Congratulations on a great project. I am a faculty member at the University of Michigan, where I teach and American Studies senior seminar called “Getting In: What College Means in America.” It focuses on a community project centered on the college application essay, with the remarkable InsideOut Literary Arts Project of Detroit. I was inspired to start this class after working with South African collaborators (an arts organization and a pretty radical university writing center) to launch an annual writing workshop for young urban artists in Johannesburg. We focus on the artist statement in that workshop (the Isithunzi Writing Workshop). I’m definitely going to share your project with my class, as the students will be working to develop and identify useful resources around creative approaches to the college application essay process, which is often a fraught and miserable one.

Julie Ellison
Professor of American Culture, English, and Art and Design

My name is Lesley Stampleman-I graduated in 02 with a Creative Writing Div III.I was just browsing through and found your project. Great Work!

A little more backround: I just graduated with an MFA in English from Mills College, and worked in part with their Community Teaching Project. I also did some volunteer work with 826 Valencia. I am interested in creating a similar program in the rural California community in which I grew up. This handbook is a great resource for would-be teachers of writing. Would you be willing to send/sell a copy?