The power of poetry and both fictional and memoir narrative writing in conveying what is feels like to live as a Palestine in this world opens up avenues of discussion for our students. This workshop will explore how creative writing and narrative tell the story of both Palestine and Palestinians. We will look at various authors’ choices of the structure of the writings, word choices and figurative or metaphoric language to help students think about, discuss and write about the levels of meaning implied in the writing. Participants will explore how creative writings, allowing for student interpretations, will lead to lessons on point of view and meaning in Palestinian writings. The workshop will draw upon the Common Core English Language Arts Standards and Ethnic Studies guiding principles. Participants will also have the opportunity to examine ways in which these lessons can lead to stronger verbal and written communications, using evidence in the writings to draw conclusions from the writings. Some of the authors to be included are Mahmoud Darwish, Naomi Shihab Nye, Mosab Abu Tohah, Fady Joudah, Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, Jewish poets, and other poets such as June Jordan.

This session will benefit 9-12 educators and with modification 6-8, and will benefit community college professors