When our friend, author Daria Peoples-Riley, read an article about Crocker Prep in New Orleans, her wheels started turning. The article explained that after the devastation of Katrina, New Orleans public schools had to adapt. While some schools adopted a “no excuses” discipline policy, Crocker Prep took on a different, “trauma informed” approach. The policies at Crocker are designed to care for the whole child – both in and out of school – and to care for any needs the child may have due to experiencing trauma. You can read more about Crocker’s approach by reading the same article Daria read.
The article also told the story of a young writer named Sherlae (name changed for privacy) who attends Crocker. When Daria read about Sherlae and her love for writing, she wanted to offer some encouragement, writer-to-writer. She was able to track down a contact at the school and send Sherlae a care package. This exchange started a mentoring relationship between Daria and Sherlae. Recently, in partnership with Society of Young Inklings, Daria was able to visit Crocker Prep to host a workshop with Sherlae and some of her classmates.
The workshop was held for a small group of 7th and 8th graders who have a developed interest in writing and drawing. It was an impactful and unique experience for both the students and Daria as they were able roll up their sleeves and dig in deeply to their creative work.
Society of Young Inklings was delighted to be able to sponsor the workshop and we spoke to Daria after the event to learn more about it.
What was your goal for the session?
My ultimate goal was to meet children in New Orleans and support Crocker Prep’s commitment to providing an excellent, compassion-based philosophy grounded in nurturing the social-emotional needs of their students. I wanted to give students an opportunity for creative exploration and a positive art making experience, one that made them feel successful.
Crocker doesn’t have an arts program, so it was important to me to foster an environment for students to express themselves freely through art and words, which is why it was so impactful that students were able to keep all of the supplies provided by Society of Young Inklings.
I also like to learn about the children I write books for because it connects me to their world first hand. It seems like I wouldn’t be doing my job well if I didn’t maximize my opportunities to spend time with children.
What activity did you choose to do with the students?
We ate lunch together while we shared our hopes, dreams, and fears with each other. Students asked me questions about being an author/illustrator and told me something special they wanted me to know about their city, New Orleans. Then, each student created a self-portrait and a reflective I AM poem. We used charcoal and graphite pencils, transfer paper, and mixed-media paper.
Everyone accomplished the goal of completing the self-portrait. The students worked extraordinarily hard and were focused. If I could do it again, I would’ve taken a break between the portrait and the poem. Since they were so engaged in the self-portrait, their energy was dwindling by time we got to the poem.
What made this workshop different from other author visits you’ve done?
I felt very connected to the students because my family is from New Orleans, but since I didn’t grow up there, I felt like I was learning about myself as I worked with the students. It felt like an extension of home.
What advice did you give the young artists?
Make art. Write out feelings. Solve problems on the page. Life and death are in the power of words, so don’t speak negatively to self or others—encourage each other instead. Work hard. We are brothers and sisters, here to love one another and hold each other accountable for attaining our short and long term goals.
What was your biggest takeaway from the workshop?
Kids want to be seen. They yearn to be heard. They want to be told to keep going because we believe in them. They want to know their dreams are important to us, and we’ll help them. I was reminded that kids are worth our investment, and we don’t give them enough, but they use every resource we do give to them, and they stretch it as far as they can. Imagine if we gave them everything they needed to be successful. What would the world look like then?
Here’s what some of Daria’s students had to say about the workshop:
“It was really fun… the techniques we used were really new to me, but super useful.” –Unnastazia
“I’ve never really been a fan of self portraits, so it was kind of fun to try it out and get out of my comfort zone.” –D. J.
“Daria helped me with being patient with myself and she told me that I’m a perfectionist and I’m hard on myself. So she helped me to be patient with myself.” –Rachel
“Since I already knew her, my experience was fun because my classmates got to meet her. when the writing part came that was my favorite part because I got to write about my feelings.” -Sherlae
Society of Young Inklings helps young writers—regardless of their circumstances—find their voices and make their mark on the world. Your financial donation will help us continue to host events like this one at Crocker Prep. Every dollar adds to the strength of our collective story. Join us in bringing the power of story to young writers. Donate below. All gifts are tax-deductible. (Tax ID: 46-2971012)
Daria Peoples-Riley’s first job was at nine years old in the children’s section of her hometown library in Paso Robles, California. She worked a little, but she mostly read picture books. Daria loved basketball, competing in oratorical contests, drawing, and painting. Her dad gave her art lessons in their garage on Rose Lane, and Daria’s mom rescued her first self-portrait from the kitchen trash can, and had it professionally framed the next day. Today, it hangs in her parents’ living room as a reminder that our life’s purpose almost always introduces itself to us as a child. Daria earned a BA in English from UC Santa Barbara, where she found herself shelving books in the library once again and reading the writings of many notable authors. After earning a Masters in Education and 10 years of teaching, Daria became a full-time author and illustrator. Daria lives in Las Vegas with her family.
Daria’s debut picture book THIS IS IT was published with Greenwillow/HarperCollins in February of 2018. A companion book will follow in 2019. Daria is also the illustrator of WHAT GLORIA HEARD by Jessica M. Rinker, a forthcoming picture book biography about the life and work of Gloria Steinem. Find out more about Daria and her books at her website, www.dariapeoples.com.
