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Welcome to our e-newsletter
Minds in Motion
In this issue, we explore what The Great Gatsby reveals about citizenship and gear up for our fall writing workshop. Plus, hear from student Makayla Machado on how she came to Free Minds.
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Gatsby: Beyond the Lavish Parties
The theme of this fall's Free Minds curricula asks students to consider the rights and responsibilities of citizens--a task that makes obvious sense when studying the U.S. Constitution or considering the history of voting, as students will do in the upcoming politics unit. But what does The Great Gatsby, a novel so often associated with Jazz Age excess and Jay Gatsby's longing for Daisy Buchanan, reveal about citizenship? Literature professor Domino Perez put the question to students, who had plenty of answers. Erica Barlow pointed out the racist rhetoric that the brash Tom Buchanan uses to describe his "pessimistic" feelings about the future, which he has developed after reading The Rise of the Colored Empires. For Buchanan, a product of white privilege, any increase in the rights of African American or immigrant citizens signals the loss of his own. The story's setting in the years following World War I also comes into play for students, as it brings to mind the responsibilities of citizenship. Students noted that both Gatsby and narrator Nick Carraway fought in World War I, but the wealthier Buchanan did not. Viewed from this perspective, Gatsby explores how class can obligate some citizens and exempt others from participation in combat. And what about Gatsby's "self-made" claim to fame? Here students explore not only citizens' rights and responsibilities, but also beliefs about the ideal American citizen. F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel prompts students to look closely at how the self-made ideal motivates both Gatsby and Carraway and to ask how it motivates us today. |
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Want to Help Out?
This year, one of main our goals is to tap into the passion and expertise of community members. We're taking on some exciting projects in 2012-13, and we need your help! Want to be part of planning a mentorship program for Free Minds graduates? Interested in helping us expand our community writing workshops? Care to lend a hand at a Free Minds event?
If so, we invite you to fill out our volunteer application here. You can also check out the Volunteer page of our website for more information about how you can pitch in.
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Donna Johnson Leads Fall Writing Workshop
 We are thrilled to announce that local author Donna Johnson will facilitate this fall's writing workshop; Donna is the author of Holy Ghost Girl, which has received numerous favorable reviews and was recently featured on Oprah's Memoirs We Love list.
The workshop begins on Tuesday, September 25 and runs through November 13. Over these eight weeks, participants will have the chance to share their stories in a supportive group environment, to improve their comfort and skill as writers, and to explore the genre of memoir.
A few spots remain. To sign up or get more information call 512-232-6093 or email a.pace-borah@austin.utexas.edu.
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Free Minds Unveils New Website
We are proud to announce the unveiling of our new WordPress site! After a month of planning, editing, feedback, and revision, we invite you to take a look, and tell us what you think!
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Special Thanks
This month, we have been delighted by the
generosity of those who are opening up writing opportunities to
Free Minds graduates in new and unexpected ways. Special thanks go to:
Austin Bat Cave
for offering a free spot to a program graduate in their upcoming 8-week story writing workshop
anonymous donors who have provided registration for two Free Minds alumni to attend A Room of Her Own Conference for Women Writers on October 6
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
August 2012
We hit the ground running this fall. Welcome to the Free Minds Class of 2013!
July 2012
An Open House, a Summer Writing Workshop, and interviews galore!
June 2012
We remember Earl Shorris and pay homage to the bold idea that started it all.
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The Final Word
Student Makayla Machado on her Journey to Free Minds
"Free Minds is accepting applications. You should apply!" I heard this from my mom, who completed the program in 2008, every year since then. I would respond with "I'm too busy," "I can't," "okay Mom, okay," and even "I'm not interested". But I knew that wasn't true. I had enjoyed our discussions about the literature and assignments that she had worked on in class. Watching my mom go through the Free Minds program, and sharing in her journey, exposed me to her renewed self-confidence, as well as the new sense of pride and satisfaction she felt. While this exposure gave me a hunger for the same, it took me a bit of time and struggle with self to realize it and take action.
It wasn't until I was at my most emotionally, culturally, and creatively depleted moment that I finally saw I needed something different - that my soul cried for nourishment. After 10 years of clawing my way up from receptionist to manager/accountant/tax preparer at a local accounting firm, I found myself in the world of the overworked and underpaid. I was living each day ragged and bruised without any sense of accomplishment. It had become apparent that this now unfulfilling career no longer held any sense of meaning for me. I knew there was something better I could be doing with my skills, my mind, and my talents... I just didn't necessarily know where to begin.
Participating in Free Minds is, for me "a means to an end" to help push me to discover where to begin the next phase of my life. There are so many goals I would like to accomplish, like participating in the arts community more, singing with my blues/jazz group again, and exploring viable options to continue my education, or begin a new career. So I find myself standing at the precipice of change, and even though I took a lot out of my mom's experience, I embrace the already felt sense of pride, opportunity, and community as a member of the Free Minds Class of 2013.
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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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