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- Classroom experiences 9
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- Either the Beginning or the End of the World 3
- Joseph's Big Ride 2
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- The Good Braider 1
Seeing Haiti through a young girl’s eyes
During a school visit, Terry Farish invited students to explore Haiti through the eyes of a young girl’s story. In this reflection, Terry shares how literature can open doors to new perspectives, spark meaningful conversations and help young readers build empathy for experiences beyond their own.
Immigrants, kids and flan
Here’s a Behind the Book essay about my picture book “Luis Paints the World.” The book is timely again. It’s a story about a big brother’s deployment to war through the eyes of his little brother who finds a way to mark the days.
How visiting authors can be part of welcoming diverse kids
How can visiting authors help create welcoming spaces for all students? In this reflection, Terry Farish explores the role authors and librarians can play in celebrating diverse voices, supporting English learners, and helping children feel seen through the power of stories.
Immensity: A reading with immigrant writers
“Writing united us. But could we actually pull off a reading?” In Portsmouth, a group of New Hampshire poets and immigrant writers came together to write poems, share stories and inspire one another. They wrote about memory, immigration, home, family and imagination. As Leidiane put it, “We fit together like water, each in its own way.” And eventually, they stepped onto the stage to share their voices with the community.
‘I hope I will learn to dance a different dance I’ve never danced before’
The students at Broken Ground School learned Nepali, Bollywood, and hip-hop dances with Bhutanese dancer Pujan Wagley—and turned movement into poetry. As they danced, they wrote about feeling “happy,” “excited,” “silly,” “joyful,” and “floating.” Together, poetry and dance became a way to build friendships, imagine new possibilities and “learn to dance a different dance.”
A story from the house of extravagant colors
A chorus of thirty-five international students welcomes poet Juan Felipe Herrera to their classroom: “Welcome to our house of extravagant colors / in our classroom on Lake Street / which is for all of us a place of pause / on the road of our lives.” They sing, share stories and write poetry together as Herrera tells them, “Your voice is the natural and beautiful voice that everyone has.”
Juan takes his turn: JabberWalking with Juan Felipe Herrera
Juan Felipe Herrera calls a poem a “burble” and urges writers to hurry, hurry, hurry—to write down whatever they see, hear, taste, and love. Reading “JabberWalking,” Terry finds herself falling into poems of her own imagination. Herrera invites readers to write in any language, loosen up, and follow their words wherever they lead. “Writing saves lives. It could save yours.”
‘Joseph’s Big Ride’ in 3 languages at Broken Ground School
At Broken Ground School, “Joseph’s Big Ride” got a magnificent launch with families from around the world. Terry shared the story with colleagues from Bhutan and Rwanda, reading it in three languages: English, Nepali, and Kinyarwanda. With ice cream sundaes, a painted Joseph and Whoosh, and a gym full of families, a story written in English became something much bigger.