An INwords Publication

Funded by the Summer Youth Program Fund, the Indiana Writers Center’s “Building a Rainbow” creative writing program serves a diverse group of young people in Indianapolis, improving their writing and literacy skills through a series of creative writing exercises that teach them how to write the stories of their own lives. Working one-on-one, Writers Center instructors, student teachers, and volunteers help the young writers get their words on the page and also encourage them to reflect upon the experiences they’ve written about, considering how what they’ve learned can help them make their dreams come true. “I Remember” is a collection of writings completed during the Indiana Writers Center summer youth writing programs, along with observations about teaching and the prompts used to elicit the writing.

$10.99 + S/H

Reviews:
“This book took me to places I have never been–grandmother’s houses in Indianapolis, neighborhood playgrounds, public schools, private schools, and all the hallways in between. I’ve never read an anthology as diverse as this one that includes multicultural voices from all ages, yet it has cohesiveness in theme and tone.”

“It’s definitely a book I want to share with my children someday, one that I know will teach them about empathy and humanness in a very raw form. These students and the staff that worked with them didn’t hold back on their stories. The gave them over to us willingly, and I will treasure them. I’m sure you will too.”

“I recommend this book for all ages. Everyone can laugh and cry and root for these students through reading this book, and everyone should. Their stories are inspiring, haunting, exciting, hilarious, and heart-felt. A great read.”

“Changed by These Words-
I have been so blessed by the stories in this book. Not only are they poignant but they are powerful and real. They remind me of the grace of God and the freedom of youth. They remind me of growing up, of losing and gaining, of sorrowing and rejoicing. They remind me of my own humanness and the humanness of those I don’t even know.”

“These short memoirs contain the complexities of life that all art strives to capture. Here, we are brought into stories of dreams and failures and life-changing experience. Here, we laugh and learn and wonder.”

“I have been changed by the words on these pages, and I invite anyone and everyone to be changed by them as well. The youth of Indianapolis have much to share and teach, and I’m thankful for the Indiana Writers Center for the opportunity these youth have to share.”

“This book is beautiful. It’s packed with stories, and as Joan Didion tells us, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” So really, it’s packed with life.”

“Featuring the funny, the sad, the powerful, and the sublime, this memoir writing project from the summer of 2014 in Indianapolis captures the voices of over 150 youth there. It also, with the pedagogical section and writing prompts at the end, encourages us to tell our own stories.”

“What a fantastic anthology. I could not recommend a book more strongly than this one.”

“I’m so glad I stumbled upon this book in my search for history and geology books about Indiana. It really does tell an authentic history of Indianapolis youth, and it’s penned by the witty and funny youth, themselves.  They write honestly about their history, spanning from Mexico to King’s Island to 10th grade English class, and they do so with poise and daring. Their stories kept me turning pages to reveal poetry, prose, and everything in between. It was truly a refreshing read, and I recommend it to anyone who is or has ever been a child.”

“The Indiana Writers Center does a great job with these students, and I can’t wait for the book next year!”