The fifth annual publication of “Silent Sounds,” a collection of poetry, fiction, and literary essays written by Middletown students, was celebrated with a reading on Tuesday. The reading took place in the World Music Hall and encouraged the aspiring writers and poets from Middletown public schools. It was also a new, creative way of fostering Wesleyan and Middletown connections.
The students, who ranged from sixth graders to high school seniors, sat in the World Music Hall audience, along with their families and their English teachers. Middletown Mayor Domenique Thornton was also in the audience.
Instead of having the younger students read their own work, fourteen high school drama students took on all reading responsibilities. These students sat onstage, clothed all in black, and arose from time to time to read at a podium. This proved an effective way of maintaining the audience’s attention, as each work was read personably and dramatically. In order to identify each author, the young writers stood onstage while their work was being read. None of them seemed to mind that they weren’t reading their poems or stories themselves. A few sixth graders bit back smiles, another one wrapped her arms around herself and stared desperately down on the ground, and most of them swayed back and forth awkwardly.
Pamela Tatge, director of the CFA, organized the event.
“This program has been running for over five years,” she said. “Basically we try to do the ‘Silent Sounds’ reading before the last few weeks of school because afterwards every building becomes booked with senior thesis recitals.”
Every year a selection panel chooses the best poetry, short stories and literary essays from the Middletown’s primary, middle and high schools. Members on the panel include Anne Green, director of the Wesleyan Writing Program. These works are then published in the “Silent Sounds” magazine.
Most of the stories and poems were filled with angst and darkness, in particular the ones written by the younger students. One of the sixth grade girls wrote a poem entitled “Hurt,” which contained the line “Hurt keeps you still / No movement / No growth.”
Again and again, the readings were surprisingly dark. Another sixth grader wrote a personal essay called “Empty World,” which described precisely what the title implies: an empty world. Another personal essay by a middle school student described his grandmother’s experience during the Holocaust, in which she was forced to live in the dark, frozen woods while German soldiers stayed in her house.
A few other works revealed the youth of their writers. Most charming was a literary essay by the eleven-year-old Youngbo Zheng, who discussed a Brian Jacques book, “Rakkety Tam.”
“Rakkety Tam is quite a main character!” Youngbo wrote. “If you are wondering why, I will be happy to tell you. Well, here goes!”
He went on to discuss Rakkety Tam’s cunning: “Tam is sneaky too. I bet you that he can steal a pie that’s right under your nose. So do not leave those pies on the windowsill unguarded, they’ll probably be gone before you can say, ‘Rakkety Tam!’”
Along with the honor of having their work read, the Middletown students received two copies of the “Silent Sounds” magazine and a gift certificate for Broad Street Books. Hopefully, they also forged a new connection with Wesleyan University.
“This is improving Wesleyan and Middletown relations, because people who have never had any reason to come to the World Music Hall before suddenly become familiarized with it,” Tatge said. “All of a sudden, if they want to return to the CFA, they know how to park now. Hopefully this will get Middletown families to return for other events we hold here on campus.”
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