Because We Dreamed It

Photograph by Suzanne Webb

Notes to the Reader

This book is for you. Pure and simple. For best results in using this book, have a notebook or folder with you during class, and name it “My This book is here to celebrate your magical, unique, Dreams”, “My Path to Self-Discovery”, “Creative one-of-a-kind imagination. Each page of this Central” or another name that you love. Have a pen book is its own adventure and its own pathway to or pencil. Rather than shouting out your answers, self-discovery. think about each question, pick up your pen, and write down an opinion, idea, or line of poetry. Within this book are essays, poetry, reflection Before starting a discussion, make sure everyone has questions, ideas for creative writing, and more. You had a chance to write down something. The act of can use this book in many ways. You can choose writing your thoughts will help you connect to your a single page and answer the reflection questions imagination and your dreams. To maximize the magic in a notebook you might call “Conversations with of this book, make sure you take this step each time. My Imagination” or “My Book of Dreams.” You can Also make sure you give each person in your class follow the Discovery Challenges that are boxed off at the same respect you would want. By agreeing to the bottom of some of the pages as if you are going support each other, you will create something special on a treasure hunt. You can take the first line of a and lasting. poem, and use it as a springboard to write your own poem, or song, or story. You can use the photographs This book has optional ideas of how to share your and artwork in this book as a launch pad for creating work. Let yourself be guided by your imagination, your own art. and focus on a creative writing idea that you love.

The artists who contributed to this book believe This book is here to support your dreams, your in you. Think of us as creative partners who are hopes, your imagination, your ability to create cheering you on with every page. Just as our solutions and, most of all, your journey. We wish you contributions are an expression of our own creative the very best and most magical trip ever. sparkle, so too, we know that you have creative sparkles within you.

• If this photograph were hanging in a museum, what do you think the title would be? Think of two titles that go with this photograph. Try writing a poem, using one of your titles as the first line.

• What do you notice in this photograph? How does this photo connect with what is written above?

Photograph by Suzanne Webb

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part 1: Connecting with Your Imagination

Part 2: Making a Difference

Part 3: Metaphor Central

Messages from the Contributing Artists

Closing Poem & Further Resources

DESIGNER’S CHOICE: Did you know designing Which of the two images below would you a book is a form of creativity? Compare and choose for the cover of the book you would contrast these two images to the images on the design? Can you explain why? Let’s pretend you front cover. To connect with your imagination, could make up your own title to go with your let’s pretend you are designing a book called choice. What would you call your book, based Because We Dreamed It. on the image you chose?

Artwork by George Ulrich Photograph by Suzanne Webb

2 Copyright © 2016 Nila J. Webster Because We Dreamed It because we dreamed it we dreamed of a clear blue sky and horse clouds racing with beams of sun we dreamed of this day filled with the budding trees Photograph by Suzanne Webb and the music of every bird because we dreamed it it came true

-- jani johe webster

• What do you feel when you read this poem?

• Can you write down one of the greatest dreams Photograph by David Schneider you have for your life?

• This poem proposes that our dreams can become reality through envisioning, which means seeing something in our mind’s eye. What do you think of this idea?

• If you were going to design a book, which of the two photographs would you use to compliment this poem? Can you explain why?

• This poem has rhythm, which means it has a certain pace that adds to its magic. Try adding four stanzas to this poem, beginning with the words “we dreamed / of this day / filled with …” Use specific images and details to help your writing shine.

• How can it be that our dreams are so powerful that if we dream something sparkling for ourselves, or for others, it can actually come true?

• Can you write a poem about the positive, electrifying energy of dreaming? Try writing a story about characters who have special, magical dreams, and these dreams come true.

DISCOVERY CHALLENGE: Look up and write down the definitions of “dream”, “wish” and hope.” How are the words similar, and how are they different? Did you know that every word has its own unique meaning? As the poet and writer, you get to choose the words that best describe your vision. You are the artist.

Introduction

It can be a rough world out there, and you have to The question is, how do you feel about yourself? wonder how we can bring a little gentleness and Do you have the guts and the confidence to live the compassion to it. Maybe we can start with ourselves, way you want to live without letting other people’s by trying to live our lives according to the things we attitudes and ideas run your life? Can you love think are real and important. yourself even if you aren’t skinny and pretty like the girls on television? Even if you’re a chubby guy who That gets a little tricky, because our ideas of what’s gets laughed at because you wear thick glasses and important change as we change and grow; there are like to read books? things that were important to you when you were in second grade that aren’t important now. For example, Just think about it. There’s never been anyone like do you remember when your idea of a hot Saturday you, and there never will be again. Of all the billions afternoon was having your mom take you shopping at of people who have lived and died, there’s no one Toys-‘R-Us? And this past year, maybe the things that else who has ever had the knowledge and memories were important to you were clothes, or parties, or and talents and feelings that you have inside you. playing on the soccer team. My point is simply that What’s so sad is that many people never get told how your interests and priorities shift as you go through special they are, and there’s one reason that there’s different stages of life. so much violence and drug abuse in our society today. So many young people have been treated so Some people are going to tell you, don’t worry about badly that they’ve never learned to love themselves. anyone else. That’s what the person who steals And how can you love someone else if you can’t millions of dollars by cheating on the stock market love yourself? has in common with the gun-toting gang member. They both think that going for the bucks is the only And as you learn to appreciate yourselves and each thing that matters. other, you can learn to join together and accomplish something that older generations haven’t really been But if the most important thing in life is have a BMW able to do. You can help to build a society in which with an Alpine sound system, and the latest style people are more important than things. A society jacket, and the gold chains and the Air Jordans and in which nobody starves, and nobody sleeps on the Gucci handbags, what happens if you lose them? the streets, and elderly people and AIDS patients What’s left? Who are you then? and crack babies get compassionate heath care. And we’re going to need you to help lead the way, I’m willing to bet that some of you have been made because a lot of older Americans are so frightened fun of or considered “uncool” because you didn’t and pressured by the things going on around us that have the right kind of jacket or shoes or haircut. I’m we’ve started to shut ourselves off from each other. also willing to bet that some of you have made fun of Some of us have forgotten how to be kind. Maybe someone else for the same reasons. I’m not saying it’s you can remind us. bad to dress in style and to want material things. I’m just asking if a gold chain or a Gucci handbag is the most important thing in your life.

And it can start right here, right now, REFLECTION QUESTIONS in little ways. • How would you continue the list of what you can do • Thank the bus driver. to make the world a more beautiful place? Write down • Hold a door open for someone with packages. five suggestions after the phrase “Buy your dog a bone…” • Play a little softball with the younger kids on your block. • Serve your mom breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day. • Was there a part of this introduction you found • Do something nice for a brother or sister. particularly interesting? What part was it? What did you like or not like about it? Pick one section to use • Recycle your soda bottles. as a point of departure for your own piece of writing. • Give your seat on the train to an elderly person. Choose one sentence, and use this to write your own introduction for your own book called “Because We • Compliment a friend’s hairdo. Dreamed It” or “The Magic of My Imagination.” • Smile at a policeman. • Do you think having material possessions are the most • Take clothes you’ve outgrown to the Goodwill. important thing in leading a fulfilling life? If not, what • Send a sick friend a stupid postcard. in life in your opinion is more valuable than having a lot of possessions? • Clean up after yourself at the pizza parlor. • Buy your dog a bone …. • Please be honest: Have you ever made fun of someone who was different or “uncool”? Has anyone ever made And in these little ways, in these tiny baby fun of you for being different? Please write your steps, maybe we can start making the world a reaction to the following quote: “Hurting other people is hurting ourselves.” Whether you agree or disagree, more beautiful place. please explain your position.

I’ll leave you with the words of an English philosopher • This introduction asks the question: “How do you feel named George Bernard Shaw who said: “Life is not a about yourself?” How would you answer this question? brief candle to me, but a flaming torch that I want to Add to your answer, "What do you like and respect make burn as brightly as I can before turning it over about yourself?" to the next generation….” • What do you think of the writer George Bernard Shaw's quote about "the flaming torch”? How would I wish you peace, and good health. you describe Shaw's philosophy in your own words? Charles Coe, author of Picnic on the Moon • How do you see yourself having a unique and valuable contribution to make to the world? Picture a glorious sparkling torch that you are holding, as if you’ve won a gold medal. That torch is your inner brilliance. How can you pass this torch and hang onto it at the same time?

How is the phrase “picnic on the moon” symbolic? What do you think of when you hear the phrase “picnic on the moon”? How would you draw a “picnic on the moon”?

Artwork by George M. Ulrich

Part One: Connecting with Your Imagination

Thank you for life And death And life again

For the seed of hope Born of each sad end

Artwork by George M. Ulrich Words by Nila J. Webster

Your imagination can be invoked by the to your one-of-a-kind imagination. Now, on a piece words “Let’s pretend ...” or “What if …” or of blank paper, write out a memory you have of “Make believe …” You can also close your eyes something that may have been sad, but also carried a and picture a sparkling light floating toward you, little seed of hope. out of which steps your imagination. Let’s pretend that you’re writing a book, and the cat Would you like to activate your imagination right sitting outside the universe is one of your characters. now? Write a poem, story, or paragraph about what What words would you choose to go with this image? the cat is thinking. Then write down your opinion on why the artist placed the cat outside the box, given “Think outside the box” is a metaphor. Can you put the words that go with the artwork. in your own words what this metaphor means? Can you give an example of thinking outside the box? Consider the phrase “the seed of hope born of each sad end.” How can there be hope from a sad ending? Take a moment, breathe deeply, and open your mind

Being creative is a form of thinking outside the box. Continue this list by thinking of three more ways you Being creative means bringing something into the can connect with your imagination. world that has never existed before. Whether it is a poem, a photograph, a work of art, a song, a dance – When it is time to do an assignment, take a test, or any other form of creative expression – if it flows apply for college, or prepare for something major, from your heart and soul, your imagination is present you can invoke your creativity by closing your eyes and part of the magic. and envisioning a sparkling mist out of which steps your one-and-only, singular, never-existed-before You can think of your imagination as a wise imagination. friend, a solution-maker, a problem-solver, a sparkle, a thousand sparkles, or a million sparkles.* You Want to try something unbelievably creative? Take can think of your imagination as a daemon,** a a blank piece of paper, colored pencils, marker, guide or a spectacular fountain of magical rainbow- crayons, watercolor, or whatever else you can get colored energy. your hands on, and draw your imagination.

How can you connect with your imagination? Imagine sitting on a balcony on a magnificent twilight evening, and seeing the planet earth glowing from • You can talk to your imagination and ask for advice a distance. Try drawing this. Try writing about what and ideas. You can picture your imagination as a you’d be thinking. Write about how your challenges living force that can take on different forms. look from this perspective. That’s your imagination. • You can watch your favorite music video on YouTube and ask your imagination what it feels and thinks. If you write a few sentences on what you think and feel about the video, the very act of writing will help deepen your relationship with your imagination.

• You can go to a museum, sit on a bench, look at one work of art for ten minutes, and silently ask the work of art to communicate with your imagination. Notice what happens.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE ALERT: * “A millions sparkles” is a form of figurative language known as hyperbole, which means a mega-exaggeration. You can remember this because the prefix “hyper” implies magnification. ** Thinking of your imagination as a guide is an example of personification, which means giving human qualities to something that is not human. Personification is another form of figurative language. So too is imagery, which is using specific details to help your writing and ideas light up in neon colors. Picturing something in your mind is one way to engender imagery.

LITERARY ALLUSION ALERT: **Daemons are present in the His Dark Materials books by Philip Pulman. In this series, each character has his or her own daemon, a spirit guide that is in the form of an animal. Daemon can be pronounced either DEE-men or DAY-men, take your pick! What do you think of the idea in this novel, that we all have our own daemon?

whispers

whisper your dreams to the trees in a wooded place and sing your song to the stars

whisper with the wind in an open place and laugh with the shells in the sea

whisper your hopes on a night of sorrows and hear the pulse of the sky-jewels of the universe

- jani johe webster

Photograph by Vera Resnik

Write About It

• What do you feel when you read this poem? What is your favorite line?

• Try connecting with your imagination by putting the poem in your own words.

• How is it possible to whisper our hopes on a “night of sorrows”? How is the phrase “night of sorrows” a metaphor?

• What advice would you give to a friend who is going through a metaphorical “night of sorrows”?

• Why is it is important to whisper our dreams and our hopes? How can whispering our dreams awaken our imagination, even when it feels like no one except the trees and shells are listening?

• How can the trees, the shells, and the sky-jewels bring you a unique gift?

• How does this photograph go with the poem? If this photograph were hanging in a museum, what title would you give it?

• Try writing a poem with the title of “whispers”. Use the first line of this poem as a point of departure: “whisper your dreams …”

Being the Captain of Your Ship

Consider this phrase: “When you create something, you are the captain of the ship.”

This phrase is a metaphor, because we aren’t Your first mate is your imagination. Your imagination standing in a concrete ship right now. But we can see is also your compass, which helps you navigate. a ship in our mind’s eye. We can see this ship sailing Your imagination is your flashlight which helps like a royal vessel at dawn. We can see this ship sailing you see everything with crystal clarity. (Comparing smoothly through high waves during a wild storm. your imagination to a compass and a flashlight are We can see this ship sailing peacefully, with you and examples of “metaphor.”) the crew leaning on the railing, gazing at the most radiant sunset you could ever imagine. (Try drawing Let’s pretend you are going to design a book this sunset.) for younger students who can learn from your imagination. The book is meant to inspire them and In this metaphor, your ship is your life, and also give them hope. You can give them hope by creating whatever it is you want to create. You may want your own “Book of Whispers” and writing your own to write a poem, draw a picture, make up a story, poetry. Try writing three poems with this in mind. Use choreograph a dance or write a piece of music. the two images below as points of departure. If you You may want to build a house, or a room, or, in don’t know how to start, try one of these beginnings. your mind, build a whole universe with hundreds of different planets that can communicate with each “Minutes hold hands with hours and ….”* other through intergalactic space. “Do not lose your sense of wonder, whispered the Whatever you are doing, you are the captain of the flower to the ….”* ship. What does that mean to you? Why are you, of all people, the captain of the ship?

• If you were going to make a book of poetry, which image would you choose to be on the front cover? Can you write a poem about this image? Can you give this image a title?

Artwork by George M. Ulrich

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE ALERT: These lines of poetry use a poetic technique called personification, which means giving human qualities to animals or objects.You can remember what this technique means because it contains the word “person”. *These lines are taken from the poetry of jani johe webster.

to be quiet

i have been very quiet today i have heard the waters of the stream and have heard the whisper of the wind talk to the listening stones and the gossip of the leaves and the song of the wild flowers on the hill

i have heard the chatter of squirrels it is good, is it not in a quiet peaceful woods to be quiet and the high laughter of jays on a day like this

-- jani johe webster

• Under what circumstances is it good to “be quiet”? • How can “the quiet” have magical secrets? Can you think of what one of these secrets might be? • What would you say if someone told you that in moments of quiet, your imagination can speak to • How does this photograph go with this poem? you and stream through you? How can this be? What title would you give to this photo?

• Create a new stanza for this poem that begins with the phrase “i have been very quiet today.” Write of what you see, feel, hear and sense in the quiet.

Photograph by Vera Resnik

like a talisman

- jani johe webster

“Spirit Guide” - Photograph by David Schneider

This poem tells us that behind every minute there is a Consider this poem by the same poet who wrote dream. Can you put this idea into your own words? “a talisman”:

A talisman is an object that carries special meaning and is often associated with good fortune. It can stowaway dream sometimes be known as a charm that gives off positive vibrations. A talisman is often small enough there’s a little stowaway dream to hold in your hand, and can be carried easily in as i wake this morning your pocket. In some cultures a talisman is thought to have supernatural powers. In your life, do you have i carry it with me any talismans? Something special that you feel brings thru these hours you something positive? How can someone carry a dream throughout a day? Why is any kind of talisman important? How can that dream bring a magical dimension through each hour? In this poem, the narrator suggests our dreams can be like talismans, even though dreams are not Try writing a story about a character who has a tangible objects you can hold in your hand. Or special talisman. Let’s pretend he or she loses can you? In the world of imagination, anything is the talisman. How did it get lost? How does your possible. How can a dream be a talisman? character handle the loss? Will the talisman be rediscovered? How does this photograph go with the poem?

POETRY NOTES: You may have noticed already that when it comes to poetry, spelling doesn’t count. When you’re writing a poem, the rules of grammar go out the window. (That phrase is in itself figurative language – can you guess what the means from context clues?)

Part Two: Making a Difference

“Everyone Matters”

Photograph by David Schneider

What would you call this picture, if you didn’t know the title was “Everyone Matters”?

• Why do you think the artist named this photograph “Everyone Matters”?

• How and why does “everyone matter”? Why is the custodian of your school as deserving of respect as the president?

• What specifically do you notice in this photograph about the pieces of chalk? How are the differences in the chalk a metaphor for “everyone matters”? Did you know if you remove one piece of chalk in this photograph,it would radically change the energy? How can this be?

• How do you know, deep down, that one person can make a difference?

• Can you give an example of how one person changed history? Can you write a sentence about how someone changed your life for the better?

• Think of something special you did for someone in your life in the last few weeks that was truly kind – kind, not because you wanted a reward, but because of who you are. Try writing a story about what happened, with make-believe characters.

• Consider this quote from Vera Resnik, one of the contributors to this book: “You are the light that shines brightly, so let it illuminate everyone and everything that surrounds you.” What does this mean to you? Can you put this quote in your own words?

• Did you know some people wake up every morning and affirm, “Today I will turn my light up bright and make this world a more beautiful place.”? Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and ask yourself this question: How would my day be different if I said a positive statement to myself at the beginning of each morning?

• What does it mean to “shine your light”?

• How is the phrase “shine your light” a metaphor? What kinds of things in nature shine and illuminate our days and our nights?

• How can shining your light have a ripple effect that could bring a gift to someone you’ve never even met?

FIGURE OF SPEECH ALERT: A ripple effect is what happens when you toss a little stone into a pond or lake. Picture the circle of ripples spiraling out, further and further. This image is also a metaphor for the ripples we cause in our lives, by being kind and being our true selves.

Photograph by Suzanne Webb

For Rosa Parks - Charles Coe

It might have been easier Afterwards, Maybe your aching feet to let the moment pass. before walking the rest and the driver’s tone of voice of the way home together tipped some hidden scales, It might have been easier you might have stood to rise with a sigh for a silent moment And the slow anger from the creaking seat in the wash of exhaust that had grown for years trudge past those to watch that bus was finally called to birth. pale, uneventful faces lumber off into the twilight. and take your customary place. Later, But something happened... when asked to explain you simply said:

“I was tired.”

Reflect & Create

This poem is a tribute to Rosa Parks, who, one December day in 1955, sat down in the front section of the city bus, which at the time was for “whites only.” Rosa Parks dared to disturb the universe* by not obeying a racist practice. She explained her decision not to move to the back of the bus, where at the time African Americans were relegated, by saying, “I was tired.” Her statement, and the end of this poem, kick in on at least two levels. Yes, she was physically tired, having worked a long day. Of what else was she tired?

• Reflect on the line “the driver’s tone of voice.” How can someone’s tone of voice affect us? Have you ever noticed someone saying something “nice,” but the tone wasn’t so nice? How can your tone of voice can be as important as what you’re saying?

• Not only is Rosa Parks a hero. Not only is she an agent of change, without even setting out to be one. She is also a symbol of our most courageous selves. How can this be?

• How is racism the ultimate in lack of imagination?

• Rosa Parks did not go along with rules and policies that were dehumanizing. In her own way, she protested. She protested a law she knew was wrong not only for her, but for everyone.

• How can we protest something that is dehumanizing in our way? When we see an incident of bullying, do we intervene, turn away, or join in?

• Are you willing to take a stand against bullying, in the spirit that Rosa Parks took a stand? How can participating in an act of bullying bring us down and diminish us?

DISCOVERY SEARCH: Would you like some inspiration? Search Martin Luther King’s speech, “I Have a Dream” on YouTube. Listen to the speech and write down what you think and what you feel.

Take a blank piece of paper and write down the words “I have a dream.” Fill up the rest of the paper with dreams you have of making the world and your own life more beautiful.

LITERARY ALLUSION CHECK: *The phrase “Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?” is from a poem by T.S. Eliot called “The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock.” The phrase was later referenced in Robert Cormier’s gripping novel The Chocolate War, about a clique at a high school. In his locker, the hero has a poster of the stars and planets, with the very same question, “Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?” What do you think this question really means?

The Butterfly Effect

“The Butterfly Effect” has become a metaphor for how something on a small scale, like a butterfly fluttering its wings, can result in tremendous changes that move through the whole world.

Sometimes “the butterfly effect” is captured in an expression such as “A butterfly flaps its wings in China and we have a change in weather in North America.” But the metaphor of the butterfly effect goes beyond weather patterns. The butterfly effect represents how one simple action one place on the planet can have a domino effect that brings about large changes somewhere else. In this example, China itself is not only a real country, but also a metaphor for some place far, far away, where a small change begins, and then ripples out around the world. Photograph by Suzanne Webb

Here is an example of the metaphorical energy of “the butterfly effect”:

One day, someone asks you to go to the store beauty. You’ll never meet this person but you have to pick up something small, and you really don’t changed his life forever. feel like it. But you rally your energy and ask your imagination to go with you, and you walk to In the meantime, the mother of the kid who was the store. On your way to the store, you see an crying suddenly feels better because you smiled unexpected sight – take your pick: at her little son. She has renewed energy and 1. A glorious double rainbow. optimism because of you. Later that night she calls 2. A solar eclipse. her best friend in Argentina or Brazil or Egypt, 3. Geese flying in formation. and tells her about you. The friend receives a dose 4. Other: (fill in the blank with your own idea) of positive energy that she passes on to her high school students. One of the high school students While you’re in the store, you smile at a little kid absorbs and integrates this good energy and tells who is crying because he’s tired, and your smile his father about it when he gets home from school. causes him to stop crying. His mother looks at you His father carries the good energy he received from with gratitude in her eyes. his son to his lab, which is working on a cure for a serious illness. His colleagues pick up this positive That night, you go home and write a poem about energy, the positive energy generated from your act what you saw when you were walking to the of kindness, and together, those who work in the lab store. Someone reads your poem and asks you to find a cure that saves millions of lives. contribute to a poetry journal. Ten years from now, someone in Malaysia or Mexico or Papa New Guinea All of this originated with your smile. You were reads your poem, and feels an infusion of hope and the butterfly.

• How does the butterfly effect actually work? Put • Write your own creative, imaginative one-of-a- the idea into your own words. Can you think of an kind story about the butterfly effect. The more example of how you have seen the butterfly effect connections you can make the better. Imagine in action, either at school or at home? this story being shared with younger students who are looking for inspiration, or older students who • What do you notice about this story? Can you may not have heard of the butterfly effect, and will see how something like this can happen, and is learn of it reading your story. happening every single day? How can that be?

DISCOVERY-CHECK: In 1964, Paul Simon wrote a song called “Sound of Silence”. At first, singers who were part of the “in” crowd openly made fun of this song. But in 1965, a DJ played it on the radio, and overnight it became a hit which captured the imagination of a generation, and beyond. Fast-forward to 2015, and the heavy metal band Disturbed did its own version of this song. In less than a year, the video received over one hundred million views. Art travels. Our energy travels. Our light and our magic travels. What do you think of this? Did you know your light and energy and creativity can travel around the world?

Do you like music videos? In the “Sound of Silence” video made by Disturbed, a new dimension to the song is added. It would be like you adding your imagination to someone else’s work of art. In the video version, there is a new plot line based on images, where a certain group is writing music but has no instruments to play the music, and another group of people has found musical instruments. The video ends with a ship filled with instruments sailing toward those who need them to play their music. How is this a metaphor?

Disturbed imbued Paul Simon’s song with new meaning and a new vision. What do you think of this? What does it tell that the song was first mocked and disrespected, and is now embraced by tens of millions?

Butterfly Effect Squared*

Do you believe that one single decision can have *Squared is a mathematical term that means bringing a superpower, supremely positive ripple effects? number to a greater power. To “square” a number means to multiply it by itself. 3 squared equals 9. 5 squared In 1983, jani johe webster, the poet who wrote “because equals 25. You can picture these numbers “squared” by we dreamed it, it came true,” stood in her kitchen in picturing a box with smaller boxes inside. Let’s say you Upstate New York, near Lake Ontario, and made a choose 3. The squared box would look like this: decision that has brought us to this very moment of you reading this book. On that day, she decided to create her own publishing company. This single decision, made over 30 years ago, resulted in the publication of many books, including books that have been translated into many different languages and given as gifts to students around the world. It is because of jani’s decision, and her vision, that you have this.

Even though she never met you personally, do you think deep down, she knew that one day she would connect “Squared” is also a metaphor, which means bringing something to the with you? How does this connect to the phrase “because next level. Try writing a poem called “Dreams Squared” and consider we dreamed it, it came true”? showing your math teacher.

Discovering Our Moral Compass

Why do we do what we do? Why do we act the way we LEVEL 4: Our actions are based on rules and laws do in certain situations? What is driving us? and we support this because we want to live in a lawful, orderly society that is fair for everyone. We In 1958, a psychologist named Lawrence Kohlberg respect authority. decided to investigate these very questions. From his research came something known as Kohlberg’s “Scale LEVEL 5: We recognize that different cultures have of Moral Development.” Following is a paraphrase of different laws for different reasons, and we strive to this scale. respect others who have different opinions. We are aware that if a law is unfair, it is up to us to try to LEVEL 1: Our actions are based on fear of punishment. change that law, for fairness for everyone. At this We do the “right” thing because in the past, we’ve level, a sense of right and wrong does not come from been punished for doing the “wrong” thing. At this society, or from the outside, but instead comes from level, our driver is: we don’t want to get into trouble. within – flowing from, for example, conversations with our own imagination. LEVEL 2: Our actions are based on the idea of getting rewards for our good behavior. We are willing LEVEL 6: We are motivated by our own sense of to do someone a favor, or offer an act of kindness, in compassion and kindness. We imagine what it might return for receiving a favor. The central questions of be like to walk in someone else’s shoes and we treat this level are, “What will I get out of this? What’s in people as we want to be treated, not because we’ll get it for me?” a reward or bonus or extra credit, but because deep down, we are connected to our own sense of empathy. LEVEL 3: We are motivated by what society thinks of us. We conform to social standards of kindness Kohlberg speculated there may be even a higher level because we want to fit in and we want to be thought of morality, and used the phrase “Transcendental of as “a good person.” Morality” to describe this state of consciousness. The word “transcendental” is often associated with matters of the soul. To “transcend” means “to go beyond.”

Reflection Questions

Pretend you go to the store to buy something small that comes to $5.43. You give the cashier $10.43. When you get home, you realize he gave you $6, instead of $5. What do you do?

Pretend you are with a group of friends at lunch and one of them starts to make fun of someone at the table who is not in your group. What do you do?

Pretend you’re shopping with some of your friends, and they want to shoplift. What do you do?

A famous novel called Les Miserables by French What do you think of the Bishop’s response? writer Victor Hugo begins with a plot piece that Where does the Bishop fall on the scale of Moral involves morality. Development? Why would the Bishop have this kind of compassion for Valjean? The hero of the book, Jean Valjean, was a peasant living in poverty, and to survive, he stole a loaf of For Valjean, this moment is a turning point in his bread. For this, he was imprisoned for 19 years. If whole life. From context clues, what do you think Jean Valjean was stealing the bread to keep his loved “turning point” means? How could the Bishop’s ones from starving, where does he fall on the Scale actions change Valjean forever? Have you ever been of Moral Development? in a situation like the Bishop?

Valjean escapes prison and ends up at the home In situations like bullying, where would the bullies of a Bishop who offers him food, shelter, and be on the Scale of Moral Development? Where would compassion. But Valjean repays him by stealing his the people who stand by and allow the bullying be? silverware and taking off. The police catch Valjean What about those who intervene when someone is and bring him to the Bishop’s house. being bullied, even at their own risk of becoming targets of bullies? If you were the Bishop, how would you feel, honestly? What would you say to the police? What do you think of the idea that right here, right now, we can really look at all the people in our lives, In Les Miserables, the Bishop does something and make a conscious decision not to engage in surprising. He tells the police the silverware was a bullying? gift to Valjean.He then takes two of his own beautiful silver candlesticks and tells the police he forgot to What does being a moral person have to do with give them to Valjean. The Bishop then hands Valjean dreaming a more beautiful world? the candlesticks. The police accept this story.

DISCOVERY CHECK: *In the spirit of “The Butterfly Effect,” Norman McKinnel adopted this section of Les Miserables into a play called “The Bishop’s Candlesticks.” The story of the Bishop and Valjean is emblematic of how compassion can change people’s lives. In 1985, the novel was set to music in Les Miz and became one of the longest running musicals of all time.

Want to be inspired? Check out scenes from Les Miz on YouTube. Read the first chapter of the novel and see what you think. The father of one of the contributors to this workbook says the novel changed his life forever. How can a novel or work of art change someone’s life?

Did you know you can write something, draw something, create something, and what you have brought forth can change someone’s life for the better?

Part Three: Metaphor Central

Artwork by George M. Ulrich

Pablo Picasso was a painter from Spain. He was is a metaphor for a place where our dreams can come known for thinking outside the box. By using new true. Cleaning your room is a metaphor for cleaning techniques and connecting with his imagination, your mind. “Sparkles” are a metaphor for something he literally revolutionized modern art. He went extra special that brings positive energy into our lives. beyond trying to fit in because some part of him, his “Our dreams coming to meet us on the path” is a creative impulse, was guiding him. He listened to this metaphor for connecting with our dreams. guidance. Picasso saw things differently in his mind’s eye, and he allowed his inner visions to stream onto Metaphor adds magic to our lives. Metaphor the canvas, one glorious painting after another. reminds us that there is a larger and more mysterious part of the picture than what initially meets the Picasso’s way of being and way of seeing is a eye. Metaphor is a counterpoint to the literal, metaphor for being in touch with our imagination. concrete world. A metaphor is often defined as a comparison without using like or as, such as “The moon is a sky-jewel” Metaphor is a form of figurative language that helps or “The stars are diamonds” or “The school library our writing shine. And it is more than this. It is also is a magical kingdom.” a way of looking beyond and seeing the whole galaxy, rather than seeing one planet, or one city, or one A metaphor is this, and also more. A metaphor can school, or one group of friends. also be a statement that is emblematic of a larger vision, theme or dream. For example, School • What do Pablo Picasso and Rosa Parks have in common?

George M. Ulrich is an artist who lives near He has been honored by the New York Society of Boston and who has illustrated hundreds of books Illustrators and his artwork has been on display at the professionally for many years. The studio where he American Museum of Illustration. works is filled with incredible art and is a tribute to the magic of his imagination. On the walls are dancing • What does George’s story tell us about our dreams elephants and musical notes and pictures of animals coming true? who can talk, and so much more. Would you like to try something ultra-creative? Draw a picture of George’s • This picture on the opposite page is done in the studio, filling your white paper with magical colors. style of Pablo Picasso. What do you notice about this picture that is different and unusual? When George was in middle school, grown ups in his life told him he’d never make it with his art. But he • How is it symbolic that the teacher and children stayed with this dream. He stayed connected to his have faces that are different colors? How does this imagination. He studied art in college because he knew go with the poem about Rosa Parks? it was part of who he is. In spite of what naysayers told him, his artwork has been internationally recognized.

DISCOVERY SEARCH: Search for images of Pablo Picasso’s artwork on the net. He had many different phases, and his artwork from each phase is different. Then search out Claude Monet’s artwork, and look for the painting of the bridge at Giverny. Compare and contrast to Picasso’s art. Want to look at something ultra-brilliant? Search Vincent van Gogh’s “A Starry Night”. Try drawing something in response to van Gogh’s work.

The Story of a Marathon Runner

When she was in middle school, she would go for She didn’t have a coach or anyone to help her. long runs, both because she loved the challenge, Instead, she turned to her inner self, where her and because she knew any form of exercise is a great imagination lived, and asked for strength, courage and way to channel energy. She would often run along resilience. She did well in all her classes and made the ocean and watch the golden sunlight sparkling more and more friends, and in the meantime, she had endlessly on the water. She would notice the sea air her dream of running a marathon. She worked very and the changes in the season, and in the winter, hard to achieve this dream. Her imagination helped she would see the moon rising over the ocean in the her by providing imaginary guides who would cheer late afternoon. She would run before school or after her on and give her advice on how to run the best school and each time, before she set out, she would race ever. always check in with her inner self, to see how she was feeling. If she had stresses, these stresses would One year later, she ran the Boston Marathon and dissolve as she ran, and after, she would always feel exceeded all expectations, including her own. She connected to her life in a way that put all her troubles went on to become nationally ranked and recognized. in perspective. She began to participate in other marathons around the world. When she ran in local races, the same girls She didn’t join the track team, and she didn’t join who had made fun of her now wanted to befriend her. the cross country team, but she ran all through high They realized she was incredibly successful and they school. She wore a necklace as a talisman each time wanted to be part of her accomplishments. She saw she ran. Some of the girls in the town made fun of through this game but wished them all the best. She her because of the necklace. They called out names, went on to run in many races, doing better and and they’d roll their eyes, and they enjoyed singling better each time. One day, she came in first. She won her out, because she was different. Some days, their a marathon. cruelty didn’t touch her. Other days, she’d feel that sick, pit-in-the-stomach feeling, knowing she didn’t Now she helps other middle school and high school fit in. Some days, she would take their mockery and students prepare to run professionally, and she often flip it, using it to strengthen her resolve. No matter advises them to listen to their imaginary friends – gifts what, she kept her ritual of running long distances. from their imagination – who will root them on and She had her own group of friends and her own school give them wisdom in how to run their personal best. work, and she had her dignity. She also listened to an inner voice that told her she was meant to run. She When asked how she trained for the marathons, she knew that we all have a small inner voice, and that this answered simply. “I visualized. I would run on Lynn voice can tell us positive things, but can also try to Shore Drive, close my eyes, put my hands in the air, tear us down. She knew it was up to us to listen to the and visualize myself crossing the finish line.” positive voice that says “You can do it.” This story is based on the real life experience of After she graduated from high school, she went Patty Pederson, marathon runner and winner. to a college that was on the course of the Boston Marathon. During her freshmen year, she stood on the sidelines watching the runners pass her, and thought to herself, “Maybe I could run a marathon.” And then she thought, “Maybe next year, instead of being a spectator, I could be in this race.” So along with studying for her college classes, she began to train for the marathon.

What do you think about the girl in this true story? We all have dreams, just as this runner dreamed of What kind of person is she? running in a marathon. Our dreams are as different as we are. It might be going to college, learning to do How can exercise be a way to channel energy? yoga, becoming a chef, opening a store, discovering What is your favorite type of exercise? a cure for a serious illness. It might be learning a new language, joining a team, creating a work of art, Running a marathon, which is twenty-six miles and writing a play, becoming an ambassador for world 385 yards, is both a real accomplishment and also peace or choreographing a dance. Our dreams could a metaphor of achieving our dreams. Whether it is include becoming an astronaut, an entrepreneur, a a literal marathon, or a preparing for a major test teacher, a scientist, a police officer, or going to the or dreaming of a personal goal, we can learn from Olympics. Whatever our dreams are, one way to help this story about how to manifest our dreams right them come true is to do what the heroine of this into reality. story does: Visualize.

What can we learn from the heroine of this story To visualize means to see a reality in our mind’s eye. about how to make our dreams come true? Our imagination helps us with this. Our imagination is there to help our dreams come true. What do you think of the girls who made fun of the marathon runner for being different, but later wanted Take a blank piece of paper and write down one to be her friend? Where would they rank on the dream you have for your own life. Write down three Kohlberg Scale of Moral Development? What do you concrete steps you could take to help this dream think of her way of handling them, simply wishing become a reality. them all the best?

Why would this runner want to wear a necklace as a talisman? What do you think that necklace might have symbolized for her?

Artwork by George M. Ulrich

Lemon-Colored Adventure • What do you feel when you read this poem?

the day awakens • What is metaphorical about having this poem in three different languages? all lemon-colored ready for adventure • What do you think of when you hear the phrase tiny drops of dew “lemon-colored adventure”? glimmer in the light • A “lemon-colored adventure “ is a metaphor for seeing flowers yawn themselves open the magic in our lives. Imagine a life where we greet each day as a “lemon-colored adventure.” Imagine it is a gift a life where we see every single day as a sparkling this day one-of-a-kind experience, with surprises and gifts awaiting us around every corner. Take a deep breath, -- jani johe webster close your eyes, and imagine.

• How it is possible that every day could be filled with something new and brilliant? What role does our connection to our imagination play in this?

• The Spanish version of this poem was translated by el día amanece Pauline Giannantonio, a Spanish teacher at a nearby todo limonado school. The Arabic version was translated by Daneilla listo para aventura Doureiy, a lawyer in Lebanon. Imagine how great it is to learn a second language. What is really great about knowing more than one language? How is knowing gotitas de ricío more than one language not only an accomplishment, brillan en la luz del día but also a metaphor for friendship around the world? las flores abren sus pétalos

es un regalo este día

Photograph by Suzanne Webb

Photograph by Vera Resnik

There are as many ways to create the sense of wonder A mantra is similar to an affirmation. A mantra is a this poem conveys as there are ways to connect with phrase that we can hold, like a talisman, to help us our unique imagination. Some people use affirmations connect with ourselves. A mantra can be one single to engender this feeling of magic and awe, and others word, such as “Hope” or “Dream”. It can also be use mantras. What is the difference? a phrase that becomes our phrase, conveying our personal belief. The last line of this poem can be used An affirmation is a positive phrase or suggestion as a mantra: “It is a gift, this day”. Try writing your that contains encouragement for the fulfillment of a own mantra by completing this phrase in your own positive outcome, including our dreams. words:

Here are some examples of affirmations: “It is a gift, this ______”

I am a gift. Another example of a mantra is “Because we dreamed it, it came true”. This is also from a line of poetry, and I am open to receiving and giving gifts. the inspiration for the title of this book. In writing I have something special to offer. poetry, you can discover your own mantras. I am doing well on this test. Take a blank piece of paper, and write down five I am doing well in this class. affirmations about yourself. These are positive I am shining my light. statements said in the first person, intended to encourage and motivate you. Then write down three mantras that represent you – who you really are, a saying that conveys you.

Fly by Day / Fly by Night

a new poem

i need to write a new poem to dress my thoughts in shimmering light to leave this place of weeping and run hard into dreams

-- jani johe webster “Fly by Day”

• What do you notice about the bird in the two photos? Compare and contrast the two photographs.

• Consider the following idea: “We will all face different challenges and hardships, and what truly matters is how we face those hardships. What matters is asking ourselves a direct question. The question is, ‘Who am I going to be in the face of this challenge?’”

“Fly by Night” • What do you think of this idea? If you Photographs by David Schneider accept this idea, the challenges you experience will take on a different energy. • Most readers can relate to this poem. There are times when Deep down, through connecting with we have experienced difficulties, which the poet calls “this place your imagination, you will know that the of weeping.” The poet tells us to run hard into dreams. Why is challenges are part of the plot of your life. this? How can our dreams help us feel stronger, more alive and You will know that your life is more than more heroic? plot, which means a series of actions. Your will have a sense, by connecting • The bird flying in these two photographs can be seen as a symbol with your imagination, that what is really of how some people go through life. Whether the day is beautiful gripping about you, and your life, isn’t just or gray, the night is starry or filled with rain, the bird soars on what happens (the plot), but also involves with grace and dignity. The bird is emblematic of our imagination, your character and your inner life. Your which is always there for us, no matter what. At all times, we can life can also have an overarching theme, ask ourselves the question: What kind of person am I going to be and you can be the key player in creating in the face of what is before me? that theme. • Want to know what we think? We think you are magnificent.

Messages from the Artists who Contributed to this Book

Charles Coe is author of two books of poetry: George M. Ulrich is an artist whose work has been All Sins Forgiven: Poems for my Parents and Picnic on recognized internationally. He lives near Boston and has the Moon. He is also author of Spin Cycles, a short novel. illustrated hundreds of children’s books and has also Charles teaches poetry and prose in a wide variety of written his own children’s books, including, most recently, settings, including grade schools, high schools, colleges, Benny the Bat, the story of what it means to be a hero. Of writing conferences and workshops. “It’s important for the creative process, he has been known to say, “At first, writers to take the time and effort to revise their work,” he there’s nothing.” This means at first, there is no book, or says. “That’s the difference between a serious writer and work of art, or TV show or musical video. There is only someone who’s just fooling around.” For those interested blank space. And into that blank space, artists and writers in writing, he recommends the book Bird by Bird by Anne bring their own magic. It all starts with a single idea. It all Lamott. Charles lives in Cambridge. starts with the sparkle of your imagination.

Lynn Nuttall is a graphic designer who lives near Suzanne Webb is a veteran school teacher and Boston. She designed the layout of Because We Dreamed photographer whose work has appeared in Whispers for It and also one of Nila J. Webster’s previous books, a Magical Time, Ripples of Light, and Where the Poems The Magic of Moonlight. Her message to you is from Dance. She is known for saying, “You matter, you count.” the author of the Winnie the Pooh stories, A.A. Milne, For further reading, she recommends Zen Shorts by Jon J. “Promise me you’ll remember: You are braver than you Muth and One by Kathryn Otoshi. believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think”. jani johe webster’s poetry has traveled around the Vera Resnik is a photographer and poet who divides world, and her poem “because we dreamed it / it came her time between New Jersey and Vermont, and who true” is the inspiration for this book. She created her travels the world. Her message to you is, “When things get own publishing company and named it StarMist Books. If tough and you feel like you can’t do it any more, then that you were going to create a company, what would you call is exactly the time to keep going in a positive manner.” it? What does the image of “starmist” have to do with She is known for saying, “Mother Nature is always sharing our dreams? For further reading, check out the poetry of her beauty for all to appreciate; we just need to take Pablo Neruda. the time to stop and look. Be still, really look, and you will be rewarded.” For reading something unique, she Nila J. Webster is a children’s author who grew up recommends The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. near Lake Ontario (one of the five Great Lakes) and who now lives near Boston. When she was young, her mother, David Schneider is a photo artist who lives near jani johe webster, taught her the magical ways of creativity. Boston. Some of his photos for this book are taken nearby. Her message to you is, “I believe in you, and as I edited His message to you is “Don't let fear rule your life. Dream this book, I was thinking of you, sending out positive big, believe in yourself, be courageous and act in the messages to you, through my imagination.” For further face of fear. You can do it." He has been known to say, reading, she recommends Human Options by Norman regarding envisioning our dreams, “Either this, or better.” Cousins. She is known for saying, “The world needs your For further reading and inspiration, he recommends gifts.” Her mother’s words, “because we dreamed it / it Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Illusions by Richard Bach. came true” have become her mantra and her guiding light.

Tad Sudnick is an honorary contributor to this book by reading it from the first draft forward, to this finished product. He is a poet, science teacher, and world traveler. Want more poetry and ideas for creative writing? His message to you is, “Everything that happens to us is Visit www.wherethepoemsdance.com, scroll a golden opportunity. Messages abound in the silence down, and click on the link “More Dancing and stillness.” For further reading, he recommends Poems.” We look forward to seeing you there! Early Sorrows by Danilo Kis.

For all my Friends who Dream this World Beautiful

Dance and Be Free

Be the poetry your soul longs to sing Be the imaginary numbers that laugh and make merry

Be the first green bud, the aberration and the miracle Dance and be free the color of the sky before dawn on the day of the solstice The time for scrambling is over the leaf in November that will not change its hue no matter the message of the frost Because you’re going to see the beauty of your own poem Be the poem that goes down by the banks of the river -- Nila J. Webster and dances under the stars no man has ever beheld

“Pure Freedom” - Photograph by David Schneider

• How does this photograph go with this poem? What would you name this photograph?

• What does it really mean, to dance and be free? Close your eyes, and imagine.

To DREAM is to honor ourselves and our lives. To DREAM is to give ourselves, and the world, a gift. DREAM is also an acronym for core values: Dignity, Respect, Effort, Attitude, and Motivation.

Close your eyes and imagine what each of these words means to you. What does it mean to have dignity? Can attitude change the shape of your day? In respecting others, how are you also respecting yourself? By putting forth your best effort, how are you making the world more beautiful? What is the best way to get in touch with your inner motivation?

Try creating a similar acronym for the following words: HOPE and PEACE

Photograph by Suzanne Webb

Welcome to Because We Dreamed It This book celebrates your dreams and your imagination. Open any page, and find a pathway to self-discovery and your own unique magic. This book is an invitation to create, to reflect, and most of all, to believe in yourself.