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Welcome to the 2011/12 Brochure for the Literary Media and Communications Department at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Washington D.C.
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Literary Media & Communicationsat Duke Ellington School of the Arts
Building the 21st century writer
Beyond reading & writing.
An important element in the Ellington LMC department is to mirror society through interaction with the larger community — by any means necessary. Whether through performance, play readings, poetry slams, blogging, filmmaking, street interviews, or even getting up on a soapbox, there is no such thing at LMC as letting the grass grow under your feet.
Literary Media & Communicationsat Duke Ellington School of the Arts
Traditionally, a writer is viewed as the recluse who hides in the corner with ink-stained fingers, feverishly pouring his soul out onto scraps of paper.
At Duke Ellington’s Literary Media and Communications (LMC) department, we train our students to work within an ensemble to become “citizen writers”. This collaborative process allows them to share ideas, exchange constructive criticism, and hone their individual talents. The modern writer must be able to move seamlessly between social networking, multimedia platforms, and the printed page, always anticipating the next innovation and ever mindful of how their words contribute to the world in which they live.
From Shakespeare to Sanchez to Sapphire, LMC students are grounded in the best of all literature, placing their work on a cutting edge that is smart, sophisticated, and decidedly 21st century.
“As writers all we can do is fail. And it is within that failure that we see the possibility of success.”— James Baldwin
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contents
Opposite page, clockwise from top right
Students document the all-school collaborative, Dreamgirls; 11th grader Lauryn Nesbitt films legendary musician Herbie Hancock; 12th grader Raven Reese observes the Dreamgirls rehearsal. Eleventh grader Miriam Rappaport-Gow prepares for a performance at the Corcoran.
Introduction......................................................................................4
Creative writing + Expository Writing................................................5Journalism + Lifestyle Journalism.......................................................6
Media (filmmaking, film studies + scriptwriting.................................7New Media.......................................................................................8Playwriting........................................................................................9
Poetry..............................................................................................10“Last Kiss (gone but not forgotten)” by Lauryn Nesbitt, 11th grader, a
poetic tribute to the late Susan Avant, who was Chair of the Science Department at Duke Ellington School of the Arts.............................11Projects......................................................................................12-14
Awards............................................................................................15“The 21st Century Writer” by Mark Williams, Chair of the Literary
Media & Communications Department......................................16-17Faculty.............................................................................................19Partners...........................................................................................20
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INTRODUCTION
WE WELCOME YOU TO THE DUKE ELLINGTON SCHOOL OF THE ARTS LITERARY MEDIA and COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT, WHERE OUR MISSION IS:
The Literary Media and Communications Department’s (LMC) goal is singular, to train its student in the different strands of communication (written, verbal and new media), considering how this translates to the marketplace. This department necessitates interdisciplinarity, including, but not limited to LMC, Theater, Museum Studies, Visual Arts, and TDP (recording studio). Our aim is to dismantle the sometimes self-indulgent, and strictly cathartic workshop model of writing and leave in its place a department that imparts to its students the notion that they are writing to work, rather than just writing to write. The department has five strands, that are product driven, products that range from performance, to print, archival, to design, research to debate, and within the strands, culminating work both within the Duke Ellington School of the Arts (copy and content for the Ellington website, developing archives of Ellington work, creating script in the areas of performance/performance marketing, writing copy and public service announcements, serving as viable extension/support mechanism of and for Ellington Fund, to name a few), and outside the context of the school.
Above, from left: LMC student ensemble, the R Street Collective, prepares for a performance at the Corcoran; LMC students visit National Public Radio HQ.
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10th and 11th graders engage in a “speed dating” creative writing exercise.
The Creative Writing unit of the course introduces students to the elements that go into creating strong fiction, memoir and creative non-fiction. Students look a t a reas such as d ia logue, expos i t ion and characterisation, as well as the crucial aspects of plot, emotion and imagery, as they learn how these elements are weaved together in order to convey themes.
The course introduces students to the practice of rigorously re-drafting work. Students are forced to address the fear of self-editing, as the course helps students realise that though revision is ardous, it is ultimatly rewarding.
As beginners, young writers often encounter the issue of being “too closely tied to the work” leaving them
unable to fully grasp the faults in their technique, and at times the fundamentals of writing. While students will be encouraged to draw on their experiences, oftentimes this inability to create separation between the writer and the craft of writing causes work to suffer. Students learn how to communicate an idea, as opposed to writing for the sake of one’s self.
The Creative Writing aspect of the Literary Media & Communications department adopts a “quality not quantity” approach, focusing on the constant revision of small pieces of work to bring them up to a publishable standard. Once the techniques of writing are mastered, students can go on to apply these disciplines to larger pieces of work.
CREATIVE WRITING + EXPOSITORY WRITING
CREATIVE WRITING
EXPOSITORY WRITING
The Expository component of the course walks students through the process of writing a concise, correctly formatted essay with a clear focus, thesis and argument. Students begin with a dual program of Theory and Practical exercises, starting with the pre-writing steps to planning an essay and time management, through to the thesis statement, the body of an essay and revision.
Students also take units on developing critical thought, proofreading, creating effective sentences and word logic. There is also a unit on addressing the reader-writer relationship, and recognising the different essay strategies, from Argumentation to Persuasion and Narration.
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JOURNALISM
The aim of the Journalism course is to introduce students to some of the fundamental aspects of journalism and encourage students to engage in the news, the business of news and current affairs. Students look at the principles of writing the news, while considering the history of journalism and the state of journalism today in the information age. Students learn what makes a news story newsworthy, what motivates people to pick up newspapers, news agenda and the news markets.
Students compare news coverage as it’s delivered through different media. Classroom topics include the reliability of sources, the purpose of news headlines, and the elements that go into making a strong headline. The units will introduce students to the divisional roles in news, editorial, sub-editing and copy-writing as well as the role of photography within news. Students will have the chance to come up with their own headlines for newspapers as well as the opportunity to edit work.
Students will learn to understand news bias, the ethics of journalism, freedom of speech versus the right to privacy plus the dangers of libel. Students will be encouraged to come to terms with their own bias, allowing them to have an open approach to cultivating journalistic objectivity.
The Literary Media & Communications Department’s News Journalism program is delivered in partnership with the Washington Post’s Young Journalist Development Program and George Washington University’s Prime Movers Program.
JOURNALISM + LIFESTYLE JOURNALISM
LIFESTYLE JOURNALISM
The Lifestyle Journalism unit of the course gives the students the opportunity to create substantive pieces of written journalism. Our fledgling journalists explore ideas personal to them while being introduced to the likes of investigative journalism, fashion, music and sports writing, as well as trade publications. The course outlines theoretical approaches to feature writing such as the use of descriptive narrative, color, interview techniques and research. Students have the opportunity to learn hands-on as they edit and manage the school’s lifestyle magazine Daisy James.
Anti-clockwise from top left: 12th grader Asha Shannon interviews Corbin Johnson, percussionist for the all-school collaborative production of Dreamgirls; 12th grader Allantra Lewis interviews Head of School Rory Pullens; 9th grader Asia Alston puts a question to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in the NPR studio during a live radio question and answer session. 6
Media I is an introductory course for second year high school students wanting to learn and acquire the tools and elements necessary for designing a screenplay for the motion picture. The student will be introduced to the scriptwriting software Final Draft, its interface, and will come to understand the screenplay’s function to serve as a vital blueprint in the motion picture process. Students who are enrolled in Media I will be charged with governing the scriptwriting aspect of a collaborative final project with students in Media II. Micro-production companies (3 to 4 students) are formed, for the purpose of generating two, 3 - 5 minute motion picture with sound narrative works.
Media II is an elaborative, thinking course, designed for third year students to explore the many facets of film and cinema. Through critical analysis, they will learn how to deconstruct images portrayed onscreen. Through ongoing class discussions, the student will come to know the ecology of film, how that comprises film culture, and what it means to read a film. Students who are enrolled in Media II will control and over- see the production process of a collaborative final project with students in Media I.
The Literary Media and Communications Department (LMC) endeavors to foster a legacy in which the creative training herein will prepare students for the role of 21st Century Writer and Artist.
Subjects Covered:
Narrative — The Idea — The Premise — The Treatment — The Final Draft Interface Script Format — Character — Dialogue — Setup/Sequence — Plot Points
Film Genres — Narrative — Film Viewing — Documentary — Representation — Film Spectator Film History — Film Theory — Hollywood Film — Independent Film — Black FilmInternational Cinema — Film Production — Film Distribution — Film as Social Media/Social Action
MEDIA (FILM STUDIES, FILMMAKING & SCRIPTWRITING)
From top left, downwards: A Short by 10th grader Madison Hartke-Weber; A Short by 9th grader Barrett Smith, 12th grader Sierra-Reaux Mcneil presenting at the Ted X Penn Quarter; screenshot by 10th grader Ky’lend Adams; 4 Women, A visual interpretation of Nina Simone's song by the same name by 9th graders Lucy Freshour, Lauryn Nesbitt, Dayanira Hough, Danielle Kent and Darian Jones.
11th grader Danielle Kent shoots the making of the Dreamgirls Documentary.
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This course is intended as a first level media course required for all students in the Literary Media & Communications Department at Duke Ellington school of the Arts. Innovation continues to occur on the Internet at an extremely lively pace. Keeping up with the speed of innovation and maintaining a familiarity with the most recent tools and capabilities is handy in some professions and absolutely critical in others. This course is designed to help you understand and effectively use a variety of “web 2.0″ technologies including blogs, RSS, wikis, social bookmarking tools, photo sharing tools, mapping tools, audio and video podcasts, and screen casts.
Students gain practical experience in literary publishing through work on Daisy James Online, the Duke Ell ington School’s lifestyle magazine. Students solicit and evaluate work for publication, and then gain practical experience in editing, layout, and production of the journal, as well as in publicizing and promoting the finished product. The course includes an introduction to the larger literary market, and instruction in preparing creative work for submission and publication.
The classes challenge students to think creatively about the potential of web video, and connect the dots between open technology, creative expression, and media democracy. Students gain practical experience in online video publishing through work on the LMCTV YouTube video channel and LMCTV Tumblr blog. Exploring principles of multimedia production, online storytelling tools, social media and content management, students learn to populate a reported site, promote it and maintain it beyond class.
TRANSMEDIA
This course explores the cultural and commercial context of transmedia (or “crossmedia”) storytelling as a form of writer’s craft and learn about the skills and knowledge required to create it. Students will view and analyze examples of transmedia (genres/styles), learn about core components (form) and use a workshop approach to produce a short transmedia ‘treatment’ of an existing text/world. Students will identify and articulate effective, engaging and creative transmedia storytelling techniques in their own work and evaluate their approaches agains t profess ional expectat ions and competencies.
NEW MEDIA
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Students will be expected to consider the form, content, style, analysis, construct, and construction of a play. The arrival point of this class is for students to write, and mount a staged reading of a full-length, one act play. Students will also be expected to submit work from class to at least one of LMA’s, “Coffeehouses” The class is broken down into the following, primary areas:
-First Advisory – Character/Character Development, Six Elements of Aristotle, as well as Aristotle’s, “Poetics”, Compelling Characters, and Primacy of Plot/Action vs. Character -Second Advisory – Monologue/Dialogue, Voice, Tone, Mood Setting, Action, Language, and Rhythm-Third Advisory – Ten Minute, and Twenty Minutes -Fourth Advisory – One act, and Staged Reading
Additionally, LMC has a vibrant partnership with the Horwitz Family Fund in developing and growing LMC’s Playwriting component. The partnership allows not only for developing student plays but also working with a professional theater in developing the work, creating a school-wide competition culminating in a significant scholarship for the winner of the competition, and a staged reading of the winning submission, mounted by theater professionals.
PLAYWRITING
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Literary Media and Communicationspresents
Thursday, December 3rd & Friday, December 4th
@ 7:30pm Ellington Student Center
3500 R Street NWTickets are $20
tickets can be purchased via box o!ce or reservations to:[email protected]
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"Until lions have their historians, tales of hunting will
always be told by the hunter"..African proverb
STORY
a series of staged readings of scenes written by LMC senior playwrights.
Directed by Jessica Burgess, Artistic Director of the Inkwell Theatre, Produced by Mark A. Williams,
Chair, Literary Media and Communications
A Dinner Theater
Among the prerequisites for the poetry course is a positive attitude and the willingness to reexamine your work. This course asks students to examine poetry with a “new set of tools”, and take into consideration the speaker's intent, tone, physical, and psychological details—all of which will help their poems perform well on the page.
Students are introduced to various published poets and poems and are encouraged to analyze these poems with the very tools they will use to critique their work. In addition to utilizing these new tools, there is a unit on publishing.
The young poets on the program are provided with online resources to help inform them about the poet's market. Teachers discuss the advantages of publishing poems online vs. in print publications as well as writing query letters as that first step towards submitting work to journals.
POETRY
The outcomes for the poetry course are to improve students’ writing, creative and critical thinking skills. Through this course, students will also learn about the importance of advocacy, which, according to poet and activist Martin Espada, involves poets “speaking on behalf of those without an opportunity to be heard.” So far, the students have written poems about the "underdogs" in their lives. Later in the course, they'll write persona poems in the voice of a hit-and-run victim or injured bystander, learning how empathy moves readers to action.
Through in-class recitation of their poems and the R Street Collective, a performing arm of the Literary Media Department, students will improve their speaking and performance skills. In a July 2007 interview with Bill Moyer, Espada explained the use of poetry in building students’ confidence that benefits them beyond the classroom. “Poetry will help them survive to the extent that poetry helps them maintain their dignity, helps them maintain their sense of self-respect,” the poet said. “They will be better suited to defend themselves in the world.”
From top: The R-Street Collective takes a bow after their performance at the Corcoran. 12th graders Allantra Lewis and Diamante Dorsey receive a standing ovation at their graduation day performance.
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Last Kiss God saidThank youYou have devoted your life to the betterment of young peopleAccepted the challenge of enlightening those that think they know everythingClock out for the last timeJob well doneYou never took no for an acceptable answer and excuses were mere mountains of nothingnessStood on you own two feetWith cain in handYou were monumentalMy very own life size hero I didn’t have to go to toys-r-us to buyWhat extraordinary looks likeHidden in the mahogany sands of your cheeks was the cheat sheet to any test this world hands youSMILETry not to complain on your worst daysBecause there are better days comingYou are legendary in these hallwaysI tried to give you roses while you could still smell them but you weren’t in school on Valentines DayThis morning I walked the same routine you walked for more then twenty yearsHoping I could grasp wisdom from your foot printsThey tell me your in a better place nowBut what better place then your classroomYour heart beat synchronies with the voice of a child reading a textbookHeld out your soul and even when we gave upYou never stopped believing in usPeople say you always set down because of your footI knew it was because you were hiding your wingsAlways told me to push in my chair so the possibility of me having some too wouldn’t escapeThe pain is over for you nowYou have gone to a place where there is no painAnd that’s goodI guessBut the pain of your absence if present todayToday I watched a grown man weepWatched as someone cried beauty out of a violinFor one day everyone’s favorite color was purpleRoyaltyQueen your absence is a wound that may never heal properlyDear GodThere is a lady be the name of Ms. Avant on her way up therePlease make sure she has the biggest black roller chair so she can comfortably watch over meAmenThe numbness, disbelief, tears, questions, more tears, wake, funeral, and the painPain that will never go awayI’ll always love youI’ll always miss youI’ll never forget that its ok to make frogs passes and put prayers in your tearsCry in your handHold them up to GodAnd say taste thisWhen they lay you downAnd close the doors of your coffinPleaseFinallyRest in PeaceGod said, Welcome homehow was your tripMuah!
LAST KISS (GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN): LAURYN NESBITT
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PROJECTSR STREET COLLECTIVE
The R Street Collective is the performing arm of the Literary Media Department.
They have pe r f o rmed a t nume rous Washington venues, including, Busboys & Poets, TED-X Potomac, and The Fridge Art Gallery.
Members of the R St. Collective are members of an ensemble, recognizing that their stories share a link with others. And it's that link, that must be shared through narrative and poetry, on stage.
R St Collective members are commited to excellence, presence and intregrity. Through rehearsals, master classes and workshop R St Collective becomes a valued, performance and poetry arm of Washington DC.
R STREET ON H-STREET
The Duke Ellington School of the Arts’ Literary Media & Communications (LMC) Department presents a monthly premier showcase of Ellington students at the H Street Playhouse Theater. R Street Speaks provides a platform for young, metropolitan artists to share their creative works and engage with other high school students. A safe space for young people and their families, R Street Speaks strives to become a vibrant addition to Washington’s young artist community. Formerly a youth open mic housed at Ellington, R Street Speaks now curates each month’s line up, including performances from every department, ranging from live painting, to jazz, dance, and vocal talents. Thanks to our partner, H Street Playhouse and other community sponsors, this event is for young people, by young people. With the advice of an instructor, LMC students are charged with responsibilities from being producers and artistic directors to operations and marketing. R Street Speaks acts as a major learning experience to their development as arts administrators and valuable community members.
Operation Soapbox at Department of Literary Media and Communications at Ellington KOYE OYEDEJI, applicant for Assistant Professor of English/African American Literature
OPERATION: SOAPBOX
OPERATION: SOAPBOX
Students collaborated to construct a project “Operation Soapbox,” a concept based on the traditional “Speaker’s Corner” in London’s Hyde Park, in which on Sunday individuals publicly debate on various issues of politics and culture. The construction of the actual Soapbox (see image), a mobile platform, includes images and works of noted African American, African and Caribbean writers and publications. Conceptually, the inclusion of these works represents a foundation from which students can stand upon, reinforcing the idea that young writers and literature today stands on basis of those writers and the works that have come before them.
The R Street Collective perform at Ted X Potomac.
The hosts of LMC’s R Street On H Street.
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DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS
Why Ellington? Why Not Western?
The Student documentary explored the history of Western High School and its evolution into Duke Ellington School of the Arts. The documentary premiered at the Literary Media and Communications Coffeehouse, in addition to this is was screened at the Arts Club of Washington, the School of Media & Public Affairs at George Washington University and the Edmund Burke Student Film Festival, where it collected an award.
The Dream Working
The Dream Working explored how “the dream”, created by the founders of Duke Ellington School of the Arts over 30 years ago, has grown to encompass the creative media that defines the 21st century artist. Technology, film, and language fuse together to form a modern narrative of dreams and dreaming and the working process of achievement in the global community.
R STREET SPEAKS: SPEAKERS SERIES
The Literary Media & Communication Department invited renowed educator, poet, writer and activist Sonia Sanchez to speak as our inaugural guest of the R Street Speaks, Speaker Series. The theme of her visit was "The Greatest Civil Rights Issue Facing the United States is Public Education" and featured a rigorous examination of this issue, starting with the premise that every person, regardless of race, religion, class, is born with the right to receive an education. Ms Sanchez spent the entire day at the school, participating in a school-wide assembly in the morning before giving a intimate reading and question and answer session to the Literary Media & Communications Department.
Tickets: $25 - $35Buy tickets online at www.ellingtonschool.organd click on “Box Office”or call 202.337.4825
Literary Media and Communications Dept.Duke Ellington School of the Arts3500 R Street, NW • Washington, DC 20007202.282-0123
Visit LMC online: www.lmcellington.blogspot.com
The Literary Media and Communications department of Duke Ellington School of the Arts
invites you to
The Dream WorkingLMC Night at Dreamgirls
Friday, December 10, 20106:30 p.m.
Second Floor Lobby
Please join us for the premiere of “Making the Dream”
an original documentary film produced by the LMC students
followed by Dreamgirls at 7:30 p.m.an all-school collaborative musical
to benefit the Duke Ellington School of the Arts
The Dream Working explores how the dream created by the founders of Duke Ellington School of the Arts over 30 years ago has grown to encompass the creative media that defines the 21st century artist. Technology, film, and language fuse together to form a modern narrative of dreams and dreaming and the working process of achievement in the global community.
THE STORIES OF SONG PROJECT
The National Black Programming Consortium worked with Literary Media and Communications students to harness the spirit of traditional songs of protest in a modern context, incorporating a medium that has now become ubiquitous and connects more directly with the youth of today through short-form digital video. Stories of Song was a digital literacy video training experience; after a 3-hour intensive video training session using the Flip video camera, involving instruction on both storytelling and the ethics of information sharing in a digital age, students were tasked with creating a one-take video inspired by a civil rights song and/or using a civil rights song in the public domain. 13Songs of Protest Flip Video Competition Sponsored by The National Black
Programming Consortium, Self Destruction : Self Destruction by Public Enemy
DAISY JAMES
The L i te ra ry Media & Communica t ion Department produces DAISY JAMES an Arts & Lifestyle Magazine that extends to a wider market beyond the schools walls, reflecting not just the department, but the school and youth culture in general.
The magazine is a colourful cosmopolitan journal that’s bright, vibrant and reflective of DCs young heterogeneous communities. Its focus is on style, trends, music, literature, film, art, criticism, review, technology, culture plus more.
ROOM EIGHTEEN
ROOM EIGHTEEN is a Literary “Zine” produced by s t u d e n t s i n t h e L i t e r a r y M e d i a & Communications Department. A pseudo-digital throwback to the “lo-fi” years of producing publications in your bedroom with paper, scissors and glue. ROOM EIGHTEEN exists not just as an outlet for LMC students to showcase their fiction and creative work, but also as a vehicle in which to experiment with form. Students are encouraged to push the boundaries in consideration of the limitations placed on the written word and use the likes of graphic illustration, satire and concept art to convey their messages.
R-STREET CHAPBOOK SERIES
“R St. Speaks”, is LMC’s poetry imprint. “R Street Speaks” attempts to showcase the literature, poetry and voices of the DC’s youth. LMC students are trained to connect with and engage disparate communities by utilizing language and narrative to construct work, across genre, that illuminates these communities.A chapbook is a small collection of poems, writings and musings. After working with local DC poets and faculty within LMC, our seniors studying history, and being immersed in writing intensive projects, are afforded the opportunity to take this body of work, in the form of, but not limited to poems, and make a concerted statement in the shape of a short book. Whether a novella, a collection of poems, a series of essays, the chapbook project is a process. Students will engage with, learn about, and ultimately produce product that reflects the publishing industry which they will enter as they continue their undergraduate/graduate, and ultimately writing careers. Students will be required to workshop poems, write book proposals, as well as scout local bookstores that might afford them shelf space.
THE SIDS AWARENESS PROJECT
LMC has partnered with Children's Hospital and George Washington University in the development of several educational video shorts, and the development of appropriate messaging via text messaging, email, and other social media venues, to create campaign/mobilizing applications, with the goal of initiating and maintaining a dialogue amongst medical professionals and the clients they serve, particularly young people. The project highlights issues ranging from SIDS to Birth Control/STD Awareness, Drug and Alcohol Awareness and AIDS/HIV awareness to name a few.
12th grader Margaret Gushue signs a copy of her chapbook.
12th grader Caroline Hall reads from her chapbook Abuelita.
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AWARDS
Larry Neal Awards
2011 Sarai Reed (1st Prize), Zachary Clare, Reggie Conway2010 Kyndal Brown (1st Prize), Caroline Hall (1st Prize), Jillian Burford,
Margaret Gushue, Sahara Artiga-Oliver
DC POET LAUREATE CONTEST2011 Khat Patrong (1st Prize), Bridget Dease, Reginald Conway, Quadaja Herriott
Excellence in Journalism Awards from Prime Movers / GWU - Zachary Clare, Helen Steinecke, Laura Funderburk, Cara Racin for Documentary Short:WHY ELLINGTON? WHY NOT WESTERN?
Legacy Award Winner -Sarai Reed
Arena Stage Ten Minute Play Competition Winners- 2009 - Madison Hartke-Weber and Diamante Dorsey2010 - Carol Ann Collins
Finalists in Parkmont Poetry Contest 2010 Dayanaira Hough, Lauryn Nesbitt, Cara Racin2011 Reggie Conway, Miriam Rappaport-Gow
2009/10 Youth of the Year Award - 100 Black MenDante Williams -
DC Youth Slam Team - 2009 Diamante Dorsey2010 Asha Shannon2011 Asha Shannon, Lauryn Nesbitt
PEN Foundation of Women Writers Scholarship Recipients 2011Asha Shannon, Miriam Rappaport-Gow
Edmund Burke Film Festival Winner2009/10 - Zachary Clare, Helen Steinecke, Laura Funderburk, Cara Racin for Documentary Short: WHY ELLINGTON? WHY NOT WESTERN?
Horowitz Young Playwright Competition Winners2009/10 Allantra Lewis2010/11 Sara Phillips
Mayor's Arts Award for Teaching - Language Arts
Mark A. Williams, chair of the Literary Media and Communications department, delivers a speech at the annual graduation ceremony.
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THE CREATIVE ECONOMY by Mark A. Williams, Chair, Literary Media & Communications
“I’m not a businessman….I’m a business,…man.”Jay-Z
The award winning faculty and students of the Literary Media and Communications Department (LMC) of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts represent some of the most powerfully innovative examples and instances of Arts Education (training and learning) in the DC Metropolitan area. LMC not only adheres to the fundamental mission of the Duke Ellington School by providing pre-professional, college preparatory training for its developing artists but has expanded said mission towards training the “21st century writer” for entry into the “Creative Economy”. In their 2008 Report on the Creative Economy the United Nations posits, “In the contemporary world a new development paradigm is emerging that links the economy and culture, embracing economic, cultural, technological and social aspects of development at both macro and micro levels. Central to the new paradigm is the fact that creativity, knowledge, and access to information are increasingly recognized as powerful engines driving economic growth and promoting development in a globalizing world. “Creativity” in this context refers to the formulation of new ideas and to the application of these ideas to produce original works of art and cultural products, functional creations, scientific inventions and technological innovations. There is an economic aspect to creativity, observable in the way it contributes to entrepreneurship, fosters innovation, enhances productivity, and promotes economic growth. The 21st Century has seen a growing understanding of the interface between creativity, culture and economics, the rationale behind the emerging concept of the creative economy.” (United Nations 2008 Report on the Creative Economy)
The United Nation clearly recognizes that creativity, the engine of art and artists, can be a “powerful engine driving economic growth” and a necessary tool for participation in and with a global economy. This is further reinforced by the following statistics from Americans for the Arts’ report, Economic Prosperity III: the Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations and Their Audiences in the Greater Washington Metropolitan Region, which states, “Nationally, the nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $166.2 billion in economic activity every year—$63.1 billion in spending by organizations and an additional $103.1 billion in event related spending by their audiences.
The R-Street Collective performs at the Fridge Art Gallery.
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The study is the most comprehensive study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry ever conducted. It documents the economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture industry in 156 communities and regions (116 cities and counties, 35 multi-county regions, and five states), and represents all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The $166.2 billion in total economic activity has a significant national impact, generating the following:
• 5.7 million Full-time equivalent jobs• $104.2 billion in household income• $7.9 billion in local government tax revenues• $9.1 billion in state government tax revenues• $12.6 billion in federal income tax revenues
The Literary Media and Communications Department is ever mindful of these statistics and the Creative Economy as it works towards training the 21st century artist/writer in creating Trans/Narratives which represents the new paradigm that LMC’s training is grounded in. The creative energies that have produced technological behemoths such as Facebook, Twitter, “i/Technologies”, blogs, “YouTube”, social media as a whole, require the ability to engage multiple skill sets. The days of a singular, monolithic identity for artists is near gone; Jack Dorsey, for example, who conceived Twitter, studied botanical drawing and clothing design as a student. The necessity of having multiple skill sets, multiple vehicles to render creativity is essential in competing within a global economy. LMC terms this rendering, Trans/Narratives, and is what our entire curriculum and training is premised on. A student interested in poetry will also train in other creative forms including fiction and non-fiction, the essay, short story, micro-fiction and creative non-fiction, as well as print and web-based journalism, blog, playwriting and screenwriting, performance, film theory, documentary filmmaking, social media, and web narrative.
Henry Jenkins, writing about Transmedia storytelling: “[Transmedia]…represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience. Ideally, each medium makes its own unique contribution to the unfolding of the story.”
This ability to create and render narrative, utilizing multiple strategies, “across multiple delivery channels”, will more aptly prepare students in Literary Media and Communications towards the mission of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, in the 21st Century, and more effectively prepare them to enter the Creative Economy.
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FACULTY
Kelli M. Anderson is a social media consultant and digital media artist living in the Washington DC metro area. She has just completed her Masters in Internet Marketing from Full Sail University, and has a BA in TV/Film Production from Howard University. Anderson works with professionals, schools, and community organizations in the Washington DC area providing innovative methods of learning, collaborating, and communicating using affordable web integrated solutions. Her work includes RCA Rams a private social networking site for Rock Creek Academy High School, and RCA Renaissance, a blog featuring student created visual and interactive art focused around the Harlem Renaissance. She is the Creative Designer of The DC Way of English, a slang dictionary published by Guerilla Arts Inc in collaboration with Ballou SHS featuring student photography she taught in their summer youth program. In her spare time she hosts TechTasters, technology driven events and social media workshops.
Olivia Drake is a filmmaker, visual artist, and scholar. Focusing on causes of Black social problems and issues through visual communication, Drake’s artistic voice manifests itself in much of her illustration and graphic works concerning Black identity. In 2007, she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at Howard University for her thesis film, A Place In Time, along with corresponding essay, Crossing Over: Moving from Convention to Advanced Digital Technology in Film, Video, and Design, which detailed her philosophy regarding the convergence of current digital media with classic filmmaking methods. Currently, Drake is completing a doctoral degree at Howard University, in the department of Mass Communication and Media Studies. Her dissertation, ‘Action’ as a Practice of Revolutionary Cinema: An Historical Analysis of the Black Independent Film Movement on U.S. College Campuses, 1967-1990, will be defended summer, 2012. Onward, Olivia Drake is expanding her research in visual communication by continuing her practice of web-based interactive media language, design and film, while furthering her examination of the African American psyche.
Alan King is a poet and journalist, living in the DC metropolitan area. He writes about art and domestic issues on his blog. In addition to teaching at Duke Ellington, he’s also the senior program director at the DC Creative Writing Workshop, a Cave Canem fellow and VONA Alum. Alan is currently a Stonecoast MFA candidate and has been nominated for both a Best of the Net selection and Pushcart Prize. His book, Drift, will be published through Willow Books in January.
Gowri Koneswaran is a performance poet, writer and lawyer. She has worked as a trial attorney and engaged in advocacy around animal welfare, the environment, international human rights and criminal justice issues. Her publishing credits include co-authoring two peer-reviewed journal articles; poetry in Beltway Poetry Quarterly, Bourgeon and Lantern Review; and a chapbook, Still Beating. Gowri was a Lannan Fellow of the Folger Shakespeare Library and has been a featured poet at Lincoln Center Out of Doors, the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage and Smithsonian Folklife Festival. She hosts a poetry open mic every month at Busboys and Poets and serves as the program director at BloomBars community arts space in Columbia Heights, where she hosts, curates and manages events.
Koye Oyedeji is a writer and a journalist. His short stories, poetry and essays have appeared in The Fire People(Canongate 1998), IC3 (Penguin 2000), Write Black, Write British (Hansib 2005) , Tell Tales vol III (Tell Tales 2006) and Black British Aesthetics Today (Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2007). As a journalist he has contributed to a number of publications including New Nation and The Nottingham Evening Post. He graduated with an MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies and is currently completing his PhD at the University of London, where his research focuses on writers of Nigerian descent. He is a contributing editor for SABLE Litmag and is working on his first novel.
Mark A. Williams, Chair, is a playwright, whose recent works, "Junkanoo" and "Patience Wept" have been performed at the Lincoln Theater and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and his latest play, "Zulu Nation" had its initial staging at the Bethesda Writers Center and a full production will be mounted in 2012. He has received the "Mayor's Award for Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education", the "Surdna Arts Fellowship for Arts Educators", and has been named in "Who's Who Among American Educators". He is also working on a book, "3/5's of History", a trans-narrative rendering of the training for the 21st Century Writer which has been optioned.
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LMC Parent Testimonials
“For much of my son’s school career I sat through parent teacher conferences and heard, “he just doesn’t seem engaged.” I knew he was listening because he consistently did well on his tests. But they were right - he was not at all engaged in any academic pursuit. . . until Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Although he had other artistic options, he really liked the Literary Media Department and began his freshman year there. I have had the pleasure of watching him grow as a writer and as a young man. Under Mark Williams’ direction, the department has grown into a department of fully engaged students allowed to pursue their creative endeavors while challenging them to consider what happens to them after Duke Ellington. It’s one thing to have an incubator where the students can vent and celebrate their emotions and skills, but quite another to consider how this can help them “in life.” Now in his senior year, I am amazed at the skill set my son has honed. He came in just wanting to write “fan fiction” and poetry. . . he will leave there understanding how to create and maintain a blog, make documentary and experimental film, and has a solid foundation in academic and creative writing.The most unexpected benefit he has received is the performance aspect of writing and creating. He has had the privilege of being a part of the performance group “R Street Collective” for the past two years. This group has made a solitary activity like writing into a fully interactive process that provides immediate feedback. The opportunities he has had to speak in front of dignitaries and professionals, and also get some “street cred” from his contemporaries, have been transformative. As a parent, most of us just want our children to find something that makes them happy that they can do for the rest of their lives. I think the Literary Media and Communications Department at Duke Ellington has prepared him to do just that!
— Maureen Freshour, parent of LMC graduate
“My daughter now has the foundation on which she can build any career, provided through her experience in the Literary Media and Communications program at Duke Ellington School of the Arts! Let’s face it, reading and writing are fundamental to all professions, whether in the Arts or not. The faculty, led by Mark Williams, has provided way more than what I could have hoped my daughter would receive in this discipline. I fully believe that most children rise to the level of their environments, and the LMC Department faculty have set the bar very high, both in terms of work ethic and producing quality work. They have taught the kids a love of learning and reading and there’s never anything wrong with that
— Eileen Thomas, parent of LMC graduate.
From Left: 10th graders Madison Hartke-Weber, Isis Cooper and Marcus Brown participate on a guerilla marketing Campaign at Ben & Jerry’s in Georgetown; Duke Ellington alumni and Poetry teacher Jade Foster takes students through their steps in preparation for their performance at the
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PARTNERS & SUPPORTERSARENA STAGE ARTS CLUB OF WASHINGTON
BEN & JERRY’S GEORGETOWN BLOOMBARSBUSBOYS AND POETS
CHILDRENS HOSPITAL826DC
FRIDGE ART GALLERY GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY / PRIME MOVERS PROGRAM H-STREET PLAYHOUSE
HILLYER ART GALLERYHORWITZ FAMILY FOUNDATION
HOWARD UNIVERSITY FILM DEPARTMENTINKWELL THEATREMETRO TEEN AIDS
NATIONAL BLACK PROGRAMMING CONSORTIUM PUBLIC MEDIA CORPS
WASHINGTON POSTZANAR FUND
Literary Media & CommunicationsMark A.Williams, chair
Duke Ellington School of the Artsa District of Columbia Public School 3500 R Street,
NW • Washington, DC 20007 202.282.0123 • www.ellingtonschool.org
Please ask us how you can make a tax-deductible contribution in support of the LMC Program.
