rick Ross is the Boss.
I am a short king, a Black King, an African King.
I am the spirit in all living things. [J. S.]

I am a Sub-Zero.
and my freezing ability is my power.
The arctic cold is the way of life.
I am a Lin Kuei, a ninja, a brawler.
I am the ice in all living things [M. J.]

[Note: Sub-Zero is a well-known video game character. The comic book aficionados in the room gave M.J. big props on inserting Sub-Zero into the conversation.]  

I am a chocolate girl.
and my intelligence is my power.
in my mind are new ideas.
I am a lawyer, a success story, a legend.
I am the spirit in all living things  [S.D.]

I am a  ghost
and my voice is my power.
success is the goal
I am a King, a Knight, a traveler.
I am the spirit in all living things  [D. P.]

[Note: We introduced a series of chess playing activities over the last few months, hence D. P's references to "King" and 'Knight."]

Related:
• Grit