Burlington City Arts/The Write Place

Burlington, Vermont

Mission

The Write Place, a program of Burlington City Arts from 2002 through 2006, served the greater Burlington community by advancing literacy, by promoting creativity, and by extending and strengthening community through writing. 

 New Americans, New Voices

Giving voice to Burlington’s new American citizens through writing workshops and a publication that have fostered literacy, helped build community, and brought refugee and immigrant stories to light.

Community Context

Most of the recent refugees in Burlington have been from African nations, especially Somalia and Sudan. The newcomers who participated in New Americans, New Voices were reflective of the refugee population in Burlington over many years, and so included people from Vietnam and Bosnia, among others, in addition to Africans from the Congo and Rwanda. Turks and Bhirundians are now beginning to settle in Burlington.

New Americans, New Voices

Coming up with a really good program idea is probably not as difficult as finding people whose involvement in that program will ensure its success. When I began recruiting refugees and immigrants to participate in the New Americans, New Voices project, I worried that I wouldn’t find enough new Americans willing to take on an additional commitment. I was equally worried that I might not find enough volunteers who would pledge to be writing partners to these people for twenty weeks. The project had been structured to last long enough to allow significant bonds to form between writing partners and among all group members.

To my surprise, finding people interested in joiningboth groups was not hard. In fact, I was approached by an abundance of volunteers who wished to lend their support. A number of them were already part of The Write Place community—had taken classes, taught classes, or participated in other programs offered through The Write Place. And though I did screen all volunteer applicants, interview them, check their references, and meet all refugees and immigrants who joined the project through Vermont Adult Learning English classes, I couldn’t be sure how these people would work out and how they’d combine with each other.

Some of the writing partners were themselves writers. Others were teachers, professionals in various fields, mothers, grandmothers, retirees, and even a shaman-in-training. All of them shared an obvious and earnest desire to help a refugee or immigrant write her or his story—an endeavor that consisted of one part storytelling, one part writing mechanics, and one part hurting and healing. The “writers,” as we referred to the eight refugees and four immigrants, were originally from Sudan, Rwanda, Congo, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Korea, Albania, and Bosnia. Some had spent years in refugee camps, some had walked miles before finally stopping, some had accompanied spouses who were pursuing new opportunities in the United States. During my initial interviews with these new Americans, I was so saddened to hear about the hardships inflicted on so many of them. While some didn’t reveal many particulars, others referred to excruciating ordeals or ongoing deprivation and uncertainty. I realized then that it is very different to appreciate in theory the suffering experienced by people contending with war, displacement, hunger, and exile than to actually hear individual stories filled in with detail and feeling.

Though all of the refugee and immigrant writers who joined the New Americans, New Voices project stated that they wished to improve their written English, I believe that the stronger motivation for joining was the chance to tell their stories, start to finish—to get it all said, to preserve it for family, and to conclude it with an awareness of their own survival.

Throughout the project, the pairs met every other week, and the entire group met during the in-between weeks. Each of our group meetings featured a theme likely to be included in some of the stories, for instance home, the journey, how am I doing. Through a combination of writing activities and discussion, group members practiced expressing difficult, often abstract thoughts and continued to get to know each other and discover similarities in their experiences. Though it sounds like a line from a million songs, I can honestly say that we laughed and cried during our meetings.

Each pair worked differently together. Some writers wrote their stories in installments and then went over them with their partners. One writer wrote his story in his first language and translated it into English with his partner’s help. Other pairs composed together. Some dictated. One pair adopted an interesting process described to me as “poetic transcription.” These many different approaches are reflected in the final written works. While all of the writers felt that they did receive instruction in written English, not all of the writing produced conformed to conventions of standard English. Some of the writing partners were reluctant to compromise what they thought of as the storytelling voice of their writers. And the language skills of the writers varied quite a bit. Therefore, in my editing, I left many things be, wanting to preserve the authenticity of the stories.

The writing partners dedicated themselves to the completion of their writers’ stories. They fulfilled their commitments to work with their writers throughout the twenty-week project and beyond, if necessary. Meeting regularly was sometimes a challenge, I know, and yet all of the partners managed to communicate supportiveness to their writers even if they had to miss a meeting or two.

It was especially helpful to have one devoted volunteer, Mary Fillmore, who was involved in many aspects of the project—planning, fundraising, implementation, and evaluation. Whenever I needed to discuss or resolve a particular issue, Mary was the person who helped me make decisions and who offered useful suggestions. New Americans, New Voices would not have been as successful as it was without Mary’s input and presence.

I truly feel enriched by my work on New Americans, New Voices. I’m grateful to both the volunteers and to the very brave writers who have lived through so much change, and some through miserable ordeals. I have been impressed by the intelligence and thoughtfulness of these refugees and immigrants. Certainly many of them have drawn their life philosophies from their experiences. Others tend to stick with philosophies they figured out earlier in life or were taught by family elders, and have come to terms with their misfortunes within the framework of these already existing beliefs. What will continue to trouble me long after this project has been formally concluded is how very, very inequitable our lots in life seem to be. One person inherits a prosperous family business, starts a family, buys a house, and lives a long and healthy life with little trauma or adversity. Another person is born into a country wracked by war and consequently gets separated from her parents, is beaten by soldiers, and finally is forced to flee her home country.

I have been both touched and inspired by these new Americans, many of whom have been mistreated and yet remain receptive to new people and experiences and show such kindness towards others. Perhaps it is exactly this generosity of spirit that has allowed them to endure.

Learn more

A book that includes the stories of all participants and photos is available. To order a copy of the publication, New Americans, New Voices , contact Susan Weiss.

Sample New Americans, New Voices by reading a story by Aline Kwizera from Rwanda, in partnership with Jeanette Ruffle.

Contact

Susan Weiss

Project Coordinator and Teacher

802.863.0157

swiswb (at) gmail.com

Photos, Mary Johnson, courtesy of Mary Johnson

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