Adele Steiner: The Young Writers' Corner

As always, many thanks to everyone at The Writer’s Center for yet another opportunity to feature the work written by young people in my Fall 2009 creative writing workshop for 8-11 year-olds. The workshop was entitled Kids Write for Kids.

In this workshop my students wrote a children’s picture book that could be enjoyed by readers in their age group. They wrote creative fiction in prose and narrative verse, and they also wrote a separate collection of poems.

The poetry was inspired by word play, art, and especially by a recent snow storm. As a result, they reflect the time of year quite nicely, so I chose to include them in this installment of The Writer’s Center’s Young Writer’s Corner. Enjoy!




SNOW

(a Renga)





Snow—

flakey tiny stars

in a winter wonderland.





Snow—wonderful and white

Children play outside—

Small diamonds.



Resting on her love, her heartbeat

lifts the snow flakes slowly,

and we find them on the earth.



Cat’s paws tread

softly over grass

in whispers.



Snow melts.

Water flows, runs

to the stream.



White flakes

Happy children

Soft and white



Soft and flakey

No school.

Hurray!



It comes when autumn leaves.

It covers her as she dresses for spring

In a garden of white.





Mia, Gauri, Isabel, & Adele







When I’m writing, I have the power

to see the world and what is beyond me.

The pen quivers and shakes

like a slithery snake

with my imagination.

People will love my creation.



Mia (age 8)











Two Mysterious People



In the dark night sky,

Two people walk by,

But I don’t now why.

I don’t think you can see,

But their faces are lit with glee.



Gauri (age 9)







The Eclipse



When the face dies, it glows

through too many freckles, and

hair shines with gold

in the moonlit night

when no one need have fright.



Isabel (age 9)



Adele Steiner leads workshops for kids at The Writer's Center. She holds a B.A. & M.F.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing (University of Maryland). She's an instructor at Montgomery College, a Poet-in-the-Schools poet, and a Maryland State Arts Council grant recipient, In addition, she's a veteran Artist in Residence at Georgetown University Hospital, and the author of Freshwater Pearls, The Moon Lighting, and Look Ma, "Hands" on Poetry. Her work has appeared in Wordwrights, Maryland Poetry Review, Gargoyle, Smartish Pace, Promise, and So To Speak.
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