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Welcome to our e-newsletter
Minds in Motion
July has sped by in a flurry of activity at Free Minds! Amidst the flood of applicants and interviews, we also held an Open House and kicked off our Summer Writing Workshop. Read on for details.
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Free Minds Hosts Open House
On Thursday, July 12, the Free Minds Advisory Council hosted its first Open House aimed at introducing attendees to the program and inspiring them to get involved. Held at M Station Apartments in the room where Free Minds classes meet, the space was abuzz with conversation among a mix of program alumni, advisory council members, volunteers, and new-comers.
The evening featured three alumni speakers: Stacey Kennedy '12, Kellee Coleman '08, and Liliana Pierce '09, all of whom are currently pursuing college degrees. Project Director Vivé Griffith gave opening remarks, commenting on the unique evolution of Free Minds into a program that emphasizes not only humanities education, but also college readiness and access.
Representing the program faculty, Literature Professor Domino Perez offered a glimpse into her very first class; although it began in the evening at the end of an already long day of teaching, Perez remarked, "I was totally energized by the students! They reminded me that learning is a two-way street."
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Recruitment for Class of 2013
Wraps Up
Thanks to our committed recruitment partners, we are happy to report that our recruitment season is coming to a successful close. Working with Foundation Communities, the Housing Authority, Goodwill Industries, and others, we received more than 60 applications for our new class. We've spent many engaging hours over the past few weeks interviewing applicants, getting to know them better, and introducing them to the program. Our interview process continues through this week, and we look forward to finalizing the Class of 2013 by the end of July.
Orientation for the fall semester is scheduled for August 13. More details to come on what will surely be an exciting academic year!
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A View into the Summer Writing Workshop
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Workshop participant Renay Bowles '09 checks out an antique record cutter. |
If you were on the first floor of the Community Engagement Center last Tuesday evening, here is what you would have seen: a small but substantial group of adults milling thoughtfully around the exhibits of the Texas Music Museum, paying careful attention to their surroundings. The assignment? Choose one object to focus on and then freewrite about that object for ten minutes, describing it in as much sensory detail as possible.
Only after the group shared their writing did they realize the diversity of the objects chosen: an antique record cutter, a wall of photographs dedicated to Latin American musicians, a pair of high heeled shoes in a glass case. The uniqueness of the selections mirrors the unique perspective of each writer in the room.
This summer session is the fourth incarnation of the Free Minds Writing Workshop. Modeled on the best practices of Write Around Portland, a well-established community writing non-profit, Free Minds writing workshops prioritize the practice of freewriting to unleash creativity and silence the inner critic. Open to all, these workshops are another way that Free Minds is expanding opportunities for adults to build intellectual community.
This month's Final Word features workshop participant Grace Adams. |
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Special Thanks
This month we appreciate all of the volunteers who have been so generous with their time, helping us with the interview process for next year's class, assisting with the Open House, and being such warm ambassadors for
the program. Special thanks go to:
Antonio Bustos '08
Rachel Caballero '12
Kellee Coleman '08
Tiffany Eagan '12
Leslie Goodson '12
Jarmesha Harris '12
Stacey Kennedy '12
Abe Koogler
Marissa Machado '08
Mary Lynn Marinucci
Katie Navine
Charmaine Nichols '09
Liliana Pierce '09
Lucia Williams '11
If you are interested in volunteering with or supporting Free Minds, you can find more information on our website. |
  
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YOUTUBE: Stacey Kennedy, Free Minds '12, and her son Richmond talk about their journey from homelessness to college.
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Minds in Motion Archive June 2012
We remember Earl Shorris and pay homage to the bold idea that started
it all.
May 2012
This month we celebrate the outstanding Free Minds Class of 2012!
April 2012
In the home stretch of this year's class, spring renewal comes to Free Minds.
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The Final Word
We like to start our Writing Workshops with the prompt, Why I write. Here workshop participant Grace Adams '09 shares her response.
 I write because I suppose I think I have something to say. I write because I think someone else might want to hear what I said or be touched by a few words or see themselves in someone else and not feel so alone, just for a minute.
I write because it feels good, because when you're in the zone and the words flow and show up on the page like magic and make sense and you know it's good, it just feels so right.
I write because pen to paper feels like taking everything that weighs heavy on your mind and turning it to ash, to be carried off by a breeze. It clears your head and makes room for the things that matter, like appreciating a moment with someone you love, and it allows you to really notice what's beautiful around you. Not just notice it, but hold on to it, keep it and pull it out later when you need it again.
I write because writing makes me feel clean and empty, ready to start over and at the same time, full to bursting with all of the good things in life.
I write because it's someplace to put the bad and the ugly, the hurt and the embarassed. I write because in my own story, I can be the hero that saves the day, not the girl who tripped over her own two feet. Twice.
I write because some things just need to be written. Like a really special day or a birthday cake that was ruined in the rain. Sometimes you have to put the words on paper so you don't say them out loud and sometimes you put them there so you can. |
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: Vivé Griffith Program Coordinator: Amelia Pace-Borah Ph: 512-232-6093 F: 512-236-1729
www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/freeminds |
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