Runaway with Words
A poetry program for at-risk youth and other underserved groups, Runaway with Words (1991-2010) began in partnership with The Florida Network of Youth and Family Services and Anhinga Press, and expanded to include teaching opportunities for graduate students in Creative Writing at Florida State University.
Funded by such organizations as the Witter Bynner Foundation, the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, it offered poetry workshops in youth shelters, detention centers and alternative high schools throughout Florida. Later, it expanded to California, Oregon and Utah.
The goal of Runaway with Words was to develop expressive opportunities for young people whose creative abilities were often overlooked and to celebrate their achievements.
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Books:
Runaway with Words: A
Short Course on Poetry
and How to Take It with
You. Written and Illustrated
by Joann Gardner.
Anhinga Press, 1997.
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This is a powerful and inspiring collection, one that will speak to teens because it's written by teens. It's also a great resource for teachers of writing who work with youth, all of whom need caring adults who prod them gently toward self-expression, a powerful source of healing. --Kliatt
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This program is built on hope for troubled and at-risk youth and a belief in the power of language, the power of creativity, and the power of communication for purposes of positive change.
--Sandra Gail Teichmann, Runaway with Words teacher
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I never wrote a poem until I had to for Runaway with Words. This was the first thing I ever did that somebody liked.
--Kisha, 14
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Poetry is like a window. You never know what you're going to see until you look in.
--Robbie, 16
Runaway with Words: A
Collection of Poetry from
Florida's Youth Shelters.
Edited and Introduced
by Joann Gardner.
Anhinga Press, 1997.
