In March of 2025, sixth- and seventh-grade students from three dual-language classes at M.S. 88 in Brooklyn got a crash course in poetry with 826NYC Teaching Artist Di Jayawickrema leading the way.

In just four double-period workshops, these young poets rose to the challenge of crafting poems in English and Spanish that range far and wide in topic and format, but all bursting with incredibly creative language, exuberance, and images drawn from all over, from family vacations to the streets of Brooklyn. In recipe poems, classic “I am” and “I am from” poems, and pair poems that sometimes read like a theatrical script and other times like dialogues between the closest friends, you’ll find stunning details and heartfelt emotion. Despertadores andantes con plumas por todas partes / Walking Alarm Clocks with Feathers Everywhere will take you to Venezuela, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and back home to Brooklyn. We hope you enjoy the trip!

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