Creative writing class visits Rhinebeck for collaborative project

PINE PLAINS — Stissing Mountain High School’s creative writing class took to the streets of Rhinebeck, Friday, Jan. 16, for what teacher Sara Tavaniere described as a “place-based” writing project.The trip was coordinated with Katelin Grande’s writing workshop class at Rhinebeck High School.Students from both courses met at Rhinebeck Village Hall at 8 a.m. and split into groups of four — two writers from each school per group — and embarked with a map and a prompt sheet into the town.Groups then wandered into shops along East Market Street and Route 9, including Samuel’s, Oblong Books & Music, Beekman Arms, Allure and Hammertown Barn, to observe everyday life through the lens of their main prompt — “fall in love three times a day.”Inspired by what they saw, students transferred their observations into writing for inter-district peer reviewing at Rhinebeck High School that afternoon.“[The project] really gave a new perspective because I always hear the people in our class’ writing, and I’ve taken their input from their ideas, but hearing the way other people write in ther schools really impacted how I think about my writing and made me want to change some things,” said Stissing Mountain sophomore Mari Thompson.Mari’s classmate, senior Katherine Gale, too commented on the project’s influence on perspective, through the prompts of the day.“It gives a new perspective on things because you’re not just going to town like it’s a regular day, you’re looking at things more intricately and observing things in new ways,” she said.Sophomore Sabrina Roberts added that as a sensory learner, the project offered an opportunity to get out and write about what was in front of her.“There were a lot of different things to absorb at the same time, like light and the way light was hitting different fixtures, and people’s voices and smells. So it offered a lot to write about,” she said.Students will maintain their peer reviews from the project for future collaborations, Tavaniere said.The Pine Plains teacher also hopes to host Rhinebeck locally as well for a continuation of the project and to further build cooperation between the districts.“It’s just great for them to be able to get out and be creative,” Tavaniere said.