“I’m grateful to work for an organization that creates opportunities for people to create real change in their lives,” says Hollen Reischer, assistant director of the Neighborhood Writing Alliance and editor of the Journal of Ordinary Thought. “So many of the ordinary people we share space with every day—on the bus or train, in the grocery store line, brushing shoulders as we pass each other downtown—have extraordinary stories to tell.”
The Neighborhood Writing Alliance, founded in 1996, runs writing workshops for adults in low-income neighborhoods throughout Chicago, and publishes selected pieces from those workshops in its quarterly award-winning publication, the Journal of Ordinary Thought (JOT). In an endeavor to spread their visibility to the larger world, acquaint JOT readers with JOT writers, and to expand the breadth of their programming, the NWA recently launched the blog Every Person is a Philosopher. Last Thursday, November 11th, they hosted a launch party to celebrate the new blog that included a reading and dialogue session, live poem writing, prizes and giveaways, and general information on how to get involved with the blog.
Hollen Reischer, who played an instrumental role in Every Person is a Philosopher‘s development, was kind enough to answer a few questions for us about the blog’s purpose, the NWA as a whole, and how interested community members can get involved.
Q: What inspired you to start your blog, Every Person is a Philosopher?
A: A couple of years ago, NWA conducted focus groups with readers of JOT. One of the primary messages we got was that readers loved JOT, but wanted to know more about the writers themselves. They also wanted more frequent, personal opportunities to interact with the writing. Starting a blog seemed a perfect way to provide our readers with deeper, more frequent opportunities to connect to our work and the participants in our workshops. At the same time, the whole interactive nature of a blog is aligned with our mission to amplify the voices of everyday Chicagoans in an effort to provoke dialogue, build community, and promote change.
The name of our blog, Every Person Is a Philosopher, is the motto of JOT. Based in popular education theory, this motto represents our foundational belief that every person has the capacity, and the right, to tell his or her own life’s narrative. We believe sharing these stories ultimately leads to social change.
Q: Could you describe the NWA for our readers who might not be familiar with all that you do?
A: The Neighborhood Writing Alliance is a non-profit organization that creating opportunities for adults in Chicago’s under-served neighborhoods to write, publish, and perform works about their lives. We’re currently running ten free, weekly writing workshops that span the North, West, and South Sides of the city.
The writing—poetry and short prose—produced in the workshops is published in the quarterly Journal of Ordinary Thought. Each year we publish two anthologies, and two themed issues. We just had our release reading for “Water on Fire,” which is our Fall 2010 issue dedicated to the theme of “Our Environment.” Next up we’ll be doing “Key Ingredients,” which asks writers (and readers) to engage in all things food-related.
We also have a variety of special workshops, where writers have the opportunity to focus intensively on one aspect of a theme (say, learning about and writing about creative reuse, or the horrors of factory farming) or one aspect of the craft (for example, poetry writing or public performance). We also have over two dozen public performances each year. Our major forthcoming event is “On the Tip of My Tongue” December 4. Curated and directed by award-winning poet Parneshia Jones, it’s a compilation of works on food and memory written and performed by NWA writers (Gorilla Tango Theater, 4:30-6:00; tickets free but reservations required).
Q: How long have you been working at the NWA? What takes up the majority of your time? Have you had any particularly moving experiences on the job?
A: I’ve been at NWA for ten months, and I love it! We all have “slash” job titles—so mine is Assistant Director of the Neighborhood Writing Alliance and Editor of JOT. I pretty much split my time between handling all things communication-related (blog, PR, outreach, social media, and so on); supporting development and administration; and managing the editorial process for (and editing) JOT.
One of the best moments I’ve had so far was working with a writer, Tom, who first wrote with NWA in 2007 at St. Leonard’s House, a residential program for men transitioning out of the Illinois prison system. After his workshop leader pushed and pushed him to complete a poem (“The Daily Grind”) and to submit it to JOT, the piece not only got published, but also inspired the cover title of the issue. He said that, “until recently, it was literally the only thing [he] was proud of in recent years.” Tom has continued to write with us at our Albany Park workshop location and believes that some of his recent successes—like starting his own company—“might not have happened if not for NWA.”
I’m grateful to work for an organization that creates opportunities for people to create real change in their lives. So many of the ordinary people we share space with every day—on the bus or train, in the grocery store line, brushing shoulders as we pass each other downtown—have extraordinary stories to tell. NWA creates a space for those stories to be recorded, and for those voices to be amplified throughout the city and now, with the blog, the world.
Q: What was your favorite part of the event you hosted last week?
A: My favorite part of the blog launch party was the crowd who came out. We had a fabulous mix of NWA folks (writers, workshop leaders, volunteers, board members), JOT readers, and those interested in what we’re doing, in social justice, and in great writing. That’s the type of crowd we want to cultivate on the blog.
I also thought our “live” blogging component—when we simulated our weekly “Front Porch” post, which features a piece from JOT with discussion questions—gave everyone a great sense of what we hope to create on the blog. We’re inviting everyone to our “front porch” to discuss art, ideas, and community issues.
Q: How can our readers get involved with the NWA if they’re interested?
A: There are several ways Chicago Publishes readers can get involved with NWA! Visit the blog, share your ideas; attend our public events; join a writing workshop; subscribe to JOT; donate; or volunteer. We’re always looking for volunteers to support us in a variety of tasks, from helping with outreach to volunteer proofreading to representing us at events. We rely on the support of committed volunteer workshop leaders who run our weekly writing workshops, and we are currently seeking talented, dedicated volunteer workshop leaders. Interested readers should visit the website, call the office, or send us an email. We’ll be glad to talk to you!
Thank you so much, Hollen, for both answering our questions and all the work that you do. For more pictures from the launch event for Every Person is a Philosopher, visit our tumblr. Visit our Chicago Literary Events Calendar for more information on the NWA’s December 4th event “On the Tip of My Tongue.”
Photo by Cristina Rutter.
