WeekEnd-Poetry_Month-Ellen_Kort_Transcript

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- Jerry Huffman: With the popularity of Game Boys, after school sports, and TV, how easy do you think it is to motivate young people to sit down and write poetry? In an attempt to introduce them to the pleasures of the written verse, Wisconsin Public Television partnered with 4-H to create a project called Poetic License. The project includes poetry workshops held in schools across the state, many of which involved the State Poet Laureate, Ellen Kort. 

Ms. Kort joins us now, along with two Sheboygan students who participated in their school's poetry slam. Abby Ott, who's in the fifth grade, and Danny Malczewski, professional skateboarder, who was in the fourth grade. They both attend Grant Elementary School in Sheboygan. Welcome, everybody. Ellen, let's talk with you. Poetic License, what is it? 

- Well, Poetic License was a wonderful project where I got involved. I got to go across the state and work with kids and do writing workshops with them. And they wrote poems and we polished and edited. And the culmination of that is two poets here tonight, two really fine poets from Sheboygan.

- How easy is it to get kids? I mean, all the jokes aside, how easy is it to get kids interested in poetry?

- It's easy. Kids are really, really willing and eager to write poetry. And they're all poets. They're the real true poets with no layers over them. And so, the words get on paper and they come out and they're willing to write poetry. All they need is permission. Someone to say, you can do this. Let's do this exercise. And they take off and ride the wild ride of language.

- Is it easier to get children, young people interested in than old people like you and I? 
[Ms. Kort laughs]

- I think it is in a way because they aren't layered over yet. You know, they've got inside and it's ready to come out and all they need is for someone to say, "Let's do it. Let's try it."

- Danny, let's talk with you first. What did you think when you heard your teacher say, "We're gonna learn about poetry today?"

- Well, I was surprised and I don't know, just started writing poetry. 

- Didn't some of the guys give you a hard time and go, "Ah, poetry, that's for girls!"?

- No.

- Really?

- Well, some of them were like they were giving me ideas and I was giving them ideas. How to write like poems and stuff. 

- Abby, what do you like about poetry?

- I like trying to fit my ideas onto the paper trying to get the words. And it's just fun to share them with everybody when you're done writing them.

- Jerry Huffman: Where do you get your ideas from?

- Everyday things.

- Like what?

- I don't know. School?

- Yeah, school, life, news. Doesn't matter, really.

- Jerry Huffman: Danny, What about you? Where do you get your ideas?

- From my friends, skateboarding, from my family. 

- Jerry Huffman: Little bit everywhere.

- Yeah.

- How do you know when the poem is good? 

- I don't know. You can just feel it. That it's good enough.

- Jerry Huffman: How about you, Abby? How do you know when you got it just right?

- When it flows good and it sounds good. And it's what you're saying. It was what you're trying to say. And it sounds good.

- Jerry Huffman: Now you wrote a bit about September 11th, didn't you? Why don't you reach a poem for us?

- Okay, "I wish I wish." I wish I wish-- most people have-- that the Twin Towers didn't crash. I wish that people would never cry, that people would be honest and never lie. A wish that cancer would be beaten, that the world's people would've all eaten. I wish there was no such thing as wars. So everybody could have open doors. I wish for life without hatred or need. There would be no place for prejudice and greed. Remember, peace begins with me. I, a child; you, a friend; us all together. Peace.

- That's very cool. Danny, why don't you read yours?

- My poem is called "A Closet." There's a closet in me that holds a key to all the passages inside of me. No one knows just what's inside. So where all my feelings and dreams hide. The feelings I sometimes keep to myself and hide them away on my closet shelf. The dream of being a skateboarding Pearl and the dream of being my big brother's bro. There are some feelings I'd like to share and some I'd never dare to share. The dreams of being accepted. Not for people to y'all rejected. That is what my closet holds. My secrets that will never die until I'm very, very old.

- Is that wonderful?

- They're the real thing.

- You bet they are. You bet they are. That was one of the exercises we did was to pretend that you had a secret closet and what was on the shelves. We also talked about if you had a box inside you that wanted to be filled, what would you fill it with? And so, all they needed was an idea to go and they went and you can see what they did.

- It's gotta do your heart good Ellen to see kids like this, taking an interesting poetry.

- It does. It really does. 'Cuz they're the true poets.

- Do you think you're gonna keep studying poetry or stay with poetry, Abby?

- Yeah. Why?

- 'Cuz I just like it and I just like writing it. Makes me feel good

- Jerry Huffman: Danny, you gonna stay a poetry?

- Yeah.

- I think one of the things is that poetry allows kids to travel someplace to find their own stories and their own feelings. And someone once said that as adults we have to keep their passports current. So it's important that adults and kids work together. I think with poetry.

- Jerry Huffman: Ellen, was a pleasure to have you on WeekEnd.

- Thank you.

- Abby and Danny, you did it. You did good.

- Thanks very much. 
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