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The Underground Writing Podcast
Linebreak | Growing Up Is Not Easy
LINEBREAK is a single piece of student writing, offered as a pause during your daily life. We hope it will be generative of further creativity, perspective, and thought.
*A prefatory note. We recorded this episode on Monday, September 30, 2024. While in the process of recording it at a local college library, an “active shooter” event took place in the nearby vicinity—outside the library where we were located. The library and college went to lockdown, as did all the other schools in the area. The students and staff members all scrambled to locations inside the library—by walls, under tables, in offices, or, like us, in one of three side-area study rooms. In the seconds it took to grasp what was happening, I (Matt) saw a student walking around, unsure where he should go. He pointed at me, as I pointed at him through the glass window of the study room. I motioned for him to come inside. I turned off the light, and sat in the corner, my leg extending across the bottom inside of the door. The student sat across from me, also in the corner. He called his mom. I texted my family. We introduced ourselves. And what ensued was a wonderful conversation between Mason and me, two humans with about a two to three decade age difference, both caught in a situation with unknown variabilities and outcomes, getting to know each other, talking as a way to bring peace and calm amidst a fearful situation. Twenty minutes later—the situation under control—the library went off lockdown. Lights went back on. Mason and I stood up and shook hands and expressed gratitude for the time. If you’re reading this, Mason, thanks for the dialogue, for your willingness to share, and for your camaraderie in a time of danger.
On today’s episode, our featured student writing is, “Growing Up Is Not Easy” by Juli from our site with the Migrant Leaders Club in the Mount Vernon School District.
Collaboration with artist and photographer, Marilyn Montufar. Thanks to Marilyn and the MLC for your work with us. Marilyn’s own website.
Migrant Leaders Club & Underground Writing travel to New York (2018) to watch Quiara Alegría Hudes’ new musical Miss You Like Hell.
Underground Writing’s photo-based NEWS page. (Hover over the images to access text, more information, and links to connected topics.)
Our website – Programs / News / Contact / Donations: www.undergroundwriting.org
You can send inquiries, or pitches for advertising, here: podcast@undergroundwriting.org
We’re repeating ourselves, but it’s good to say again . . . Listeners!—You can also help us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts or other outlets. And something new—we may even read some of them on the air. Podcast reviews help other like-minded folks find out about our show, as well as our broader work. Any help you can lend to this effort would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for listening, Friends.
Safe journey . . . and take good care.
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6. When I Say . . .
31:50||Season 5, Ep. 6Today’s featured writings were by Anthony and Carlos, students at our writing workshop site in Skagit County Juvenile Detention. You can support students like Anthony and Carlos by spreading the word about our podcast, purchasing student writing anthologies and other merch in our online store, and making a donation to help our work continue – you can donate via our website’s secure donation portal here: https://undergroundwriting.org/donate Laurie Parker is a screenwriter, film and music producer, and teacher. Since 2016 she has led writing workshops for people in the incarcerated, unhoused, undocumented, and foster youth communities. She taught screenwriting at Pacific University’s MFA Writing Program, at Hugo House in Seattle, and at the Calabash Literary Foundation in Jamaica. In 2018, she produced the Emmy Award-winning, PBS documentary, Finding Home, A Foster Youth Story. She co-wrote and produced the film and music for Rodrigo Rey Rosa’s documentary Carcel de Árboles/Prison of Trees in 2015 and his feature film Lo que soño Sebastían/What Sebastían Dreamt, both in Guatemala. More about Laurie Book Laurie is currently reading: Civilizations by Laurent Benet Echo Park Unhoused EncampmentWe want to thank the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Seattle Community Foundation, and the Renaissance Charitable Foundation for their generosity to us via grants made to Underground Writing in 2024. We are sustained by your generosity! Thanks for seeing and supporting us, and believing in the ongoing work we’re doing. Book Shucker | A local independent bookstore we love! They sell our books, and we’re spreading the work about what they’re doing. You can buy books in person in Edison, WA, or online at their store. You can also make them your benefitting store on Bookshop.org, and they’ll receive a bit of kickback for every purchase you make.We’re repeating ourselves, but it’s good to say again . . . Listeners!—You can also help us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts or other outlets. And something new—we may even read some of them on the air. Podcast reviews help other like-minded folks find out about our show, as well as our broader work. Any help you can lend to this effort would be greatly appreciated. Our website: www.undergroundwriting.org You can send inquiries, or pitches for advertising, here: podcast@undergroundwriting.org Thanks for listening, Friends. Safe journey . . . and take good care.
5. Linebreak | Haiku from Juvenile Detention
07:51||Season 5, Ep. 5LINEBREAK is a single piece of student writing, offered as a pause during your daily life. We hope it will be generative of further creativity, perspective, and thought. _____ SHOW NOTES: Tuesday, November 26, 2024 If you recently began listening to our podcast—or if you’ve been with us for a number of years—we want to remind you to check out the first 3 episodes of this reboot season to get an overview of where we’ve been and where we’re going. Check out season 5, episodes 1, 2, and 3. Today’s featured poetry is included in our first anthology of student writing, What No One Ever Tells You. The poems in this episode were written “after” the Swedish poet, Tomas Tranströmer. You can learn more about his life and work here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/tomas-transtromer Interested in reading more of Tranströmer’s work? We recommend this volume of his poetry (shout outs to New Directions for this lovely edition!): the great enigma (new collected poems) Learn more about our re/vision program, as well as our re/vision program’s monthly volunteer day, on our website here: https://undergroundwriting.org/revision Underground Writing’s photo-based NEWS page. (Hover over the images to access text, more information, and links to connected topics.) Our website – Programs / News / Contact / Donations: www.undergroundwriting.org You can send inquiries, or pitches for advertising, here: podcast@undergroundwriting.org We’re repeating ourselves, but it’s good to say again . . . Listeners!—You can also help us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts or other outlets. And something new—we may even read some of them on the air. Podcast reviews help other like-minded folks find out about our show, as well as our broader work. Any help you can lend to this effort would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for listening, Friends. Safe journey . . . and take good care. :
4. Linebreak | Dear America
06:34||Season 5, Ep. 4LINEBREAK is a single piece of student writing, offered as a pause during your daily life. We hope it will be generative of further creativity, perspective, and thought. _____ Tuesday, November 5, 2024 Today is Election Day 2024. Listeners, if you have not already done so, we urge you to get out and vote as soon as possible! If you don’t know where to vote, check out Vote.org. You can access their voting location help here: https://www.vote.org/polling-place-locator/ If you recently began listening to our podcast—or if you’ve been with us for a number of years—we want to remind you to check out the first 3 episodes of this reboot season to get an overview of where we’ve been and where we’re going. Check out season 5, episodes 1, 2, and 3. Learn more about the Letters to a Young Inmate initiative: www.letterstoayounginmate.org Underground Writing’s photo-based NEWS page. (Hover over the images to access text, more information, and links to connected topics.) Our website – Programs / News / Contact / Donations: www.undergroundwriting.org You can send inquiries, or pitches for advertising, here: podcast@undergroundwriting.org We’re repeating ourselves, but it’s good to say again . . . Listeners!—You can also help us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts or other outlets. And something new—we may even read some of them on the air. Podcast reviews help other like-minded folks find out about our show, as well as our broader work. Any help you can lend to this effort would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for listening, Friends. Safe journey . . . and take good care.:
3. Kite 10
14:21||Season 5, Ep. 3KITE ['kīt, noun] 1. A note requesting or providing information, passed from one inmate to another in a separate cell, to someone on the outside, or to a guard; 2. Underground Writing’s audio zine featuring a selection of student writing.SHOW NOTES: Today’s featured writings were written by our adult students at the Skagit County Community Justice Center (our county jail). These pieces were written during the Covid era. You can support these students, as well as all our students, by spreading the word about our podcast, purchasing student writing anthologies in our website store, and making a donation to help our ongoing work via our website’s secure donation portal. For more information about where things are at with regard to our podcast reboot, as well as our organization overall, please listen to the previous two, reboot special episodes: S5E1, The Underground Writing Podcast (September 26, 2024) and S5E2, Linebreak (October 3, 2024). Underground Writing’s photo-based NEWS page. (Hover over the images to access text, more information, and links to connected topics.) Our website: www.undergroundwriting.org You can e-mail us at: podcast@undergroundwriting.org The Underground Writing podcast is recorded and produced by Underground Writing. You can access it via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast outlets, as well as on our website where we include links of interest connected to items mentioned in each episode. We’re repeating ourselves, but it’s good to say again . . . Listeners!—You can also help us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts or other outlets. And something new—we may even read some of them on the air. Podcast reviews help other like-minded folks find out about our show, as well as our broader work. Any help you can lend to this effort would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for listening, Friends. Safe journey, and take good care.:
1. Reboot | Ode to My Journal
13:44||Season 5, Ep. 1On this first episode of Season 5, we talk about the reboot of The Underground Writing Podcast. Highlights include a catchup / overview coming out of the Covid era, a few updates regarding programs and collaborations, and a reading of "Ode to My Journal," a poem by Anthony, one of our students at our writing workshop site in Skagit County Juvenile Detention.Show Notes: Today’s featured writing is “Ode to My Journal” by Anthony, a student at our writing workshop site in Skagit County Juvenile Detention. You can support Anthony, and students like him, by spreading the word about our podcast, purchasing student writing anthologies and other merch in our online store, and making a donation to help our work continue – you can donate via our website’s secure donation portal here: https://undergroundwriting.org/donate Our website: www.undergroundwriting.org You can send inquiries, or pitches for advertising, here: podcast@undergroundwriting.org Learn more about the Letters to a Young Inmate initiative via our website here:www.letterstoayounginmate.org The Sentences That Create Us: Crafting a Writer’s Life in Prison is a wonderful resource, Edited by Caits Meissner (a member of our Advisory Board). You can learn more about this book online here: https://pen.org/program/the-sentences-that-create-us/ More about our re/vision program can be accessed via our website here:www.undergroundwriting.org/revision Podcast Review, a Los Angeles Review of Books channel, published an article in April 2024 about top writing podcasts, and included us in the list for a third time. We’re beyond grateful to be included amongst such company. You can read Alice Florence Orr’s article online here: https://podcastreview.org/list/best-writing-podcasts/We’re repeating ourselves, but it’s good to say again . . . Listeners!—You can also help us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts or other outlets. And something new—we may even read some of them on the air. Podcast reviews help other like-minded folks find out about our show, as well as our broader work. Any help you can lend to this effort would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for listening, Friends. Safe journey . . . and take good care.:
Kite 9
06:00|KITE: A. A NOTE PASSED FROM AN INMATE TO AN INMATE IN ANOTHER CELL OR TO A GUARD B. UNDERGROUND WRITING’S AUDIO ZINE FEATURING STUDENT WRITING Jen Bradbury, UW Teaching Writer, shares student writing from What No One Ever Tells You. My Cell -Victor I Won’t Front -J.S. I Am Not What You Think I Am -Luciean Nascar Dialogue -Josh Survival -M. We Sit Here Together -Students and Teaching Writers, in a circle, one line each Underground Writing: a literature-based creative writing program serving migrant, incarcerated, recovery, and other at-need communities in northern Washington through literacy and personal transformation.
I Know You Remember
32:49|Yesica joins Matt and Alvin in the park on a sunny day. She shares new work and updates us on her journey. Matt gives updates on workshops, events, and amplifying voices. LINKS OF INTEREST: Podcast Review: Underground Writing Dear America chapbook The Change - Book Pipeline Marilyn Montufar Jacob Lawrence Gallery Claudia Castro Luna Letters to a Young Inmate The War and Peace of Tim O'Brien Underground Writing: a literature-based creative writing program serving migrant, incarcerated, recovery, and other at-need communities in northern Washington through literacy and personal transformation.
