'a story to tell': A documentary of teen life and creativity in Portland, Oreogn
There’s something striking about the honesty in a teen’s writing. Their stories are pretty much about what is on their minds at any given moment.
Note: Found this recently, and it’s a great follow-up to the kind of work that my students included in their portfolios at the end of each semester. As the liaison between Benson and Literary Arts (in addition to all my other duties) my job was to recruit teachers to host a writer in their classroom, usually for one period each day over three weeks. Sometimes there were enough writers to teach one of my classes. Over the years I took lecture notes. Here was my introduction to the zine from March 2001, which is on Page 2, but it’s a little hard to read there! Let’s continue the discussion in comments. Enjoy. —June 30, 2025
So I guess you’re wondering what this ‘zine is all about? It’s all about my students and the great things they write and photograph. It’s really a shame some of these pieces don’t have a wider audience than just me. That’s what gave me the idea for this little publication.
There’s something striking about the honesty in a teen’s writing. Their stories are unencumbered by the need for a paycheck, and pretty much write about what is on their minds at any given moment. Some of then are undiscovered gems, and it seems selfish for me to keep these favorite stories all to myself.
I’ve always emphasized writing in my English classes. That’s probably because of my own background in journalism. I published my first neighborhood newsletter with a ditto master and a ditto machine when I was in third grade (my dad was a teacher at the time). I wrote poetry, short stories, and plays in elementary and middle school, and was the editor of my junior high, high school, and college newspapers and yearbooks. So I come by this naturally, I suppose.
When the fine people at Literary Arts asked me if I would like to have a writer come and teach one of my classes for three weeks last year—and then sent two writers for two classes—I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.
There’s magic that takes place when you put a writer in charge of a group of teenagers. Writers are not burdened by all of the expectations we have of teachers, some of which, quite frankly, get in the way of making writing a meaningful activity.
Here’s a tribute to all my students, to the imaginative power they possess, and to the fact that everyone has “a story to tell.”
Rob Melton
March 2001
Published writers teach workshops for high school students; share advice, 42 writing activities, readings to use in classroom
Writers In The Schools, established in Portland, Oregon in 1996, contracts yearly with public high schools in Portland and Gresham. Teachers request to host a WITS writer, and residencies further class themes, curricula, and student interests, culminating with a public.
Are your H.S. students talking about their writing like these students?
"All my thoughts are like scrambled eggs--everything is mixed up... Now I write with more feeling and less speed."