Writers Week XVII

Mary Fons: Mary Fons had no problem showing her audience her personality. Her appearance and the way she presented her poems and just flat out talked to us, made me feel like she was talking to us as her friend. I really liked that she told us she wasn’t going to read her poems like people read them at a poetry slam. I completely agree that poems shouldn’t be read like that because that’s not really the way they flow. The way she read her poems made them so easy to listen to and to enjoy. Especially her last poem about love; she used so much emotion when reading and I really enjoyed it. I’m happy that she recorded that one, and maybe one day I might go check it out.
Dr. Small and Emily Hill’s Dad: These two aren’t professional writers, and when I heard their pieces, I could tell. However, this day was my favorite because their writing was so upfront and at times I laughed and awed. Dr. Small’s writing was entertaining and funny. I got a kick out of how she explained the kittens. Then Mr. Hill was so sweet when he stood up there and was vulnerable and told his daughter he loved her, I seriously awed at that.
Jonathan Eig: People keep commenting about their dislike for him and I disagree. I liked what he had to say about his books. He didn’t read us any of his work however he told us about what’s it like being a writer and I appreciated that. Dedicating so much time and energy and not knowing if you’ll get something out of it is risky but writers take that chance. I may not take that chance, but I’m happy Jonathan Eig did because he has succeeded because lots of people like his work, and I may be one of them. His appearance at Writers Week made me very curious and interested in his books. One day, I’m planning on picking up Get Capone.
Students: When watching the students, I liked some but not others. It was interesting to see such a range in talent. I was blown away by some of the writing that the students shared and even more so at their age. I commend everyone who got up and shared though because that took serious bravery. I noticed that all the writing was very personal and to get up and tell 555 people those personal stories was unbelievable.
Faculty: First of all I want to thank these men for making writers week happen, but I’m sorry to say that this day wasn’t one of my favorites. It might have been because of my lack of sleep the night before but I could not pay attention and I was literally falling asleep. It’s hard for me to comment on their writing. Some people probably think their writing is really good but I didn’t like it very much. A different presentation might have given me a different opinion but as of now this day was my least favorite.
Daphne Willis: She wasn’t during first period. However, I want to comment on her because she was by far my favorite. Her specialty at writers week wasn’t the type of writing we think of when we hear the word writer. She writes songs and they are fantastic songs. I might be biased because I love the type of music she created but the whole auditorium seemed to enjoy her. She was so comfortable on stage and tried to engage all of us and make us laugh. Plus she was so young and a Fremd graduate and therefore very easy to connect to. All in all, I really enjoyed this performance.
Overall, Writers week XVII was very enjoyable. I have to admit, not having a lot of homework made me like it so much more but hearing what the writers had to say was cool as well. I’ve never heard of any of those Writers before this week but I liked that. When they would tell us about their books or pieces of writing I was more engaged because I didn’t know anything about them and I wanted to know more. I don’t remember much of last year, but this year I engaged and I think I’ll remember more about this year. I ended up going in a lot of my other classes and sometimes at lunch by choice, so it’s safe to say that I really enjoy Writers Week and I don’t think it’s a waste of my time like I’ve heard some friends say. There’s a lot that you can get out of the stories of these writers.

Writer's Week.

Mary Fons: I enjoyed Mary Fon's stage presence very much. She is indeed a wonderful performer, but then again it is her job. I think my favorite thing was just how calm she was about everything. Like a lot of the things she read must have had a lot of feeling behind them but she had all her feelings under control. Specifically the part about her dad. I feel like I would have had a harder time reading that. And her speaking poetry version of the Lady Gaga song was funny.

Dr. Small: I loved this. My mom grew up in village and when I visit there it is a lot like Dr. Small describes her farm. The animals and problems and all that come up living on a farm. I liked this piece cause it struck something in me. It made me realize that as much as I love big cities and look forward to living in one someday, part of me would also love to have a farm.

Mr. Hill: I enjoyed the simplicity of his writing. He basically told the story of life. Yes, he worded it a certain way to make it more interesting but that's basically what life is. And I thought the over all concept was funny. How it was a christmas newsletter basically. And the silly idea of trying to jam an entire year of your life into one short page.

Jonathan Eig: This sir has a very soothing voice. And he is just such a good speaker. I'm not saying he was entertaining per say, but he just spoke loudly and clearly. I didn't have to strain to hear what he was saying. I liked his books too. I mean from how he talked about them. History is a very interesting thing to discover and I could relate to him in wanting only the truth. I feel like if I was a writer I would go to the same extents he did to find the truth. I also found it absolutely fascinating how close to the truth he could get. Considering a lot of people may think, oh no, I'll never be able to like.. get a interview with Jackie Robinson's wife and all that. But he went out and he did.

Students: First of all I just have to say that as a presenter I totally give props to these kiddos because I know how scary it is to get up there and share your feelings and life to an audience. I think the story that struck me most from the students was Christine Veit's. Being able to talk about something that to me seems so traumatic is amazing. I thought Stephanie Fox's, while I love her, was strange. I mean, good in a ... F451 and Hunger Games way... but I didn't really enjoy either of those books. hah. So, it was good for what it was! But it's not a genre I enjoy.

Tony Romano, Kevin Brewner, Gary Anderson: I had a very hard time focusing during Gary Anderson's poems because Gary Anderson reminds me A LOT of my middle school's librarian. But when I wasn't thinking about that, I was listening to his poems, which were good. I remember there was a specific one about sisters. That one was my favorite. Cause it ended with "Will you be my sister?" And I thought that was cute. Um, Tony Romano's story... it was good too. I guess it didn't hit me too hard cause I related to much. From how his mom acts to the whole asking about their past thing... Its like standard for me. I didn't find it to special. But it was nice to relate.

Overall,

I had a wonderful time at writer's week. Presenting and listening. I was actually surprised at how well my presentation went and how fun it was. I was really scared but it turned out well. The only thing I regret now is that the period I was scheduled to go was not a busy period and I wish there were more people! Haha. Funny how that works... The last thing is this is the second year and I have yet to see Fanboys! Ugh! I guess I'll just have to wait till next year :)

Anna Purnyn

Mary Fons:

Mary was probably the most open about her life and feelings out of everyone I saw at Writers Week. She wasn’t afraid to express herself completely and show emotions to everyone in the auditorium that many of us hold back in front of a few people. At first I didn’t understand her paper world poem but by the end of it I followed it and it all tied together perfectly. At that point I decided that she was interesting to listen to and I valued her thoughts. I really related to her philosophy on writing when she was talking about her fathers’ day poem. She said that you can write a lot but still not say what you want to say. This happens to me often as well as with many others and this helped me connect with her and her opinions. Also, she said that, that is the reason that you have to keep writing. You have to write until you say what you need to say and I really like that viewpoint.

Dr. Small and Emily Hill’s Father:

At first I didn’t know what to expect out of these two presenters because neither of them are writers and I didn’t know how they connected to the event. I soon realized that they were performing to show that you don’t have to be a professional writer or even be that great at writing to share your stories and experiences with others. It was nice to see another side to Dr. Small and hear what life is like for her. Her stories about her farm were very interesting and diverse and I like how they were in the format of letters. Emily Hill’s father was also a very relatable person. He was just an average guy sharing some writing that he came up with. This actually made it more interesting because a lot of the things he spoke about were very easy to connect with your own experiences.

Jonathan Eig:

I was surprised that I enjoyed listening to Jonathan Eig because his I can’t really relate to his topics. When he started talking I was completely drawn in because he was so laid back yet excited about the information he was giving us. He put so much time and effort into these books that you can’t help but be interested in what inspired him. He kept saying how when he was writing these books he always looked deeper for the real story. He did succeed with this because he proved many movies with Al Capone and many rumors of Lou Gherig and Jackie Robinson wrong. I liked how he didn’t just write a sports story about Lou Gherig or Jackie Robinson, he really searched deep into their lives to learn about their personalities and behind the scenes experiences. This way his stories interest a more diverse audience and keep the reader interested.

Students:

Hearing my fellow peers present their personal writing during Writers’ Week inspires me to write and present a piece of my own. I admire their courage for sharing and presenting in front of everyone. I liked Christine Veit’s story because it made me think of my own dogs at home, which really touched me. I enjoyed listening to Emily Hoadley’s stories about the impatience of people in general. It was interesting because it makes you realize that those things actually do happen and can be viewed from a comical instead of irritated standpoint. I give all of these presenters props because they were brave enough to present their writing and not many others can do that.

Mr. Romano/Brewner/Anderson:

I was interested to listen to these teachers because it seems like English teachers always tell you how to write, but you never get to see or hear their own writing. Mr. Romano’s piece was fun to listen to because it had an interesting story plot and his accent that he used definitely helped keep the audience interested. Mr. Anderson’s poems were touching and each had great meaning behind each of them. He really expressed a lot of his feelings into them and was very descriptive, especially in his winter poem. I enjoyed Mr. Brewner’s story because I agree with the message that was behind it, that everything happens for a reason.

Writers Week this year was definitely more memorable than last year. Last year's Writers Week feels like a blur to me but I have a feeling that this year's stories and authors are going to stick with me. I saw so many inspiring and influential writers, professionals and students. It actually did inspire me to express myself more with my writing. It motivated me to start thinking about sharing more of what I write with others.

Mary Fons: Something that really stuck out to me about Mary Fons’ performance was that her passion for her poems was very apparent. In every one of her poems, she was totally connected to what she was saying. Nothing really fazed her, especially not performing in front of multiple classes of high school students. She was so outgoing and interactive with the audience, which was nice to witness. Overall, Mary Fons was a great way to start out Writers Week this year.

Dr. Small and Emily Hill’s Dad: I would like to start out this section by really congratulating Dr. Small, and Emily Hill’s Father on a job well done. Before they spoke, the made it known that they are writers. However, I think they did a phenomenal job presenting to us. I was paying attention to what they said. Even though they aren’t the best at presenting their writing, I think that they did very well. It took a lot of courage for them to do what they did. Both of them had great amounts of detail, and I could tell that their writing was very well-prepared. Another thing that I liked about their performances was that they were able to control themselves, and not let nerves take them over.

Jonathan Eig: Mr. Eig was very low key all through his presentation. That wasn’t a bad thing, but at times he did lose my attention. Even so, he made it very apparent that he put a lot of time and care into what he is writing. He was very comfortable performing, which made everyone relax while listening to him. What he really emphasized through his speech was that research is key. Being unfamiliar with his kind of genre of writing, it was interesting to see how meticulously he creates his book. There was so much effort but into his writing, and overall his presentation was very interesting for me.

Students: Like the faculty members on Tuesday, the student speakers showed a lot of courage presenting to us. Even though some of them were not the best speakers in the world, it was nice to hear the writing of my peers. I could tell that some of them were very nervous, but they were able to pull through and have effective presentations. It’s difficult for a student to present their writing, but I think that the first period student speakers passed with flying colors.

Faculty: These men were very experienced in presenting their writing, so I had high expectations for them. I thought all of them did very well presenting to us. All of them were very comfortable speaking in front of their students, so it was nice to see people who were very confident performing. All of them were very relaxed speaking, and all made good eye contact throughout. Seeing these teachers speak was a good way to end my first period Writer’s Week experience.

With everything considered, I thought that Writer’s Week XVII was better than last years. Part of it was that I actually appreciated the people who came to speak to us this year. Last year, I was just amazed that people were able to come to Fremd and speak. This year, I actually listened to what the writers had to say, and I enjoyed watching everyone speak. I like going to Writer’s Week because I really get to see how intelligent and effective writers are, and it also makes for a nice break in the typical school day. Writer’s Week XVII was a great success this year, and I’m looking forward to next year’s writers!

Writers week

Mary Fons:
I thought Mary Fons was the most interesting person we listened to, but she wasn’t my favorite. She was very lively so I never became bored, and she did a great job of painting a picture in my mind of what she wrote. I really liked that she talked about slam poets and kind of made fun of them for the way they presented. She said that when they do that, it isn’t their true identity and writing is all about expressing yourself and showing who you are.

Dr. Small:
I found Dr. Small’s writing very interesting. She talked about farm life, and she and her husband have to do on the farm. I’ve never been completely exposed to farm life so I learned a lot from it. The only thing I didn’t like was that I didn’t know why she was reading it. There didn’t seem to be a reason why she was reading it so I was a little bored and confused. Overall I think she did a good job and it was intriguing.

Mrs. Hill’s Dad:
He really surprised me. He started off boring, but it turned into a fascinating story. My favorite part was probably when he through some statements that embarrassed Mrs. Hill so that was pretty funny. I really liked the fact that he has never been a writer so it was cool to hear one of his first stories.

Jonathan Eig:
Jonathan Eig was definitely my favorite presenter. Even though it was quite boring at times, I feel like I learned a lot. I’m thinking about being some sort of writer so it was interesting to learn about what it takes to be one. I never knew that it took so much time and research to maybe come up with a story. I also really like the three topics he talked about because they were all about extraordinary people. It was cool to listen to a writer like him.

Students:
In general, the student writers weren’t as interesting as the other performers. I feel like they would’ve been better if we didn’t listen to six in one day because they got repetitive. They were still good though. I liked the story about the Jewel pharmacist. I kind of appreciate stories like those so it caught my interest. Even though I’ve criticized them, I think all the students we saw did a great job.

Mr. Romano, Mr, Anderson, Mr. Brewner:
All of them told very interesting stories that caught my attention. Mr. Romano’s was my favorite because it was so funny. The whole story was interesting and hilarious. Mr. Anderson’s was very good too. I liked how he talked about small town stories because I love small towns. Mr. Brewner’s was just as good. It was really cool how he thought that getting in a motorcycle accident actually helped and created who he is today. It really shows how he is someone who always looks at the bright side of things.

Writer's Week 2011

Mary Fons: I think Mary Fons was definitely one of my favorite presenters at writer’s week. I really liked how she was so down to earth and “chill”. She shared poems that were really personal, and even when there were technical difficulties she was able to make a joke and lighten the mood. I also really admire her dedication to poetry. She talked about how she took a writing class in Europe and she was able to improve her poems and get a new prospective on her writings. She never settled with her skills, but worked hard to improve her writing as much as possible.

Dr. Small: I thought it was really brave of Dr. Small to share her story at writer’s week. Not everyday do we get to learn things that go on in the personal life of our principal. She obviously cared a lot about what she was reading since she got so emotion when she talked about her horse. The story was lighthearted and enjoyable to listen to.

Mr. Hill: I really liked this story that the presenter shared. The thing that was really stood out to me was how he went out of his comfort zone and shared his journal with his daughter. That is obviously not the easiest thing to do especially when your daughter says she wanted to “ripe up the stories”. He improved his writing and the end result was really interesting. The letter he shared was, in my opinion, really good. He was able to talk about his family, and his own personal experiences and make them sound relaxed, and funny.

Jonathan Eig: I didn’t really know what to expect when I heard Jonathan Eig was presenting. The only things I knew about him were from the video that we watched in class. By the end of his presentation I was really interested in the lives of Lou Gehrig, Al Capone and Jackie Robinson. My family is a huge baseball family so I already knew a lot about both Lou Gehrig and Jackie Robinson. What interested me the most was the life of Al Capone and how much more crimes Hollywood added to the life of Al Capone (Valentine’s day massacre). I had visited his cell at Alcatraz, but I never knew anything about his life. I also liked how he stated that he never told a lie in his story. He would do countless months of research in order to write his books, and sometimes he would drop the idea entirely if he believed the story was not good enough.

Student Presenters: I always love listening to student presenters because after they are done reading, you almost get to know a little bit about them. My favorite stories were by Stephanie Fox, and Sara Zoe Braun. With Stephanie’s story, she got really involved while reading it, and it think that helped create the scene of the story. I also thought it was intriguing how she wrote it in second person, and through the narration of a book. I loved Sara Zoe Braun’s story because it was one of those stories where you know the end before the beginning, and you have to listen to the story to learn why each event happened. The other presenters where good also, but I think one was too quiet when she read, and the other stories blended in with a lot of the other ones, there was nothing that stood out about them.

Tony Romano, Kevin Brewner, Gary Anderson: I thought that these presenters were a good ending to writer’s week. Mr. Romano’s story was hilarious, but at the same time, shared a lesson. In some parts he shared from his personal experiences, and in other parts he made things up. Mr. Anderson’s poems were pretty good, but they were really short which made it hard to pay attention to all of them, and remember their stories. Mr. Brewner’s story was the best though, in my opinion. He shared a lot about his personal life, and instead of being angry that a car hit him, he was thankful. It is a noble trait to be so forgiving, and also it is noteworthy that he comes back to writer’s week each year even though he is retired.

Overall….

I loved writer’s week last year, and I think it keeps improving. It is a good break from school, but at the same time you are still learning different lessons, and being able to listen to successful authors from around the United States. I was able to see how courageous people are by sharing their writing, and how proud they are to be themselves. Teenagers can be very judgmental so by getting up on stage and pouring your feelings out, I believe that is really noble. I liked seeing more teacher, and author presenter’s this year. Last year I remember seeing students every period I went, and by the end of some days, all I wanted to do was sleep! This year on the other hand, was completely different. We only had one day of student reader’s and I thought it was extremely interesting! I didn’t want to write too many notes because I was afraid I would have missed something if I did. I loved writer’s week this year, I can’t wait till next year!

-Claire Brady

Mary Fons:

Mary Fons was one of my favorite presenters. She was so funny, energetic, and acted out her pieces instead of just reading them. I like how she even had a costume for one of her poems! But it wasn’t all funny and smiley; she did add a personal poem about her dad, which was sad. She said that writing helps her figure things out, like her relationship with her dad (or lack there of) and I think that’s very true. I also had to see her second period with another class, and she read some different poems, which was nice to be able to hear more and not exactly know what was coming.

Dr. Small and Mrs. Emily Hill’s Dad: Absent

Jonathan Eig:

Mr. Eig was very laid back in the way he presented. It’s good he was able to feel so comfortable with us, but to me it just didn’t get my attention. That’s probably mostly due to the fact I’m not too interested in the topics of his books. However, I respect greatly that he cares so much about the facts. It’s amazing he was able to get a hold of the letters Lou Gehrig wrote to his doctor! He puts a lot of effort into getting the stories straight, and I appreciate that.

Students:

I always love hearing my fellow student presenters. It takes a lot of courage to get up and speak in front of your peers (and a lot of them!). I think they all did a very nice job, only I couldn’t really hear Diana Zheng. What I did hear of her piece was awesome about her relationship with her father and learning to forgive him. My favorite student presenter was Christine Veit. It was so descriptive, and one could feel the love she had for her dog.

Mr. Romano, Mr. Anderson, and Mr. Brewner:

Mr. Romano was another one of my favorite writers. His short story On Hold was well written and I like the way he read it, with the accents. It shows how one can forgive someone even if they do something really hurtful. Mr. Brewner’s story about how his accident helped him avoid being drafted made me think of connections. All three presented really well and I liked their writing!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Writers Week this year. It was useful to know how some of them got to be writers because it is a hard job to hold, and it was helpful to see different genres of writing. Also, writing isn’t just an essay from English class- one can do so much more by presenting different types of writing in a way that really touches the audience. Writers Week is so unlike the ordinary, and I am grateful for the opportunity.