Alive in Truth: The New Orleans Disaster Oral History Project Shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated my hometown of New Orleans, I began a volunteer-run oral history project for human rights. Alive in Truth recorded life histories of evacuees, worked to uphold their rights and publicize their struggle. We provided social service referrals and direct relief for twelve months. Sixty full-length oral histories are archived on this site, which was awarded a Best of Austin Award from the Austin Chronicle. Students Write Poetry to Deal with Emotions of Having Parents in Iraq Fort Hood is America’s largest military base. A large percentage of children and teenagers living in the area have one or both parents deployed in the “War on Terror” in Iraq and Afghanistan. I organized a Writer-in-Residency Week at Killeen High near Fort Hood, and convened a special writing group for these students. This news report shows the writing workshop in action. Listen to students read their poems and talk about their fears and hopes. Poetry in Motion Imagine a whole urban high school cheering like it’s winning a football game…but cheering for their peers’ poetry instead. |