UNDERGROUND UNDERGRADS And More Writing Tips

UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center

UCLA Book Launch

UNDERGROUND UNDERGRADS:
UCLA Undocumented Immigrant Students Speak out

Featuring Stories by:

Mario Escobar – A former child soldier from El Salvador who recently attained asylum in this country

Tam Tran – A UCLA graduate who testified before the U.S. Congress on the status of undocumented students

Grace – A Korean student who gave up her student visa to qualify for AB 540 so she could attend UCLA

Antonio – A Mexican immigrant who arrived in this country at the age of four and who struggled to finance and complete his college education

UNDERGROUND UNDERGRADS highlights the growing student movement around access to higher education for undocumented students. This student publication includes the moving stories of eight UCLA undocumented undergrads who write about their emotional pain, financial hardships, and ultimate triumphs upon graduation. It also serves as an educational and research tool by providing a summary of the history of legislation impacting undocumented students in higher education as well as a resource guide of organizations that support student rights.

Wednesday, May 28, 4:00-6:00 pm

UCLA Chicano Studies
Research Center Library
Haines Hall 144

Co-sponsored by the CSRC, UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education, and IDEAS at UCLA

Directions to UCLA available at: http://www.ucla.edu/map/ Campus parking can be purchased for $8 at the Westholme Dr./Hilgard Ave. or Wyton Ave./Hilgard Ave. kiosks. The closest available Lots are #2 and #3.

For more information: (310) 206-9185

MORE WRITING TIPS

A Writing Tip from Highlights Coordinating Editor Kim Griswell

Setting cannot be a casual afterthought—it's too important to what can and will happen, to who your character is and what he or she can become. Think about it—what would Harry Potter be like if he lived in Lubbock, Texas? Paris, France? Harare, Zimbabwe? Just as the places you've lived have helped shape who you are, the setting of your story shapes your characters.

How do you experience the world around you? Creating a sense of place allows your reader to fully share your characters' experiences. Good writers use all five of their senses when they write. Most writers remember to use the sense of sight. But they may forget the other four senses—sound, smell, taste, and touch. Think about your favorite place. It might be a park, your room, a tree house, or the library. Any place you really love. Close your eyes and go there. List the things that make the place special to you. Use colors, sounds, smells, tastes, textures, and objects that you remember. Use this same technique to call forth sensory details about your setting. And don't forget your research here! Can your character really smell magnolia blossoms outside her window? Do magnolias grow in this setting? When do they bloom? How do they smell? Include all five senses, but make sure your sensory details are as accurate as possible.

Kim T. Griswell is the coordinating editor of Highlights and Highlights High Five. Her service has spanned the worlds of publishing and teaching, leading her to positions as senior editor, book development manager, a university instructor, and a teacher with the Institute of Children's Literature. She holds master's degrees in teaching writing and in literature. A prolific writer and committed editor, Kim has published more than two hundred short stories, articles, and columns. Her children's book, Carnivorous Plants, was published by Kidhaven Press in 2002.

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A Writing Tip from Philomel Editor Patricia Lee Gauch

I love the butterfly as a symbol, and I am going to guess you do, too. I don't know if you ever thought of the butterfly as a hero. But it has something to say to the littlest person, doesn't it: it says—look at me, I just looked like a plain little caterpillar, but by making my way, munching my way through life in the right way, I turn into a butterfly.

And it says to the littlest child: Little as you are, so can you.

All children are different, no question: some are gifted, some deprived, most a mix. But while each child is born different, every single one has the gift of a journey. That's what I think about. That's the neat thing. A child is not born finished. Every person is born a caterpillar, who with half a break can become a butterfly. Or, as per mythologist Joseph Campbell, everyone can become a kind of hero along the way. Of the big sort or the everyday sort.


Patricia Lee Gauch is vice president and editor at large of Philomel Books as well as a respected author in her own right. She holds a doctorate in English literature, and has taught children's literature on the college level and reviewed for The New York Times. Patti has edited three Caldecott books, including Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and John Schoenherr, and So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George and David Small. She has worked with many well-known authors, including Jane Yolen, Andrew Clements, and Brian Jacques.

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These tips come from general sessions given at the Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop at Chautauqua. Find out more at www.highlightsfoundation.org.


The Highlights Foundation
814 Court Street
Honesdale, PA 18431
Phone: (570) 253-1192
E-mail: contact@highlightsfoundation.org

saludos René Colato Laínez