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 Award-winning
novelist and short-story author Abraham Rodriguez visited
with
children and adults at Supportive Children's Advocacy
Network (SCAN)/LaGuardia in East Harlem, the week
of April 30.
Before Abraham's arrival, the National Book Foundation
donated 150 copies of The Boy Without a Flag to
SCAN/ LaGuardia for the participants. The book is filled
with short stories about the South Bronx, where Abraham
grew up. Many of the participants reside in or are familiar
with the neighborhood.
Abraham's mission was to develop new writers and instill
an appreciation for the written word. He met with over
300 school-aged children, high school students, a "Jobs
for Youth" group, a parent group, and settlement
house staff. Even though every meeting was filled with
questions and discussions, Abraham's aim was to initiate
writing. Many of the school-age children were not motivated
to write, because they felt that they wrote enough in
school. Abraham inspired a group of thirty-six eight-year-olds
by asking them to draw anything they wanted. And then
they were told to write about their drawings. Complaints
dwindled as more words appeared on participants' drawings.
Pre-teen boys were enticed to write when Abraham showed
vivid black and white photos and asked them to select
their favorite. Then Abraham told the pre-teens to write
their thoughts about the photo. After many questions
and complaints, the room became quieter as more pencils
started moving.
Young
readers, ages nine through twelve, were not aware that
they were writing when they were asked to produce a
list of words and make sentences from those words. The
participants wrote funny and creative sentences and
were eager to share their work with the group.
The "Young Miss," a group of girls, ranging
in age from eleven through thirteen, had the opportunity
to meet with Abraham twice. The first meeting involved
a reading, questions about his writing, and a book signing.
A participant recited some of her poetry to Abraham
and announced that she will be a famous poet. On his
second visit, the group created a poster with a collection
of words as a gift to Abraham.
After Abraham met with older teenagers and young adults
who are part of "Jobs for Youth," he felt
that he hadn't made an impact; however, the coordinator
stated that the participants' interest was piqued when
Abraham mentioned that one of his books was optioned
for a movie. The group made the connection that writing
begins with your imagination and your creativity.
The parent group, which is located in the Bronx, also
met with Abraham. They were excited because they were
familiar with the places written about in The Boy
Without a Flag. The parent group wanted to know
what or who influenced Abraham to become a writer. Abraham
explained that he always read. He began to write when
his father presented him with a typewriter. Abraham
left the group emphasizing how important it is for parents
to foster their children's talents.
About twenty high-school students, who are part of SCAN's
"Reach for the Stars" group,
why he wrote, and explained that many of his stories
were taken from his experiences of growing up in the
South Bronx. After he read a story from A Boy Without
a Flag, everyone gave his or her comments. One student
said that he really liked what Abraham read, and that
he probably wouldn't consider reading the book if he
hadn't heard it being read first. Abraham replied,"I
appreciate your honesty." When the event was over,
the students all lined up to have their books signed.
The day before the end of the residency, five nine
through twelve-year-olds were sitting
in the corridor outside of SCAN's office. They were
oblivious to ringing phones, people's conversation,
young children shuffling in and out, and noise filtering
in from the street as they read their copy of A Boy
Without a Flag.
Photo credit: Sherrie Young
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