Youth Writer-in-Residence

Hugo House Youth Writer-in-Residence

The youth writers-in-residence are one of the highlights of our residency programming. These residencies provides teens with opportunities to focus on the development of their own writingfrom publishing in Rewrite to guest teaching sessions at Scribes to assisting with Classes for Teens workshops—and to develop leadership and core competency skills. The youth writers-in-residence are responsible for facilitating youth outreach, integrating youth throughout Hugo House programs, mentoring peers and leading Stage Fright, an open-mic event attended by more than 700 youth, ages 14-24, per year.

This residency is open to high-school students in grades 10-12 with a passion for writing and a talent for mentoring their peers. The residency runs from September through August and offers a monthly stipend. In return the youth writer-in-residence curates our monthly youth open-mic event, Stage Fright, helps curate and recruit for the teen writing programs, sits on our youth advisory board and helps plan and facilitate our yearly intensive summer writing camp for teens, Scribes.

For more information about the youth writer-in-residence program, or to request an application for 09-10, email Margot Case, youth programs manager, at margotcase@hugohouse.org.

Our 2008-2009 youth writer-in-residence is Arianne Bergman.

Arianne Bergman is a senior at Lakeside School in Seattle. For the past two years, Ari has participated in Scribes at Ingraham and Summer Scribes, both run by Hugo House. "I don't believe in life without writing," she says. "I think that everyone has a voice and a story to share." She hopes to hear many of these this year.

Ari draws inspiration from Terry Pratchett, Roberto Ascalon, Jonathan Safran Foer, Ben Gibbard and science textbooks. Mostly, she writes poetry and short fiction, but she enjoys dabbling in memoir. Besides writing, she enjoys biking and making mix tapes.

While at Hugo House, Arianne hopes to increase particpation in youth classes and events, and wants to get people excited about self-expression. "I want to help kids understand that being young doesn't mean you have less to say," she says. "Writing is work, but writing is also fun."

To set up an app0intment with Ari, email aribergman@hugohouse.org .

Sinatra 2007
Inspired by Bart Howard's “Fly Me to the Moon”
by Arianne Bergman

We never let jazz
               shake our seats.
We never let
“Fly Me to the Moon”
               vibrate up our backbones.
Even though it rakes up love in vibrant trebles,
we coil it in bass strings
               and soft cymbal slaps         where we can forget it changed us.
we can forget how quietly it makes us smile
and how freely we could dance in it
if we ever learn to let go and be timeless.
After a few decades, we even forget our own ever potent attraction
for music changing our mindscapes.

My photographic memory and dancing arteries leave me here,
thinking back to when I was five,
unable to play saxophone because of my tiny, clenching lungs.
The only thing stopping me now is a stopped-up school music program

because remember, we've always been eager to forget
that jazz can wrap a heartbeat into it and bounce your blood off timpani rims and vocal chords
until even the seats chorus and you have to stand up
because sitting on a singing chair
gets awkward REALLY quickly.

So we stand, sultry solos making us smile as
jumping hearts flux into our backbeats.
These snapping, lonely fingers spread out through the notes, looking for your pulsing palms.
In other words, hold my hand.
In other words, darling,
kiss me.
Kiss me, let me feel your heartbackbeat
through my cheek and going deeply into my chops.
Bring me back to buzzing for breath
where hope gasps away between your far-flung lips.

Fly me to the fucking moon, baby
Let me count the stars reflected in your spacesuit hood
like ballroom lights reflecting on saturnalian trombone rings
like soul-snaring tempos whistling high under the melody.
Fill my heart with song
              and let me sing forever more
show me how you play and let me be
all you long for
all you worship
and a door
I'll be your boards, locks and seals
I'll toddle your tunes back into you
so let me roll drums up your legs
                and off your elbows
let me spin trumpet ribbons from your hair to tie in mine
let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars
throw down a picnic blanket and tell me with your clarinet smile
                that you'll never leave me.
in other words, please be true.
In other words,
I love you.