Students publish their own book
Not many high school students can say their work has been published. Seniors in Dr. Tracey Lewis’ creative writing class can.
This spring, students wrote, designed, and published their own book of poetry and prose, "Lost in Sonder," through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing. The project gave students a real-world writing experience, with room to make creative choices and see their work become something they could hold in their hands.
Dr. Lewis, an Air Force veteran and Rise Academy’s history and creative writing teacher, created the project with the support of Moira Sallade, principal, who gave her the flexibility to try something new in the classroom.
"I didn’t know how the project was going to go because I had never done it before," Dr. Lewis said. "At first, some of my students weren’t interested. But we began in the second half of the semester, and they truly got to make choices on everything from the size of the book, to the font, to the cover. Before they began writing, there was so much class discussion as they came to consensus, which I love."
For some students, the hardest part was figuring out what to write. Dr. Lewis gave prompts to students who needed help getting started. Others had ideas but needed encouragement to put their thoughts on paper.
"The beautiful thing about art is that nobody can tell you what’s right or what’s wrong," Dr. Lewis said. "I told my students, ‘It’s your truth. It’s your ethos. You’re the authority on your life.’ And I’m a full believer that a person’s creative work is their gift and how they feel. It’s not for me to censor things, even if I may not personally embrace all of what they said."
Students met with Dr. Lewis each week to review their writing. Because Dr. Lewis was able to learn every student’s unique voice, she was able to catch and minimize any use of AI. Students also read one another’s work and gave feedback. Along the way, the class made decisions about the book’s design, author bios, and dedications.
Once the writing and edits were finished, Dr. Lewis published the book and ordered copies for the class. Students ended the project with a reading in front of the student body. Each senior received a copy of the book, signed by their classmates.
"I told them, ‘Congratulations, you’re immortal,’ because the arts are the only way to achieve immortality here on Earth," Dr. Lewis said. "Students have made their marks, and they’ll be able to go back and see who they were when we made the book."
The book’s dedication captures the spirit of the project:
"Finally, this book would not be possible without the creative energy and collaboration of the entire class. We persevered in our hard work and dedication throughout this project. The valuable feedback we gave each other helped shape our stories, and we truly molded this book together, weaving in bits from our unseen minds."
This is Dr. Lewis’ first year teaching at Rise Academy, though she has more than 27 years of teaching experience. She said she was drawn to Rise because it reminded her of where she grew up in South Central Los Angeles.
"I think a lot of students here get stereotyped, but I know what it’s like to be from somewhere with a stigma to it," Dr. Lewis said. "So when I’m talking about my students, I’m talking about how intelligent they are. You just have to show them something, and they take it and they run with it."
For Dr. Lewis, the project is one example of what can happen when students are trusted with meaningful work.
"God put me here for a purpose, and I see so much potential—so much potential of what can be," she said. "I’ve already seen so much progress since I’ve been here.”
At Rise Academy, students are given opportunities to think deeply, speak honestly, and try work that stretches them. For this group of seniors, that work now lives on the page.
