“I hope the voices of my students read loud and clear to everyone, just like they do to me.”
We caught up with Courageous, Eccentric, Diverse partner teacher Amy Dickerson to discuss the book’s process, some surprising moments, and what she hopes readers take away from her students’ book.
1. How did the concept for this project come about?
During the controversy surrounding the removal of the statues last spring, I wondered what my students would think if they had a say in the process. Generally, I think people don’t give enough credit to kids, and I thought it would be an amazing opportunity to express their views of what they thought was important to New Orleans and to them.
Ms. Amy and published writer Boris at the Courageous, Eccentric, Diverse publishing party and reading.
2. How did you introduce this project to your students? What were their initial ideas for new monuments/thoughts on the project?
We started the project with reflecting on our own identity and generating adjectives to describe ourselves. Students studied the artist Nick Cave, who creates wearable pieces of art called Soundsuits that express his identity and views on social justice. My class created their own Soundsuits to match their adjectives and send a message through their art about their identity. After that initial step, it was easy to introduce the removed monuments, what they stood for and meant to people on both sides of the argument for and against them, and students truly understood why they were removed. We then took the idea about identity one step further and began to think about the identity of New Orleans by asking, “How can we, as citizens of New Orleans, express the identity of our city through new monuments?” and generating ideas for cultural touchstones that would project the positive identity they wanted.
3. Where there any surprising moments during this project?
There are always surprising moments in the classroom, and this project was no exception. I was so thrilled to see how much my students cared about this project and how important they felt it was. Watching them take ownership of their particular subject, be excited to research, and find a new appreciation for something in their city, was incredibly cool as a teacher. The most surprising moment, though, was when they saw their book for the first time. I’ve never seen so much genuine excitement and pride in my years of teaching, and I’ve noticed that even now, months later, many of them carry their copy of the book around with them or keep it in their desk to read when they have a spare moment.
4. How did your students come up with the title?
Because students had already come up with adjectives to describe themselves, we took that idea and decided to brainstorm adjectives to match our monument ideas. They created a list of at least 25 adjectives total, and we then slowly brought it down to our favorites, as the students shared why they thought certain adjectives matched our book better than others.
5. What do you hope readers learn or take away from Courageous, Eccentric, Diverse?
I hope, first of all, that the voices of my students read loud and clear to everyone, just like they do to me. The removal of the Confederate monuments should have happened long ago, and I hope that the sincerity of the ideas in the book come through to readers, as well as an understanding of the kinds of things the kids in this city value.
Courageous, Eccentric, Diverse is available for purchase here.
After the Confederate monuments came down in New Orleans, Homer Plessy Community School third graders authored a book of their ideas for new monuments for our city—monuments for all people.
In classic Big Class fashion, we concluded the project with a reading and publishing party where students held their completed book in their hands and celebrated with friends, family, educators, and community members.
Thank you to Homer Plessy Community School, partner teacher Amy Dickerson, Cartoon Network via 826 National, and Teaching Tolerance.
Purchase Courageous, Eccentric Diverse: New Monuments for New Orleans here.
After the world lost Prince, Big Class and DJ Soul Sister collaborated to celebrate the creativity, self-expression, and poetry that inspired so many.
In 2016, friend of Big Class DJ Soul Sister hosted Revolution: A Prince Celebration to honor Prince and his timeless artistry, generously donating a portion of the proceeds to our free writing programs.
The following year, we teamed up with Soul Sister to elevate youth voice and forge a connection between Writers’ Room students and Prince’s powerful legacy.
In the 2016-2017 school year, 100 11th graders in Eric Parrie’s US History class at Carver High School collaborated with Big Class and acclaimed writer Kiese Laymon to write a book of their own personal histories.
History Between These Folds is a collection on family, neighborhood, identity, and New Orleans–reconfiguring how we think about ourselves in relationship to broader sweeps of history.
“If every American book published in 2017 were written by eleventh graders in New Orleans, the world would be more loving.”
–Kiese Laymon
On May 23rd, 2017, we marked the release of History Between These Folds with a publication party at Cafe Istanbul.
Families, friends, and community members came together in support of New Orleanian youth and their writing.
On December 12th, 2017, we came back together with four of the book’s authors and Kiese Laymon at G.W. Carver High School for a special reading and conversation.
Four authors—Ashley, Octavia, Paris, and Tiarra—read their pieces from History Between These Folds and then sat down to discuss the book, New Orleans, and the future.
You can learn more about this special project, watch a promotional video, and hear audio of the December 12th reading and conversation here.
Carver High student Kiara Geiger (’18) autographs a copy of “History Between These Folds.” (Mya Ebanks/Big Class)
New Orleans, also known as the “Big Easy,” is a cultural hub that attracts millions of tourists each year. But growing up in New Orleans can be far from easy.
Big Class, a nonprofit that focuses on students’ self-expression, is lending a hand to the city’s youth. The organization partners with local schools to encourage students to find positive ways to express themselves through writing and art.
This year, Big Class is working with the eleventh grade students of George Washington Carver High School, located in a neighborhood where residents are still recovering from the damage of Hurricane Katrina. As part of Big Class’ Young Authors’ Book Project, students wrote History Between These Folds, a collection of personal essays.
In the spring of 2017, third graders at Phillis Wheatley Community School read about Compere Lapin, a sly rabbit who was always getting the best of the other animals in the Louisiana bayou. Inspired by these cajun folktales, they wrote their own trickster stories, creating crafty characters and plots with elaborate pranks. Down by the Crawfish Party is a collection of heartwarming and hilarious tales that will make you laugh, keep you guessing as to what will happen next, and maybe even inspire you to get into some hijinks of your own.
“I’ve read the essays in this book at least ten times each, not because I have to, but because I don’t think there is another book like it in the world. The really terrifying thing is that I need this book even more now than I needed it as an 11th grader. If every American book published in 2017 were written to the eleventh graders at Carver High school in New Orleans, the world would be less violent. If every American book published in 2017 were written by eleventh graders in New Orleans, the world would be more loving.” -NOVELIST AND ESSAYIST KIESE LAYMON
“Through this journey we learned we all have different voices, but we came together for one goal: to let people hear our stories and to tell the world about us.” -FROM THE INTRODUCTION BY THE STUDENT EDITORIAL BOARD
History Between These Folds is a collection of essays written by 11th graders at George Washington Carver High School. The narratives take many forms to chronicle family, neighborhood, identity, and New Orleans, and reconfigure how we think about ourselves in relationship to broader sweeps of history.
Pack your bags, buckle up and get ready to choose your own adventure with the Bookmakers from Eisenhower Academy of Global Studies! In these pages, you will find unparalleled journeys to unknown lands such as Toki-Toki, Toy Land, Fruitopia, and Zootifioot! In A Journey Forever, you’ll make friends with an alien when the moon falls from the sky, discover a secret key in your attic that unlocks the mysterious underworld and learn how to give birth during a tornado. Now, sit back and relax and allow the Eisenhower Bookmakers to take you on adventures you never imagined!
Over the past month, Big Class has hosted weekly zine-writing workshops at Alvar Library, and has partnered with the incredible teen program at Norman Mayer Library for an array of workshops.
Collectively, workshop goers have created over fifty pieces of individual writing, and have taken nearly one hundred photos! A summer anthology of all edited work to date will published in late July.
Check out our last workshop of the Summer Saturday, July 23rd 2-4:30 pm at Norman Mayer Library. Join visiting teen writer Keith Riley from Atlanta as he facilitates a free-verse poetry workshop for teens!
And our gallery exhibition and book release July 28 from 4:30-6:30, also at Norman Mayer Library
Carver High student Kiara Geiger (’18) autographs a copy of “History Between These Folds.” (Mya Ebanks/Big Class)
