Reading wright

PALMER — More than 50 of the Mat-Su Valley’s newest authors turned out to autograph books for fans and celebrate their achievement at a book release party May 12 at Colony Middle School.

The book’s roots stretch back to an October 2009 Write-A-Thon fundraiser, according to Principal Mary McMahon.

But the project — which began as an academic fund-raiser to help pay for clubs, afterschool activities and special events, such as the school’s Evening of Excellence — turned out to be bigger than anyone had planned, McMahon said.

Now, in addition to its annual fall Write-A-Thon fundraiser, she said the school also is selling copies of those essays, published in 140-page book called “With These Hearts and Hands: Journeys of the CMS Knight Writers.”

“How empowered do they feel?” Principal McMahon said Thursday evening during the book release event. “We’ve empowered them to live their dreams.”

McMahon said the Alaska project is similar to a publishing effort by California teacher Erin Gruwell, who in 1999 published “The Freedom Writers Diary,” which became the basis for a 2007 movie called “Freedom Writers.”

Colony Middle teacher Sacha Pettit said Gruwell and one of her former students, Maria Reyes, visited Colony Middle during the school’s first Write-A-Thon in 2009.

“Listening to Maria talk about her life struggles and how she rose above them sparked the courage and desire within our students to share snippets from their own lives: the issues they were dealing with at present,” CMS teacher Sacha Pettitt wrote in the book’s forward. “Most of the stories that wrenched our hearts, made us laugh, cry, or swell with pride needed the most support, grammatically speaking. These were the students we realized that were so busy trying to survive their shipwreck of a life that they didn’t have time to learn.”

Based on the success of that first Write-A-Thon and the book of 81 student essays that grew out of it, McMahon said school staff are already reading and sorting essays to polish for the next essay collection.

Fundraiser grows

It works like this, all 600-plus students in the school spend the first hour of one school day writing, during an event called Stop, Drop, and Write. Then staff members read those essays and the authors of the best work are invited to polish their pieces for publication,” McMahon said.

That polished work was eventually bound into a small paperback book called “With These Hearts and Hands” and is available for sale at Colony Middle, Fireside Books in Palmer and Pandemonium Booksellers in Wasilla.

Among the Valley’s newest crop of authors Rebecca Farley, 14, was in eighth-grade at Colony Middle when she wrote her essay. Now she is the newly elected sophomore class president at Colony High School.

“I always dreamed I’d be an author,” she said, though it happened years earlier than she expected. “It was a fun experience and a fun way to express yourself that many people don’t get to do.”

Mom Laura Farley said she’s extremely proud of her daughter. She said she planned to buy multiple copies of the book so all of them can read it at once.

“We love to read and write at our house,” Laura Farley said. “It’s a priority.”

For Rebecca’s younger sister Rachel, 8, the Colony Middle School book is a goal now. Already the youngster reads books and writes stories online. Now she said she dreams about the day when she’ll be a published author like her big sister.

‘All art is beautiful, and every artist in their own way’

Burchell High language arts teacher Paul Morley was in the audience last Thursday to show support for one of his advanced poetry students, Brianna Erwin, who has work featured in the book.

“It’s pretty brave, I think,” Morley said of the book of essays. “The theme of this is really open and painfully honest. It’s so good these kids are getting some positive feedback for being so courageous.”

He challenged teachers and other adults to listen to young people.

“Do not write off a student because they are not engaged,” Morley said. “What may come across as disengagement, or an unwillingness to hear, is usually rooted in something bigger.”

Students like Erwin took turns at the microphone sharing their words with the audience of proud parents, school staff, classmates and community members.

“I’ve always loved writing. It’s a passion of mine,” Erwin said. “I’m so proud of it.”

Her essay is No. 9, her lucky number. “All art is beautiful, and every artist in their own way,” she wrote.

Sydney Zuyus was the first student to read at the book release party. McMahon said Zuyus went first so she wouldn’t be forgotten; her name was accidentally omitted from the list of authors published in the back of the book.

Colony High School freshman Kalyn Urbano was in eighth grade when she wrote her essay about her parents’ divorce.

“It just kind of happened,” she said of winding up a published author at just 14.

Urbano said writing her story helped her to process her parent’s divorce.

“It was like having my own counselor,” she said.

McMahon said the goal is to publish a similar collection of student essays once every three years so every Colony Middle student has a chance to be published.

“We’re already working on the next one,” McMahon said.

Contact Heather A. Resz at heather.resz@frontiersman.com or 352-2268.