A neighborhood poetry tour? How does that work? Put on your walking shoes! Or jump in the car, if need be. It’s easy, fun, and a great way to spend time with your kids, friends, and neighbors.

Twenty-two broadsides with knock-out colors and fascinating kid’s poems were on view during Summer  2010 in two neighborhoods: the Rackspace area and Southtown.

In an innovative partnership between Gemini Ink’s Writers in Communities program and the Rackspace Foundation, writers-in-residence Natalia Treviño and Ignacio Magaloni drew out the seventh and eighth graders’ poems in a four-week after-school creative writing class at White Middle School. Visual artist and teacher Carolina Flores illustrated the poems.

Entitled My Part of Town, the class of 22 young writers focused on building their awareness, pride, and connectedness to their neighborhood and the larger community through writing from personal experience.

Gemini Ink thanks the generous Rackspace area and Southtown businesses who offered their locations to hang the broadsides. We are also grateful to the Rackspace Foundation and Northeast Independent School District for their support and partnership.