Local high school poetry publication to return in May

BILL HENRY
Sun Times staff
For some 20 years, Grey County high school teachers worked with student poets to publish Spindrift.
The typed, photocopied and bound collections produced annually both showcased student work and gave them a reason to write.
When the Grey and Bruce boards amalgamated, Spindrift stopped.
Well-thumbed copies of Spindrift — the title comes from a Dylan Thomas phrase “these spindrift pages” — are still on the shelves at the OSCVI library where Spindrift was revived Wednesday during the first International Festival of Authors event to be held in Owen Sound.
“Today, we’re going to bring it back to life,” OSCVI librarian and English teacher Norah Phillips told high school English students from OSCVI, West Hill, Grey Highlands and both Bruce Peninsula high schools.

The plan is to recruit writers over the next few weeks, as well as a production team to edit, design and create the book, which will be published in May.
“We want to get as many Bluew at e r students as possible involved, so that’s our biggest focus,” Phillips said.
Instead of typewriters, the project will rely now on media technology and a web presence to be launched within weeks. That will simplify student submissions and make editing, designing and other jobs easier than a decade ago, Phillips said in an interview.
“I also really want to focus on making the poetry better, so that we look at it, we edit it, we have reaction and feedback and then together we make it a better poem,” she said.
“A lot of kids have the experience of reading poetry online or submitting it and my experience is its not necessary poetry that’s edited or poetry that has feedback that is meaningful.”
OSCVI English teacher Alisa Van Alphen was a student at the old OSCVI building in Owen Sound. She said Wednesday writing for Spindrift made a big impact during her time there, contributing to a large extent to her decision to teach English.
“I’m very excited about this,” Van Alphen said. “I think it adds so much meaning to be able to share what you’ve written, to see it in print and then to see other people like and appreciate what you’ve created. That’s especially important for high school students.”
The Spindrift relaunch was announced during a morning reading and question and answer session with author Allan Stratton, whose book Chanda’s Secret is on the Grade 9 study list for English students.
Student Shayla Rouse, a poet who is helping with Spindrift, said hearing Stratton speak about writing was inspiring.
“Writing seems so much more real now,” she said. “I’ve never seen an author live before talking about what they’ve written, that was a new experience.”
It adds to the excitement of the new collective student writing project, she said.
“I’m really excited about that and I want to be part of it.”