Winter hurried home from school giving us just enough time to walk down to Commercial Street. The Telling Room’s new space is adorable — exposed brick walls, view of the harbor, steel bulletin boards, writing areas, shadow boxes with profiles of noteworthy people.
The kids filed in and sat around the table, ready to write a quick story using the starter sentences given. They were instructed not to worry about spelling or whether the story was true, and to use only their young imaginations.
They enthusiastically wrote and read their little stories, discussed last week’s kitty finds and prepared to head to the wharf in search of kitties and inspiration. Before leaving home base, the Cat-O-Meter was brought out, which allowed the kids to reveal their motivation for being there — love of kitties, love of writing, parent’s made them attend, or somewhere in between. Winter was smack in the middle of loving kitties and writing — just as I suspected.
On the way to the wharf, we discussed kitty respect, which meant we were to move slowly and quietly, because the kitties are skittish, and we shouldn’t stare because it is taken as a threat. The kids were given goals to name the kitties they found, think about the setting using their five senses, put themselves in the place of the kitty and write their thoughts in the little notebooks they were given. Imagination reigned and they were not to allow anyone else’s ideas to infringe on theirs.
Stepping quietly, we searched through the mostly silent wharf behind Sapporo. The distant buzz of electric tools, kid whispers and seagull cries were the soundtrack to our adventure. We all crept around until a black kitty lounging inside a lobster trap, one sunbathing in front a purple shed and another lying on top of a stack of lobster traps were discovered. Winter informed me that the cat on top was a Scottish fold, which I thought was something she made up — like her Spanish-Canadian math system — until I Googled it later and found out she knows her breeds. Whoa!
After tip-toeing and note-taking, the kids discussed what their stories would be as we walked back to The Telling Room. Winter formulated a thriller where kitties were chased and captured by animal control and other kitty-catchers. She began writing as soon as we returned. All the kids were scribbling the beginnings of their wharf kitty adventures.
I was in awe. I’d never seen children so excited about writing. I might’ve squeezed out a little tear of joy. Here, pride in writing and confidence in storytelling is cultivated. The Telling Room fosters free thought within programs that develop good writing skills — pre-writing to get the juices flowing, reminders to use all senses for inspiration, note-taking and writing while experience is fresh. (The public school systems might learn a thing or two from the Telling Room!) I couldn’t be more excited about this organization and it’s benefit to children in the community.
“Wharf Kitties” is a five-week workshop for ages 8-11 at The Telling Room, located at 225 Commercial St. in Portland. The last class is held Nov. 7 from 3-4 pm. For a schedule of other programs, go to www.tellingroom.org.