Free Minds
February 2012
Welcome to our e-newsletter
Minds in Motion  

In the Free Minds classroom, we're always striking a balance between prepping students for college and bringing in cool guests and cultural opportunities. This month our newsletter highlights a little of each. Plus, the newsletter editor herself has the final word. 
Local Author Oscar Casares Visits Class



When Oscar Casares walked into the Free Minds classroom on January 30, students were discussing the cover art of his story collection, Brownsville. "Why do you think there's a monkey tail on the front of this book?" asked literature professor Dr. Domino Perez, holding the book up.

Students tossed around theories. One of the stories in the collection prominently featured a character obsessed with a dead monkey head -- perhaps that explained the cover art. But why did monkey heads feature so prominently into the book?

That was the first of many questions students asked Casares when he took a seat at the front of the room.

Casares also talked about his unconventional path to a writing career. Growing up in a house without books, Casares listened to his family's colorful stories about the characters that populated their border hometown of Brownsville, TX. After moving to Austin for college, he would entertain friends over beers with his stories. They encouraged him to write them down, and one day Casares quit his job and started doing just that.

Students asked Casares about being labeled an "ethnic writer." Yes, he said, his characters are from the border, but they are also American, representive of the diversity of this country. "If you see these people simply as human beings, then I have done my job."
A Very Free Minds Valentine's Day

 

This Valentine's Day, come read love poetry with two gorgeous married English professors. Join Drs. Patricia Garcia and John Gonzalez (UT Dept. of English) for a lighthearted romp through love poetry, from Shakespearean sonnets to pop songs. Snacks, candles, and mood lighting will be provided. 

 

Thursday, February 16, 7-8:30 pm
Community Engagement Center
1009 East 11th Street #216

See our Spring Master Class schedule for a full list of the one-night educational extravaganzas we're offering this semester. 

College Fair is February 29th

 

Our third annual College Fair will take place from 6:30 - 8:30 PM on Wednesday, February 29th at M Station (2906 E. MLK Blvd). Open to the Free Minds community and the public, the event offers a one-stop shop for preparing for college.

 

Emily Whitehurst '11 (L) speaks with St. Edward's rep Kay Arnold at last year's college fair 
  • Meet with representatives from ACC, St. Edward's, Texas State, Concordia, and Huston-Tillotson 

  • Meet other adults who have transitioned into college

  • Tips on college success with ACC academic advisor Julie Cuellar-Reck

  • Work on financial aid applications with advisors from ACC and Foundation Communities' Cash for College program
Issue 23
In This Issue
Local Author Visits Class
A Very Free Minds Valentine's Day
College Fair is February 29th
The Final Word

Special Thanks


As AmeriCorps VISTA Hana Silverstein wraps up her second year of service, we send out a big thanks too all who contributed to her success and made her service possible:

Beverly Watts Davis
Texas State Director,
The Corporation for National and Community Service


Dr. Gregory Vincent
Vice President, Division of Diversity and Community Engagement 

Cheryl Sawyer 
Director of Community Resource Development, Division of Diversity and Community Engagement

and 

The rest of the UT VISTA team, past and present.

  

  

 If you are interested in volunteering with or supporting Free Minds, you can find more information on our website.




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Minds in Motion

Archive

 

 

January 2012 

How is Free Minds changing lives through the humanities?  

 

December 2011 

"You gotta keep going to school till you're old and old and old!"  

 

November 2011 

Students share their stories: Balancing work, motherhood, and school. 

    

  

Looking for earlier newsletters? Visit our complete 

online archive.

 

 

The Final Word
AmeriCorps VISTA Hana Silverstein on Her Two Years of Service

Hana, left, with Free Minds graduate Shermin Pech Benn '11
Three years ago I was living in New York City, working odd jobs and banking on my college degree to get me jumpstarted in a career that involved books and writing (at the time, my only two criteria).

A friend suggested that I try AmeriCorps VISTA, a national service program designed to fight poverty and build community. That's how I ended up moving to Austin for a paid volunteer position with the Free Minds Project.

I had very little experience with poverty and no idea how to build community, but I jumped right into the job. I got my intro to the program by conducting a phone survey of all the program alumni to see where they're at in their academic, professional and personal lives. I started this newsletter, and started dreaming up a community writing workshop.

Two years later, I believe that my work with Free Minds has stayed true to the VISTA spirit in a way I couldn't have predicted. Free Minds opens the doors of the university to all students considered nontraditional, whether because of age, race, or economic status. Just by giving students this space for four hours a week -- free of children, responsibilities, the everyday crises of life -- Free Minds gives them an opportunity, however brief, to change their lives. And that change, once set in motion, often continues.

I've changed, too. Close-reading A Midsummer's Night Dream with Lucia over coffee, watching Lorena perform in a Spanish-language production of The Vagina Monologues, shooting videos of Stacey and her 10-year-old son as they swap snarky comments alongside serious reflections on homelessness and education -- all of it has made my life richer.

In the past two years, I've seen so much growth in the program and in myself. I'm grateful for the mentorship I've found in Viv and the friendships I've made with students. Free Minds is shooting up like a hothouse flower and I'm so proud of the part I played in that.
The University of Texas at Austin
A program of the UT Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, in partnership with the UT Humanities Institute, Austin Community College, and Foundation Communities, Free Minds offers a two-semester college course in the humanities for Central Texas adults who want to fulfill their intellectual potential and begin a new chapter in their lives.

Free Minds Project
Community Engagement Center
1009 East 11th Street, #218
Austin TX 78702

Project Director: Viv� Griffith

Project Assistant/AmeriCorps VISTA: Hana Silverstein


Ph: 512-232-6093   F: 512-236-1729

www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/freeminds