Teen Hood using ING
by Samantha N.
From the WITS Program at Alliance High School
Racing, chasing, fighting chance
Moving, swinging, stepping dance
Crying, hurting, breaking heart
Loosing, refusing, acting part
Nurturing, loving, pleading mom
Singing, playing, sleeping, that lullaby song
Yelling, scolding, punishing dad
Reaching, speaking, sacrificing, trying to prevent bad
Life is filled with
Caring, sharing, preparing, childhood
Learning, perceiving, questioning, teen hood.
Though the content and themes of WITS student anthologies vary from year to year, one thing has remained constant: the artful design and layout of the anthology, created by book designer Jodi McPhee-Giddings, who has worked on the WITS anthology every year since 2003.
In a recent interview, Jodi graciously answered my queries about her occupation and experience with book design. Depending on the project, Jodi does anything from designing the front covers and laying out the text of a book, to editing content and working with Photoshop, to arranging text and pictures in an aesthetically pleasing format. She has been working on her current project for over a year and a half – a book involving letters from a soldier in the second World War. Though she enjoys mostly focusing on design and layout, she says that she has learned to be able to do a little bit of everything; she has even worked designing icons for software programs.
Jodi first found an academic interest in the world of publishing after taking journalism classes at Boise state, and hearing about the graduate program in publishing that Portland State had just introduced. After taking a book design class, she pursued her interest in publishing, through the Portland State program and involvement with the Ooligan Press. Jodi graduated from the program, and began looking for publishing projects. She had heard about the Writers in the Schools program, and decided to push past her self-proclaimed “shyness” and ask Literary Arts if she could have the job designing the WITS anthology.
Jodi mentioned that in high school, she liked to write and had a writing teacher that became a meaningful mentor to her; thus she was understanding and appreciative of the work that WITS does, and enjoys being such an integral part of the anthology’s production, believing that the anthology is important and a great way to honor student work. The first WITS anthology Jodi designed was one of the first projects she completed after graduate school.
The Writers in the Schools program has been very fortunate to have Jodi’s expertise, and is grateful for the hard work she does, wonderfully designing the anthologies year after year.
Pick up a WITS anthology to see an example of Jodi’s finely crafted work!
MOM KEEP YOUR HEAD UP
by Samantha N.
From the WITS Program at Alliance High School
Keep your head held high
Never let them take your self worth
Though they may try,
Your, smarted than they know
Your integrity is strong
And soon they will see it show,
Right now they are dumbfounded
But wait until it is over
Because no longer will you be bounded,
All the babies clung to your arms
A family reunited
A family oh so strong,
I know things seem hard right now
But the worst has come knocking
And you received it
Now see it gone,
You are a good mom
Don’t let anyone tell you different,
We all make mistakes
But you know it best
That it falls on whether or not you choose to fix them
You will see,
No matter what gets thrown your way
You will be,
The one who was consistent,
The one who has never given up,
The one who has stayed,
And the one who through it all
Has been brave,
You are resilient and oh so smart,,
Don’t give them the satisfaction
Or let them break you apart,
Maddy will be playing High School Musical
Before you know it,
And Boo will be getting yelled at oh too soon,
Me, and Alexis will probably stay up late hours
And you may find us a little after noon
Wyatt will have his CSI kit out, creating plaster
Then playing with army men, water guns and super soakers
Baby John you can find him with that big Asian grin
Austin getting jiggy with his music at random times
Keaton playing hide and seek, popping out to everyone surprise,
Joe well he can have nothing to say
But knowing him he might find a way
And then now
We can find you
Sitting back
Telling us dinner will be done soon
Than at 11:00 ten hours passed noon
Dinner comes,
Then we all find a way
To sit around the table
Thank God and pray,
Then it will start all over again the next day,
Though we get called dysfunctional
One thing that will never change
We all love each other,
So brace yourself because it will come back soon,
No more sleeping in
No more time alone
No more quiet as you must know,
But still lots of fun,
So when it happens, like it is inevitable it will,
Everything will be good
Everyone smiling
Everything going 100 miles per hour
No more time to be still,
So don’t walk away yet
Because you are so close,
Just work your magic
And do what you do,
And no matter what ever happens
Just know that
We love you.
Who Made Morphine?
By Alex H.
From the WITS Program at Alliance High School
I ask my self as I sit here in a dark, dark room with my thick old curtains sealed shut, only the little flickering light of the television peeking through. I am lost in a daze, a warm, tingling, funny daze. What a incredible sensation running through my whole body. I can’t even feel the excruciating pain I had five minutes ago from the four wholes in my mouth, where my molars once had stood. These big white oval shaped pills I hold in my hand held n solitary confinement by this orange container, “with my name on it Monica Lopez, oh what a pretty name I have.” Its hard to read the rest because my eye lids are barely open. “oh gross!” with all this numbing, I didn’t even feel the slobbery blood trickle down my chin.
Untitled
by Dan S.
From the WITS Program at Alliance High School
I see the quarterback,
I’m ready to get the sack
He doesn’t see me coming
The crowds screaming
I’m ready to get the sack
I think he’s crying,
The crowds screaming
My teammates are going crazy
I think he’s crying,
I need to get another one
My teammates are going crazy
I love this game,
I need to get another one
Yeah he’s crying
I love this game
I see the quarterback.
Free Verse
by Alex H.
From the WITS Program at Alliance High School
He escapes the night
Searching for a perfect canvas to write on
When he walks you can hear the faint click clack
Of the rattling spray can in his pocket
He is a young, brown, strong, Da Vinci, and full of pride
He is ready to express himself so the world can
Discover the truth
So they can see how life really is through his eyes
Of everything they have missed out on
The good and the bad
With no fear or second thinking in his mind
He pops the cap off
Four fingers wrapped around the cold can
His index finger slightly pushing on the head of it
Moving his whole arm furiously over the brick wall
As the sun begins to peak over the hills
And the darkness slowly drifting farther
He takes one last look at his masterpiece
With hopes of appreciation, change, and discovery
He blows it a soft kiss like the wind
And escapes the sun light.
W.o.o.t.s. is a production of Literary Arts. The Writers in the Schools Program Director, Mary Rechner, welcomes your comments at mary@literary-arts.org. For more information about Literary Arts, visit www.literary-arts.org
