Today my name is colorful. Yesterday my name was dead souls. Tomorrow my name will be lively spirits. My friends think my name is fire. The police think my name is burden. My parents think my name is symphony. Secretly I know my name is anything I want it to be. Paint Me Like I Am is a collection of poems by teens who have taken part in writing programs run by a national nonprofit organization called WritersCorps. To read the words of these young people is to hear the diverse voices of teenagers everywhere. Included are a foreward by acclaimed poet Nikki Giovanni, an essay from Kevin Powell, another poet associated with WritersCorps, and writing tips from WritersCorps instructors. WritersCorps was started in 1994 to help at-risk youth in three American urban San Francisco, Washington, DC, and New York City (the Bronx). Thousands of children and teenagers have since benefited from finding creative expression through writing.
Authors
WritersCorps is an alliance of creative writing programs in three cities—San Francisco, the Bronx, and Washington, D.C. — with a mission to transform the lives of youth through the written word. Since its inception in 1994, WritersCorps has helped more than 40,000 young people nationwide improve their literacy and self-sufficiency. With its award-winning publications and local and national events, the organization has become a national model in arts and literacy.
