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Welcome to our e-newsletter
Minds in Motion
We are in the thick of fall semester, and students are busy with reading, reading, reading. The same is true for our October newsletter. This month we look at reading we've done and how technology changes how we read. Plus, a student shares the inspiration her grandfather gave her to go back to school.
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Meet Writing Instructor Michael Noll
Anyone who has taken Comp 101 knows that college writing is all about making arguments. New Free Minds writing consultant Michael Noll acknowledges that this can be anxiety-inducing. That is why he recently began a Free Minds class by asking students to make a case about something other than the topic of their first essay, Plato's Republic. Instead, he asked Free Minders to think about the ways they persuade their kids not to touch electrical sockets. The throng of responses showed that people are continually making reasoned arguments to each other in their everyday lives. As he put it, "Academic writing is a higher level version of the kind of thinking we do all the time."
Michael also teaches composition, magazine writing, and creative writing at Texas State University. He has published his own short stories in American Short Fiction and is at work on a novel titled Seven Attacks of the Dead. Having feet in both the creative and academic worlds helps Michael to see some commonalities between the two. He insists that with both types of writing, the best way to learn is by doing. And his advice for academic and creative writers alike is straightforward: "The worst thing you can do is sit there and look at a blank sheet of paper or a blank screen." Instead, he urges new writers to give themselves permission to write bad first drafts and revise from there.
You can catch Michael Noll at the Texas Book Festival on Saturday, October 26 at 3:45 pm in the Capitol Auditorium; he will be moderating a conversation on writing about war.
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Check us out at Book Fest!
Free Minds is excited to take part in the Texas Book Festival on October 26 and 27, where we will have the opportunity to spread the word about what we do. The festival has something for readers of all ages. Events will take place in and around the Texas Capitol building.
We are still seeking a handful of volunteers to help man (or woman) the Free Minds table for 2-3 hour sessions during book fest. If you would like to help, please call or email the Free Minds office.
You can check out a full schedule of events and a map of exhibits at the Texas Book Festival website. Hope to see you there!
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Master Class Zooms In On Díaz
In introducing the work of Pulitzer winner Junot Díaz, Dr. Jennifer Wilks turned to the author himself. Quoting an interview with the Dominican Republic-born writer, she read, "[O]ne can carry inside of them both the country of their origin and the country that has received them. ...You can be two things simultaneously. If America teaches you anything it's that that is very true." This led to an evocative discussion of the ways a person stands inside and outside of a culture, as we considered an excerpt from Díaz's novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.
Wilks, associate professor in English at the University of Texas, wove a variety of ideas into the conversation, which ranged from the ways Díaz uses Spanish in his writing to the complicated and often violent history of the Dominican Republic and neighboring Haiti. The alumni and volunteers around the table offered their own contributions to the discussion. Díaz's astute rendering of a complex mother/daughter relationship rang true to participants and elicited reflections on personal and family histories. And everyone left ready to pick up the novel and start reading.
Master classes provide an opportunity for program graduates and the broader community to explore texts and ideas together. Read on for details about our upcoming November class.
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Re-think Reading with Free Minds 
Join us for a master class on Wednesday, November 13, as we explore how technology has changed the landscape of reading. How does the internet influence our reading practices today, and what strategies can we use to become more effective readers?
Elisabeth Moreno, retired assistant director of UT's Sanger Learning Center, will lead the discussion. Call or email the Free Minds office to sign up.
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 6:30-8pm
Community Engagement Center
(1009 East 11th Street)
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Special Thanks
This month, we owe big appreciation to the individuals and organizations that help to support our students in the classroom, through child care, meals, case management, and college advising. You make rich learning possible by addressing the other needs of Free Minds students! Many thanks to:
Tera Bock,
Foundation Communities
Eric Imhof, Claire Mayberry, Joanna Wheeler, and
Camp Fire USAChristina Chapa,
ACC Advising
Erin Garrett and Central Market Catering
Larry Elsner, Tracey Matchefts, and Open Door Preschool
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 We're diving into the philosophy unit and appreciating our new mentors this fall.
Lots to celebrate at the outset of this academic year: exciting funding news and a dynamic new group of students!
With a new administrative home and interviews for the Class of 2014 underway, new beginnings are in the air this July.
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The Final Word
Free Minds Student Elizabeth Price Started College 27 Years After High School
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Elizabeth with daughter and Camp Fire kid, Lily, age 8.
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When I was a teenager, my grandfather shared a quote by Winston Churchill that he felt was applicable to my school experience. The quote is, "I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught." Grandpa was right! I hated the memorize-these-dates-and-facts-to- which-you-can't-possibly-relate-and-take-a-test way of teaching. The teachers I still remember are the ones who were able to make us, the students, part of the lesson. It's one of the reasons why I had NO interest in going to college right after high school. I thought I'd go after a year or two. Then life happened. And kept happening!
Despite my initial reluctance to go to college, I have long regretted that decision and know that a degree would have carried me much further in life than just a high school diploma. I also know my grandfather would be happy to see me furthering my education now. He held a Ph.D. in Education and is my inspiration. I also owe my dad a big thanks for always encouraging me to read as a kid. Even now I borrow books from him on a regular basis.
So, 27 years after high school, I'm finally in college. And I am LOVING Free Minds. The staff and professors have all been so encouraging, accessible and absolutely make us part of the lesson. I especially enjoy class discussions and finding pieces of my own life experience in almost everything we've read--not something that would have happened had I gone to college at 18. I didn't have enough life experience yet. My fellow students are also awesome. I love the diversity and unique story each of them brings to the table. Almost every class offers a new perspective for me to think about, often from another student. I can't wait to see us all graduate!
My plan is to continue on at ACC after this class, but no matter what the future holds, I will always value my Free Minds experience. And of course, I'll have the accomplishment of having read Plato's Republic to my credit...Score!
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A program of Foundation Communities, in partnership with The University of Texas at Austin and Austin Community College, 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
Foundation Communities
3036 South 1st Street
Austin TX, 78704
Project Director: Vivé Griffith Program Coordinator: Amelia Pace-Borah Ph: 512-610-7961 F: 512-447-0288
www.freemindsaustin.org |
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