]]> http://phillyspells.org/your-words-your-photos-your-film-your-voice/feed/ 0 http://phillyspells.org/spells-fall-internships/ http://phillyspells.org/spells-fall-internships/#comments Mon, 12 Sep 2011 20:40:32 +0000 lizencarn http://phillyspells.org/?p=1235 Do you like kids? Writing? Dressing like a secret agent? If so, this could be the internship for you!

For college students who would like to turn their volunteering into an educational experience and can commit at least 10–20 hours per week to our organization, we offer the Spells Writing Lab Internship.

Interns will work directly with instructors and students, gaining valuable experience in many areas of educational programming and running a non-profit. This is not a boring office job; your internship will involve hands-on participation as a tutor, writing workshop leader, and lab assistant, as well as writing blog posts; reaching out to volunteers, families, schools, and community organizations; and assisting with grant-writing and fundraising efforts.

THE REQUIREMENTS:

• Minimum commitment of 15–20 hours per week
• A passion for writing
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently and adapt to new situations
• Experience with kids in a professional setting preferred
• Editing, proofreading, or design skills a plus
• Interest in other forms of artistic expression (photography, film, music, etc.) a plus

THE REWARDS:

• Opportunities to work with local authors and journalists
• Free admission to Spells Writing Lab events, including our annual fundraiser with a best-selling author
• Free Spells Writing Lab t-shirt
• Adoration from our students
• A sense of accomplishment and pride from helping kids succeed

We are currently accepting internship applications on a rolling basis. To apply, please send an email to volunteer@phillyspells.org. The email should include a PDF attachment of your current resume, and a cover letter pasted into the body of the email that highlights specific skills and experience you would bring to Spells, as well as what you hope to gain from the internship.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Reception on Thursday, May 26, 2011, from 6:00p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Exhibition runs through Friday, May 27.

Moore College of Art & Design
The Widener Memorial Foundation Gallery
20th Street and the Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Free and open to the public.

We hope to see you there!

The Battle of Good vs. Evil 2023

Join Spells Writing Lab and the Village of Arts and Humanities from 9 a.m. to noon on April 2 for Park Day 2011, our contribution to Philly’s Spring Cleanup Day. Spells volunteers will be working with our students to plant a special garden under the “Angel’s Alley” mosaic that faces our building. During tutoring and writing workshops, we often use this area for games and free time, so help us make it even more beautiful!

Materials and tools will be provided, so all you need to bring is yourself in gardening-appropriate clothes. And from noon until 2p.m., join us and our friends at the Village for a block party featuring music, dancing, screen printing, and a free BBQ for volunteers to celebrate our success!

Email volunteer@phillyspells.org to sign you and your kids up for the Spells project at Park Day 2011!

Join Spells Writing Lab this summer as we plan and host a free summer day camp at our North Philadelphia headquarters. Drawing young writers from around the city, our writing camp focuses on a different theme each week, providing enrichment and excitement for Philly’s kids. Interns will work directly with instructors and students, gaining valuable experience in many areas of educational programming and running a non-profit.

We’re now accepting applications for our summer internships, which run from early June through mid-August.

To apply, please send an email to volunteer@phillyspells.org by Friday, April 1. The email should include a PDF attachment of your current resume and a cover letter pasted into the body of the email that highlights specific skills and experience you would bring to Spells, as well as what you hope to gain from the internship.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Minimum commitment of 15–20 hours per week
• A passion for writing
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently and adapt to new situations
• Experience with kids in a professional setting preferred
• Editing, proofreading, or design skills a plus
• Interest in other forms of artistic expression (photography, film, music, etc.) a plus

We look forward to hearing from you!

Several of the teens from Girl Scout Troop 9920 (which happens to be led by our programming director) have helped out as lab assistants at our summer camp or weekend workshops, so we were thrilled when they created this awesome pro-book PSA. Need to learn how to do something? There’s a book for that.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Spells students, who had a half-day off from school, enjoyed African-Caribbean dance music and drumming by Mafalda Thomas-Bouzy, dancers from a local school, and a cookout. They also used their creative talents to craft anti-litter posters during the event.

Wednesday also happened to be the 107th birthday of Dr. Seuss, so during the tutoring session that followed, we also donned Cat in the Hat hats and acted silly.

On April 2nd, Spells will be participating in the Philly Cleanup Day by doing service projects on the Village campus, so we hope you’ll volunteer to help out! Together we’ll rejuvenate this magical North Philadelphia landscape by cleaning, planting, painting, and restoring public art. After the clean-up, we’ll celebrate in true Village style with dance performances, BBQ and live music.

To get involved, please contact brenda@villagearts.org, 215-2257830.

The Writer. In the Ballroom. With the Pen.

An evening with Lisa Scottoline, bestselling crime fiction author of Look Again and the forthcoming Save Me and The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s “Chick Wit” columnist

The Loews Hotel
1200 Market Street

Tuesday May 3, 2011
6:15 pm-7:15 pm VIP reception
7:30 pm Conversation with Lisa Scottoline, followed by personalized signing of Save Me and dessert reception

The event will also include a silent auction.

Invitation to follow.

For tickets and more information, please go to phillyspells.org/events.

(Click on fullscreen for the best reading experience.)

Snow Magazine

The Students and Volunteer Staff
of Spells Writing Lab
Wish You a Very Happy Holiday Season!

Congratulations to Cheating Champs, Catdog!

Last month, Spells Writing Lab held its 1st Annual Quizzo for Cheaters fundraiser at Marbar, on 40th and Walnut Streets. With Philadelphia legend Johnny Goodtimes leading the questioning, teams of up to eight trivia buffs competed in four rounds of fierce and fun Quizzo festivities, including a photo round of famous cheaters.
Teams were encouraged to cheat—for a price. In return for donations to support our literacy programs, they could double their chances of getting the question right with a Double Answer, Phone a Friend at the end of the round, or use The Smart Phone to verify their guesses.

Executive Director Christina Rose Dubb's team carefully planned their cheats to vault up to 3rd place!

At the end of the night, team Catdog came out ahead, thanks in part to their generous purchase of cheats, and garnered the title of Cheating Quizzo Champions. Join us next year as we cheat for charity and keep an eye out for other Spells fundraisers in the coming months.

We’ve had a great first month of tutoring, full of catching up with regulars and meeting new students who were drawn to the lab by the promise of a safe space for creativity and enjoying learning. A normal afternoon at Spells (if there is such a thing) begins downstairs with homework and tutoring time—and, now that the weather is cooler, lab coats! Even students who finish their homework early get the chance to stretch their brains with fun games such as Mad-Libs, math bingo, and Bananagrams. After a healthy snack (a favorite being clementines) and story time, we head outside to loosen up our bodies and minds. The art park next door is transformed into a makeshift baseball diamond with home-run sluggers as our Spellsian artists create sidewalk masterpieces with chalk.

For the last thirty minutes, we congregate inside once again for a writing workshop! In the coming weeks, we’ll be using this time to work on ongoing writing projects such as tabletop superhero films and the epic adventures of our eccentric fictional founder, Dr. Benjamin Franklin Spells. Stay tuned to hear more about how our wacky creations unfold!

Click on “widescreen” to zoom in, and position your cursor on the side of the page until a hand appears to turn the pages.

Enjoy!

Express Yourself, Vol. 1

After the benches had their days in the sun, CH Briggs decided to donate them to different organizations around the city, including Spells; CHAD, the Charter High School for Architecture + Design; KIPP Philadelphia Schools; and Spells Writing Lab’s program partner, Young Scholars Charter School. Ours was delivered last week by a crew from West Chester–based MacLaren Fabrication, Inc. They rolled the bench up Alder Street and into the courtyard next to the Spells building. Then they pushed the bench uphill—a major feat as it weighs around 800 pounds, thanks to a steel skeleton!

Spells’ bench is called “Span,” and it was designed by Chris Dawson of LSC Design, based in York, Pennsylvania. We think it looks like something between a cresting wave and bleachers. What do you think it looks like? We can’t wait to hear and read what Spells’ kids think of the inspiring new addition to our outdoor space. Thank you, C.H. Briggs and DuPont Corian!

5 sessions, July 6 to August 6
9 a.m. to noon
Spells Writing Lab
2526 N. Alder Street, Philly
Because these day camp weeks are FREE, the space is limited and expected to go fast, so please sign up your child soon, or at least indicate your interest to write@phillyspells.org or 267-670-0869!

Painting a Picture with Words—and Pictures!
July 6–July 9
If you find yourself doodling in the margins of your writing, you’ll love our comics writing workshop. We’ll read comics and graphic novels, then work together to create comics of our own!

Think Paws-itive!
July 12–July 16
Calling all animal lovers! In this workshop, students will draw inspiration from animals who have been rescued. After meeting with a variety of pets—from a frisbee dog champion to a rehabilitated therapy dog—we’ll write about them and for them! (Note: all students will be required to have an animal waiver signed by a parent or guardian before participating in this workshop.)

Stretching Your Sports Writing Muscles
July 19–July 23
Batter up! Hut hut! Pens ready! At this workshop, we’ll talk to local sports professional, attend athletic events, and maybe even play a few games ourselves. Get ready to work hard—at writing!

So, A Guy Walks Into a Comedy-Writing Workshop . . .
July 26–July 30
Get ready to laugh at our first-ever comedy-writing workshop. We’ll meet with experienced comedians and learn the tricks to writing and performing punchlines!

Spice Up Your Writing!
August 2–August 6
It’s fun to eat food, but it’s also fun to write about the foods you love! Join Spells as we sample tasty delicacies and learn how to create cookbooks and restaurant reviews!

This summer, Spells Writing Lab is offering a writing day camp program for kids! During each session, children will participate in hands-on activities about a specific theme, meet professionals from that field, and exercise their writing abilities while producing an impressive takeaway project.

Children may sign up for the individual weeks that interest them, or for the entire five-week camp. The exact dates of some themes are still being finalized and will be announced soon.

Because these day camp weeks are FREE, the space is limited and expected to go fast, so please sign up your child soon, or at least indicate your interest to write@phillyspells.org or 267-670-0869!

Think Paws-itive!
July 12–July 16
Calling all animal lovers! In this workshop, students will draw inspiration from animals who have been rescued. After meeting with a variety of pets—from a frisbee dog champion to a rehabilitated therapy dog—we’ll write about them and for them!
(Note: all students will be required to have an animal waiver signed by a parent or guardian before participating in this workshop.)

Painting a Picture with Words—and Pictures!
If you find yourself doodling in the margins of your writing, you’ll love our comics writing workshop. We’ll read comics and graphic novels, then work together to create comics of our own!

So, A Guy Walks Into a Comedy-Writing Workshop . . .
Get ready to laugh at our first-ever comedy-writing workshop. We’ll meet with experienced comedians and learn the tricks to writing and performing punchlines!

Stretching Your Sports Writing Muscles
Batter up! Hut hut! Pens ready! At this workshop, we’ll talk to local sports professional, attend athletic events, and maybe even play a few games ourselves. Get ready to work hard—at writing!

Spice Up Your Writing!
It’s fun to eat food, but it’s also fun to write about the foods you love! Join Spells as we sample tasty delicacies and learn how to create cookbooks and restaurant reviews!