"A Garden State of Mind” Presents Writing by Hoboken Students,
Hosted by Hoboken Historical Museum and Party With Purpose
Live reading on May 22, at 3 p.m., at the Hoboken Museum, 1301 Hudson St.
On Sunday, May 22, there will be a public reading for student participants, teachers, family members, classmates, and poets to celebrate the publication of A Garden State of Mind, an anthology of student writing from five Hoboken schools. The event will be free and open to the public.
In November 2015, poets Andy Clausen and Teresa Carson went into five Hoboken schools (Hoboken High School, Elysian School, Hoboken Charter School, HOLA Charter School, The Hudson School) and conducted workshops for about 100 students in the classes of teachers Allison Addona (Hoboken Charter), Regan Michaels (Elysian), Randi Roberts (The Hudson School), Denise Chakov (Hoboken High), and Adina Medina HOLA).
Selected students then participated in an after-school Master Class in February 2016 at the Hoboken Historical Museum, led by Clausen, Carson and Hoboken Historical Museum’s Poet in Residence, Danny Shot.
On May 22, the poetry anthology A Garden State of Mind will be distributed as the culmination of the project. Copies of the book will be given free to participants and offered for sale to the public for $5.
“The poetry in this collection, by students, teachers and professional poets, is the poetry of place, our place, Hoboken,” says Danny Shot. “Hoboken is a rapidly changing community. The city’s students have captured the essence of the city as it stands at this moment in time. How we see ourselves fitting into—or not fitting into—this place is the overarching theme of this collection.”
Shot adds, “While we have many different schools, we still share one community. Hoboken’s young people and teachers come from diverse backgrounds, yet we share this place in the second decade of the 21st century. By reaching out to our community’s children, as well as teachers, our goal is to enliven their interest in writing and literature and spark their desire to visit the Hoboken Historical Museum with their families.”
