Proposal for Poetry Education Project Featuring Prominent Public Figures

e Hip-Hop Artist Nas e distinguished academics and poets from Harvard and elsewhere Participants and Filmed Conversations include: e President Bill Clinton, Herbie Hancock, poet Sonia Sanchez, and children from the Harlem Children’s Zone on disappointment and discrimination (filmed in Harlem and LA) Nas on traditions of American urban long-form poetry Lena Dunham on truth-telling and romantic love (filmed in Brooklyn) Woody Allen on poetry, sincerity, and morality Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan on poetry and the law Vice President Al Gore on poetry and the environment Robert Frost biographer Jay Parini with Harvard students on trauma (filmed in Vermont) Alfre Woodard on Gwendolyn Brooks and rebellion Senator John McCain on love and loyalty to comrades (filmed in Washington DC) Katie Couric on grief and self-control NBA athletes Shane Battier and Jason Collins on form and basketball B. PROJECT ACTIVITIES The activities of this proposal fall into three major categories: production, post-production, and distribution. The activities involve collaboration between academics, professional course developers, curricular designers and video producers. Poetry in America has amassed well over one hundred hours of high quality instructional video, including dozens of interpretive conversations with well-known personalities across the professions. Some additional production is expected, and a crew is now assembled to accomplish additional production in a cost effective manner. The post-production stage will involve discussion and planning with the Harvard Graduate School of Education and other educational and media partners based on this current sizeable archive of raw video footage. At the post-production stage, we will shape and edit the raw footage into curricular content for teachers, and produce classroom-ready video. The post-production team, led by an experienced course developer and producer, will also include a professional videographer/editor with experience in creating high-quality pedagogy, a media manager, and a curriculum design team comprised of an instructional designer and IT specialist. HGSE will develop graduate course materials, including classroom-usable lesson plans, based on video content. Courses offered will include uncoached, lightly coached and fully coached versions of teaching poetry in the classroom. Teachers enrolled in coached versions of the course will receive real-time classroom support by HGSE instructional staff. HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_023436