PROJECTS

		The Magic Poetry Bus Project THE MAGIC POETRY BUS is the statewide poetry/arts project of Carol Muske-Dukes, newly-appointed Poet Laureate of California. Dear Friends, Aboard the actual “bus” — which we hope to drive out of the garage very soon - will be poets, actors, playwrights and a film-maker, who will travel to public schools, elementary and secondary, and also to juvenile halls, throughout the state of California. Often with a film crew, these creative artists will teach workshops, writing exercises, and have fun with games and riddles. We’ll also be filming young performing poets and one-on-one and “pop-ups” to be posted on the MISSION IMAGINATION Virtual Bus (or website), which will serve as a fuel-ready fun imaginative guide to teaching creative writing and the creative arts. This manual is an ongoing, constantly “up-dateable” resource for teachers and students — featuring: Digital features of poets and actors reading a poem or talking about poetry Videos of students learning to write poems or plays in a workshop setting Creative writing “exercises” Poetry in performance Animation Games Maybe even a “Science & Poetry” feature! This website will be a “virtual” bus tour of the poetic imagination — with Inspiration Points, Bus Stops, Fast and Slowdown Lanes — inviting teachers and students to grab a seat, and check out the Bus Driver’s Manual of “how to’s,” making the entry into imaginative writing unthreatening and inviting. The format will be dynamic: constantly updated with ideas and feedback from participating kid and grown-up poets, and students of the arts. We will feature an instant-publishing component — a Big Yellow Sign parking space — where participants can “post” their poems, stories, or plays when they are ready to “publish.” Our board includes former U.S. poet laureate Robert Pinsky, actor John Lithgow, playwright Christopher Durang, author and performance artist Sandra Tsing Loh, singer/songwriter Paul Simon, and many others. We will also be working with other creative arts individuals at organizations like the GET LIT PLAYERS, whose teen-age members offer performances in schools, combining classical traditional poetry and performance art; “826”, the immensely successful storefront “kids writing” project founded by Dave Eggers (California, New York, Chicago) and others. Our Arts Advisory Staff includes Stephanie Carrie of The Actors’ Gang, Ali-Reza Nusrat, cinematographer, Diana Arterian and John Muske, arts support specialists and James Darling, web design. Hop on The Magic Poetry Bus for a tour of the creative imagination — we hope that you’ll stay aboard and even take a magic turn of your own! Yours, Carol Muske-Dukes, Poet Laureate, State of California
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS Carol Muske-Dukes T.C. Boyle Lee Chemel Christopher Durang Eric Fischl Dana Goodyear Dana Johnson Muriel Johnson Nick Kazan Stacy Keach Diane Luby Lane John Lithgow Brighde Mullins Carol Olson Tom Oppenheim Robert Pinsky Mona Simpson Paul Simon Kerry Slattery Robin Swicord Sandra Tsing-Loh Kenneth Turan Al Young ARTS ADVISORY STAFF Diana Arterian Stephanie Carrie Stewart Grace John Muske Ali-Reza Nusrat Stephanie Wong ................................................ ONLINE DONATIONS to The Magic Poetry Bus Project can be made using Visa, Mastercard, or American Express credit cards. Click the donate button, and type "Magic Bus Project" in the memo on the credit card form.

 

 

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