At Gemini Ink, we believe everyone has a story to tell. This spring, our partner classes across San Antonio helped approximately 200 students, adults, and community members discover and share their voices through the power of writing. We have partnered with eleven sites to provide programming for their classrooms and communities. Six of these partners resulted in publications, including two published anthologies, one forthcoming anthology, and three sets of broadsides.
Walzem students show off their broadsides at their final celebration with teaching artists, Excy Guadardo Bonilla and Johnny Rivers.
Inspiring Young Writers
We continued our expansion of in-school writing workshops with elementary and middle school students. Each program was uniquely tailored to ignite imagination, build literacy skills, and cultivate confidence in young writers.
At Camelot Elementary and Montgomery Elementary (NEISD), third through fifth graders explored the theme “Being Human” through two exciting genres. Guided by Joyous Windrider Jimenez and Joh
nny Rivers, Camelot students dove into creative nonfiction while Montgomery students told their stories through comics. These two programs ran over 16 weeks and culminated in a joint anthology showcasing the powerful perspectives and illustrations of these young writers.
Over at Walzem Elementary (NEISD), students explored songwriting and poetry in a dynamic, music-infused workshop with Excy Guardado Bonilla and Johnny Rivers. Building on last year’s success with Tiny Tales, this year’s young poets crafted lyrical expressions of their lives and emotions—works that were published as beautiful broadsides.
In SAISD, we partnered with Bowden Academy, where students experimented with flash fiction in a fast-paced, 10-week workshop led by Erica DeLaRosa and Oscar Montes. Bonham Academy hosted two back-to-back poetry intensives for 6th and 8thgraders. During a three-week deep dive into formal poetry with Chibbi Orduña, Aminah Dece, Daniel Ramirez, and Joyous Windrider, these middle schoolers created impressive, publication-worthy work that was celebrated and displayed at the school’s literacy night.
At Rise Inspire Academy, high school students in recovery engaged in an intensive two-week poetry workshop centered around the theme of transformation, led by Aminah Dece and Christen Barron. Their courageous and creative work was published in a poetry anthology titled, Without It Being A Dream, that reflects both their struggles and their strength
Our Krier/Bexar County partnership offers two unique workshops for justice-involved youth. Inside Krier, a juvenile correctional treatment facility, students participate in a 10-week poetry workshop designed to help them reflect, heal, and grow through creative expression. Outside Krier, in the broader community, we host 8 stand-alone workshops for youth completing community service hours or probation. Both programs led by Jim Lavilla-Havelin and Erica DeLaRosa empower teens through poetry, with student work published in a powerful annual anthology that will be published in September.
Bringing Storytelling to the Community
Our commitment to community writing continued with powerful adult workshops across San Antonio.
In partnership with the San Antonio Public Library, Marisela Barrera led “Voices of San Anto: A Bilingual Storytelling Workshop Series”. These
workshops empowered participants to craft and share one true story from their lives. Workshop participants performed their stories in a celebratory event and broadcast on Empower House Radio—making community voices heard across the city.
At Alpha Home, a residential facility for women in recovery, our theme-centered workshops focused on healing through writing. Laura Castoro and Vocab Sanderson led sessions that explored self-love and self-care through poetry, storytelling, and other genres, offering residents an expressive outlet and space for personal growth.
We also partnered with Metro Health to support front-line public health workers. In February, Aminah Dece and Christen Barron led creative journaling workshops. Joyous Windrider Jimenez and Erica DeLaRosa taught a storytelling workshop in April. Both of these workshops encouraged participants reflected on their experiences and built tools for resilience, all culminating in final celebrations.
Finally, our one-day intensive workshop, “Storytelling for Changemakers,” offered to the San Antonio Area Foundation’s Equity Fellows, provided a crash course in crafting compelling narratives, led by Joyous Windrider Jimenez, Aminah Dece, and Eddie Vega. Participants were encouraged to write stories that captured the impact of their work and offered a powerful call to action for social change.
Congratulations to Our Newly Published Writers!
Congratulations to all our writers—your published work is a testament to your talent, bravery, and the power of storytelling. We can’t wait to see where your words take you next!
Thank you to our sponsors who made these workshops possible: Najim Family Foundation, Mays Family Foundation, San Antonio Area Foundation, ImpactSA, Sheild-Ayres Foundation, The Greehey Family Foundation, SAISD, NEISD, Poetry Foundation, H-E-B, Alice Kleberg Reynolds, Rackspace, The John R. and Greli N. Less Foundation, & Bexar County.
