Join Young Willamette Writers...
Why?

• It's Free!
• You'll meet and join other students like yourself who have an interest in and love of writing.
• Share your work with your peers, and help each other grow as writers.
• Meet and learn from writing experts.
• See your best work published on this Web site and in an annual anthology.
• You'll have fun, make new friends and learn how to improve your writing!

Meetings . . .

are held at the same time and place as the adult Willamette Writers.

• Day: The first Tuesday of each month (YWWs meet only during the school year).
• Time: From 7 to 8 p.m.
• Place: "The Old Church" on SW 11th and Clay in Portland, Oregon.
• Price: Free! (Unless you want the Newsletter and other benefits of regular WW Membership.) Parents can attend the adult meeting for free while you are in the group.
• Who: Students from 5th through 10th grades who love to write. Our meetings are divided between mini-workshops led by the co-chairs of the group, and special presentations by writers, editors, publishers and other writing professionals. Students usually get a chance to read their work at the end of meetings. YWWs meet in the Victorian parlor off to the side of the reception room. Parents are welcome to stay with their students or to attend the main WW meeting at no charge.

Our next meeting...

Joni Heyman

Young Willamette Writers June meeting concludes with the final segment of the song writing program presented by Meagan Hope. Meagan will also have a surprise guest.

One of the things encouraged in the class was to write from the heart. Only with the heart can a person truly see because what matters most is invisible to the human eye. Katie Greenwood said it best, "Music isn't just learning notes and playing them. You learn notes to play the music of your soul."

In this last music writing class students will combine words and music. They will put the song the class wrote on sheet music that they can keep. It is hoped that in the future when they are sad or anxious about something or happy and excited they will put the feeling of the moment into a song or poem.

Meagan encouraged students not to shy away from song writing, if they are not musically trained. Take inspiration from Paul McCartney who does not read or write sheet music. There is little doubt that music courses through his heart and veins all the way to his toes. Despite not writing music he wrote two symphonies, Liverpool Oratio and Standing Stone, plus the hundreds of songs that have endured for decades.

When I saw him in concert, he told the audience that when he started out he kept a keyboard by his bed. When he dreamt a song he got out of bed and immediately played it by ear with a tape recorder running. He would take the song to one of the band members and they would help him write it down. He now has a computer set up with his keyboard. The computer transcribes the notes he plays into sheet music. The point is not let what you may not know now and remember to sing or play the song in your heart.

Looking forward to seeing you at 7 pm in the Old Church, SW 11th and Clay, from 6:50 to 8 pm.

Please note: YWW will resume the first Tuesday in October. Have a wonderful summer.

During one of our classes, one student wrote the first line of a poem then passed their paper to the next person who wrote the second line, and so forth around the room. The students wrote the poems quickly, drawing on their instincts. Their poems are presented to honor their way with words.
Joni, YWW Chairperson, joni-h@comcast.net.

Play
We play outside and
Never stand doing nothing
Trust me, I’m not bluffing
It’s fun to swing
Entertaining just to run around
I cook "food" with dirt and petals
Pretend play. . .that's the thing
That makes me happy
It’s fun to cook
Even without a kettle.

Flower Magic
The roses had dew on their petals
Like sprinkles on a cake
This is what only nature can do,
That man could never make
Whenever I could, I stole a glance at them
No matter how many times
My Mom told me to wait
They are true magic
That makes these roses beautiful,
As though they have wing
But they can not fly in the air
To share the clouds with birds

The Wind
Swiftly, swiftly blew the wind
As it flew across the pond
Green grass blades swayed with the wind
And they shimmered as always
But this time there were no swans
Just frogs and muskrats
And with them jumps and dives
The pond was not lonely.