Keep St. Pete Lit offers weekly writing classes at Fairmount Park Elementary, Campbell Park Elementary, Midtown Academy, Academy Prep, and Melrose Elementary, providing an outlet for student’s creative expression.
Founder Maureen McDole says, through writing, youth are encouraged to, “work out tough issues such as gender roles, bullying, racism, homelessness, and stereotypes.”
“Our classes give them a place to put their emotions and observations,” she added, “and they find their voices and speak their truths in the classes. It’s beautiful to see their enthusiasm as they fall in love with language, and we are grateful for the opportunity to serve them.”
Keep St. Pete also works to help their schools improve their libraries by acquiring new books that are culturally diverse and have protagonists that reflect the students. The organization has also provided book boxes in four south St. Pete locations for children to have access to books out of school.
Sara Reis teaches for the organization at Fairmount Park Elementary and, Academy Prep as well as Virginia Leonard Community Center before that closed due to budget cuts.
Reis noted, “We end each class with a share session where students present what they’ve written that day. At first, many students were reluctant to perform and some even refused. But it didn’t take long for students to develop new confidence and excitement for writing.”
Reis said that “share time” became so popular, with students so excited to read their work, that she had to start picking names out of a hat so that each student had an equal chance to perform next. “It was touching to watch the students clap and support one another,” said Reis.
Reis shared about one student, Bran Dreshia, who was quiet in the beginning and unconfident in her writing ability. Bran Dreshia, like many others, thought poetry and creative writing was hard and “not for her.” But, noted Reis, by the end of the class, “she’d gleam after completing a poem. She couldn’t wait to show me, and she’d eagerly perform her work and even create beats to go along with her poem. She’d hear the music and rhythm of her words and perform them that way.”
Reis said that many students struggled to write a sentence at first, but by the end of the year they had produced clear, creative, and interesting work that was published in an anthology put together by Keep St. Pete Lit.
“When I gave them a copy [of the anthology] they excitedly flipped through the pages to find their poems. They were so proud of their accomplishment and how much they’d progressed.”
Keep St. Lit also presents Poetry Open Mics — now virtual during the COVID-19 shut down, as well as adult classes and workshops. You can also take part in a letter writing campaign to essential workers during the COVID-19 period, learn more here.
Venture Philanthropy Fund is happy to help support literacy in St. Pete with Keep St. Pete Lit!