Welcome to Wordplay 2008, Just Buffalo’s annual publication of the most outstanding student work produced during our Writers in Education programs. Each year, Just Buffalo’s writers work with over 20 schools across Western New York—public, private, parochial, rural and suburban—engaging more than 2000 students in creative writing, reading, listening and speaking to support academic achievement and active engagement in the literary arts. 

Just Buffalois privileged to work with dedicated teachers and principals who are willing to open their classrooms to collaborative work with teaching artists. They understand that each student in their care learns differently and that the making of literary art truly engages students who might otherwise be disconnected from classroom learning. The success of our programs can be seen on a daily basis in the form of proudly-raised hands, expectant smiles, spontaneous bursts of applause, new discoveries and, most of all, poignant and provocative writing.

Too often, our communities suffer from a lack of opportunity to hear authentic expressions from young people. Too often, the pressure of high-stakes testing crowds out the vital connections that creative writing inspires in students. Just Buffalo’s Wordplay demonstrates that when teachers and writers work together, students embrace the challenge to be creative, thoughtful, and unique in their expressions.

Wordplay not only is an inspiration for young writers whose work may be published for the first time and for those yet to be published but also for teachers as a vibrant resource to be used in every classroom. So, too, parents, principals, and schools can join in the excitement of seeing the concrete results inspired by bringing literary artists into the classroom.Most importantly, Wordplay offers us the opportunity to celebrate the talents of the next generation and the power of the written word in our lives.

Wordplay could not have been produced without the support and assistance of the Buffalo Teacher Resource Center and its Advisory Board, the Buffalo Board of Education, and the Arts in Education program of the New York State Council on the Arts.

It is with deepest thanks that we acknowledge Just Buffalo’s Writers Corps, those dedicated writers who breathe life into each school residency. It is through their efforts and talents that so many young people are inspired to find their own words and voices.
 

Laurie Dean Torrell, Executive Director
Barbara Cole, Education Director