District Hosts "Writing Depth Thru Brevity" Poetry Workshop

On Monday, April 20, Glen Cove students from the high school and middle school participated in an inspiring and interactive poetry workshop titled "Writing Depth Thru Brevity." The session was sponsored by Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts and led by Javan Howard, a renowned poet, 2022 Aspen Words Fellow, and Usdan’s Director of Education. Howard, whose work has been featured in prestigious literary journals like The Minnesota Review and The Watershed Review, brought his unique "lived experience" approach to our district.

The workshop challenged students to enter a "matrix of words," using game-based writing exercises to break through traditional creative blocks. By playing with language, students explored how the structure of a game can generate unexpected and powerful original works.

The core lesson of the day was that brevity does not mean a lack of depth. Our young writers discovered that limited word counts can actually force more creative word choices; the structure of a single line can hold infinite possibilities. Playing with words is often the best way to invite unfamiliar and exciting language into their practice.

Thank you to Javan Howard, Michele Brisco, and Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts for visiting Glen Cove and proving to our students that sometimes, the smallest poems carry the loudest voices!