Best Teen News
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Special Edition
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Special Edition
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Literary Arts Issue ♦ When Good Poetry Happens to Young People: 2009's Ann Arbor Poetry Slam Team ♦ Neutral Zone poets shine in HBO series : Local celebrities ♦ Wrestle the Great Fear: Jeff Kass brings new life to the spoken word ♦ April Showers Bring May Events: Three Events Not to be Missed ** Special Edition on Breakin' Curfew coming soon*** |
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When Good Poetry Happens to Young People Q: What happens when over 70 teens recite original works of poetry in a nationally recognized slam poetry competition? a.) HBO calls; asks to film VOLUME teen poets as part of its new documentary series on performance poetry called Brave New Voices. b.) Six teens are selected to represent Ann Arbor at a national competition in Chicago this summer. c.) Teens refine their poetry for publication in The Lizards Are Crawling Back through Your Window, a compendium of poetry and short story writing. d.) 50 teens will gather this summer for a week of intensitve writing at Neutral Zone's Summer Institute. e.) All of the above; Ann Arbor is home to amazing teen wordsmiths. A: An unequivocal e.) all of the above!
Amazing things come out of the Ann Arbor Poetry Slams, an annual series of three events featuring teens' budding talent in performance poetry. Starting with nearly 80 participants, each teen performs in front of a panel of judges (not to mention very large audiences!). Roughly 25 poets make it to the final round, and of those only six are selected to become part of the slam team. So, who are the slam team members this year? Clare Riesterer (Pioneer) Mia Ruf (Huron) Hilary Burch (Community) Chris Moriarty (Pioneer) Runner-up- Glenna Benitez (Community) Champion- Alia Persico-Shammas (Community)
Let's cheer them on as they craft their words for the 2009 Brave New Voices competition in Chicago!
Neutral Zone's VOLUME Youth Poetry Project + HBO = Amazing new documentary on youth poetry
HBO recently hosted a party to debut its new series "Brave New Voices"--a seven-part series following teens from around the nation as they prepare for the 2008 Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Finals. Dozens of community members, teens, and Neutral Zone supporters came to support and see their favorite poets--Ben Alfaro, Carolyn Blessing and Aimee Le --among the Ann Arbor poets filmed. To find out about and view clips of Ann Arbor poets in the HBO series Brave New Voices, click here. New episodes air weekly on Sundays at 11:00 pm ET on HBO. To order a copy of The Lizards Are Crawling Back through Your Window , contact Lori at (734) 214-9995. The official release party will take place on May 12th from 7:00 pm -9:00 pm at the Neutral Zone. → BIG thanks to Anderson Family Foundation for making our Literary Arts programs as strong as they are!  One of the great things Neutral Zone offers--besides cutting edge programs and unimitable teen leadership--is a group of talented, artful and inspiring program leaders. No one is better at demonstrating this than Jeff Kass, VOLUME Youth Poetry Director and founder.
Creative writing teacher at Pioneer High School and Eastern Michigan University, director of VOLUME, poet & workshop leader through Great Lakes Literary Arts Center at Shaman Drum Bookshop, and founder of Ann Arbor Wordworks...all of these pursuits have lended themselves to Jeff's newest accomplishment--Wrestle the Great Fear : A Performance Poetica--a melange of poetry and performance that goes well beyond the limits of a 3-minute slam poem. Through 24 poems, Jeff explores what it means to teach and learn in today's high-paced environment and the complexity of building student-teacher relationships. But what prompted this new mode of expression? As Jeff puts it...
"I've been thinking about this
project for years. It's a sort of a culmination of my fourteen years of
teaching high school Creative Writing and my eleven years at the Neutral Zone.
As we discuss educational policies on a national level, I've been wanting to
find a way to insert some ideas into the conversation that go beyond test
scores and standardized curricula...At heart, I'm looking for a way to
help classrooms become less confrontational and more collaborative and I hope Wrestle the Great Fear will inspire
educators, students and members of the broader community to think about moving
more in that direction. "
For more press on Jeff:
Wrestle the Great Fear will premiere on Wednesday, April 29th @ 7:00 pm at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theater in the Michigan League. Tickets are $5.00 and can be purchased at the door or in advance. For more information or to reserve tickets, contact Jeff at 734-223-7443 or eyelev21@aol.com.
The Neutral Zone is a diverse, youth-driven teen center dedicated to promoting personal growth through artistic expression, community leadership and the exchange of ideas. |
Summer Program Brochure is Now Available. To register for programs click here.
CD Release Party for...
THE ECHOES Saturday, April 25th 6:00 pm at the Neutral Zone For those who have seen The Echoes, you've witnessed their infectious energy and thumping punk rhythms. For those who haven't, this is one teen band that'll leave you dancing in your Converses. Come out, hear some great music, and pick up a CD. more info? check out http://www.myspace.com/echoesmi
Wine, Word & Song
Saturday, April 25th 7:00 pm
at the home of Dennis & Ellie Serras
3900 N. Dixboro
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Ticket cost starts at $75/person. Call Neutral Zone to reserve your spot! (734) 214-9995 ext. 223 Want more info? Click here or call Amy at 734-214-9995 ext. 223 Breakin' Curfew
Friday, May 8th 
8:00 pm @ The Power Center
One of the most anticipated nights of the year, Breakin' Curfew takes the best of teen leadership & talent and rolls it into one, big performing arts extravanganza. Every year, our team of teen curators bring in youth dance, music, poetry acts and every year, they sell out the Power Center. To reserve tickets, contact the Neutral Zone at (734) 214-9995. This event is sponsored by University Musical Society and Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. General admission: $16 Student admission: $10 in advance/ $12 at the door ... grab a backstage pass.... Want to break your curfew even more? Come to our VIP reception right before the event. Reception includes hors d'oeuvres, music, and reserved seats for the show. Tickets start at $50 and all proceeds go to benefit Neutral Zone's programs and Breakin' Curfew. For more information, click here. As always... Big NZ luv ♥ to all who support 2008-2009 school year programs: Liberty Hill Rodger A Graef Foundation Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation Ann Arbor Public Schools Stranahan Family Foundation Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan DTE Energy Foundation Key Foundation Arcus Gay and Lesbian Fund Julius Kass Family Foundation Washtenaw County Ann Arbor Jaycees Foundation Kaplan Test Prep & Admissions Anderson Foundation Rotary Club of Ann Arbor Kroger Foundation Rick and Sue Snyder James A. & Faith Knight Foundation TCF Bank
First Congregation Church of Ann Arbor
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