Poetics of Place

Sitting with Stones, part I

2011-02-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

Cemeteries can connect us with our community, our history, and our own mortality.

Stones tend to sit still. Might we -- for just a bit -- too?

So much of our waking lives are spent in motion: either physical movement, along the road to the next point on our journey; or eye/hand movement, clicking from one link to the next on the information highway. Whether by plane, train or automobile, or eye, hand, right click, the speed - the overall pace - is oh so quick.

We often aren’t anywhere long enough to see what’s right there, simply, actually there. And because ‘out there’ has disappeared, along with it vanishes the finding and feeling of our soft edge: the sensitive, porous boundary between interior and exterior, our life and our world.

Sitting like a stone - becoming still - we begin to feel our breath rise and fall. Suddenly the skin comes alive. We sense temperature: the cool of the ground and the direction of the sun. We find and synchronize with larger movements: the play of wind, of shade, the symphony of other beings. Our eyes, ears and heart turned on, we begin to step out of the limitations of self and into the larger experience of place.

Taking it one step further: beyond sitting like a stone, we might consider sitting WITH stones.

Stepping off to the shoulder of life into a cemetery -- that shadow land where death resides -- invites us to sink in, settle even more deeply into our experiences of self, society, history.

Fall 2010 Newsletter

2010-10-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

FALL 2010 - STEVEN GLAZER & POETICS OF PLACE NEWSLETTER

I had quite a run February through September, with workshops in nine states and two countries.

Close to home, there are interesting Quest projects tied to the 250^th anniversary of the “Upper Valley” region and also the 150^th anniversary of the American Civil War. And further afield? Here are Quest updates from a ‘bakers dozen’ special places across the globe!

1. Arizona

Check out six Quests in the Arizona Nature Quests program!http://www.naturequestaz.org/

2. Sonoma County, California

The Salmon Creek School Quest teaches about watersheds:

As you pass through grasses - perhaps up to your hips -

Look ahead to find dark green rushes with spiky tips.

The sharp points you feel with the palm of your hand

Let you know that you’ve entered a wetland!

http://www.dutchbillcreekwatershed.org/DBCWProjects.htm

3. Marin County, California

On November 14^th the new Muir Beach Quest will be officially opened as part of “Welcome Back Salmon Day.” For more information, visit: http://www.nps.gov/goga/

4. Northwest Hungary

Take an online Virtual Quest in Hungary! http://kincskereso.pisztrangkor.hu/index.php?p=list@news&aid=8

5. Mid Coast Maine

Four Quests are now up on QLF’s Mid Coast Maine Quest website. Check it out:

http://www.muscongusbay.org/questing.php

6. Maryland

Hundreds of families went kayaking, hiking, and biking in some of Maryland's most beautiful State Parks this summer as part of Park Quest. For more information visit: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/parkquest/index.asp

7. Minneapolis, Minnesota

From Twin Cities.com:

"My three children and I peered up at words chiseled into the limestone blocks of the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis…we were searching the sooty carving for a clue in a community treasure hunt called a quest. In the process, we were having a great time exploring the Minneapolis riverfront and learning about milling and railroad history." Find the full story at:

http://www.twincities.com/ci_15903347?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com&nclick_check=1

8. Westchester County, New York

There are now three Quests available on properties conserved by the Westchester Land Trust. Here’s one - the Westchester Wilderness Walk:

http://www.westchesterlandtrust.org/come-quest-us

9. Nordic Quests

Winter is coming soon. You'll want to strap on skis to check out Ski Vermont's Nordic Quests: http://www.skivermont.com/find_your_zone/nordic_quest/

10. Ohio & Erie Canal Quests

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, along with Cleveland Metroparks, Stark Parks, Cascade Locks Park Association, Metro Parks Serving Summit County, and the Ohio & Erie Canalway Association, are pleased to introduce a new interactive recreational activity to Northeast Ohio.

http://www.nps.gov/cuva/planyourvisit/questing.htm

11. Oregon Coast Quests

The OCQ program was profiled by the family learning forum as an effective educational tool: “Questing can really help increase and renew a sense of community pride, especially for long term residents. Quests also promote the idea of free-choice learning, learning that is led by the participant’s needs and interests, which is a great component of family learning.

http://www.familylearningforum.org/programming/successstories/2010/09/oregon-coast-quests/

12. Poland

A regional Quest program is emerging in and around Baltow, Poland. Read Polish? Check out:

http://www.baltow.info/

13. Upper Valley Region, Vermont and New Hampshire

Have you visited the "mother of all Quest programs" lately? Valley Quest's beautiful new website features a searchable directory of on-line quests. Visit...

http://www.vitalcommunities.org/valleyquest/valleyquest.htm

2010-05-05T06:01:00.000-07:00

Poetics of Place Newsletter - Spring 2010

Questing continues to spread across the country and around the world! Steve Glazer & Poetics of Place will offer eight programs during the Spring/Summer 2010 season. Below, learn how Quest programs are helping children, families, organizations and communities in more than a dozen geographic regions. You'll also find links to other wonderful place-based programs.

Looking ahead, 2011-2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. In partnership with The Flow of History and support from a U.S. Teaching American History grant, we've developed an exciting place-based social studies curriculum: The Civil War Quest. Contact me about bringing a Civil War Quest training to your community.

Best wishes & happy trails!

Steve

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Two Day Early Settlement Quest Workshop
Upper Valley 250
Windsor, VT
5/7-8

Two Day Natural Communities Quest Workshop
Concord, MA
5/21-22

Project Preservation
Dartmouth College
Krakow, Poland
6/14-24

Three Day Agricultural Quest Workshop
Baltow, Poland
6/25-27

Two Day Quest Workshop
Vojvodina, Serbia
6/29-30

Four Day Civil War Quest
Antioch New England Institute
Keene, NH
7/6-9

Wellborn Ecology Fund Retreat
Whole Communities
Fayston, VT
7/24-3010/27-28

Whole Thinking Retreat
Whole Communities
Fayston, VT
8/20-26

REGIONAL QUEST PROGRAM UPDATES

1. Arizona

After receiving training from Steve Glazer and Poetics of Place, Be Outdoors Arizona, the Arizona Alliance for Environmental Education, and Arizona Audubon are collaborating on a state wide Nature Quest program.

Three workshops have been held this year, with more than 50 participating teachers. The most recent workshop was held at Willow Bend Environmental Education Center on April 17th. A half dozen Quests are underway, with three posted on the new Arizona Nature Quest website:http://www.beoutdoorsarizona.org/

For more about Arizona Nature Quests contact:
Cathy Wise, Education Director, Audubon Arizona,Cwise@audubon.org
Lisa Herrmann, Education Coordinator, AAEE,lherrmann@cox.net

2. California

This spring, Steve continued to mentor partners on California's north coast. Alison Poklemba of the Coastal Region Environmental Education Community (CREEC) reports that there are now more than a bakers dozen Quests in No Cal! Read about questing in the news.

If you’d like to test the brand new SCS Water Quest in Occidental - developed during a 2-day workshop with Steve - contact David Berman at Westminster Woods:david5@sonic.net

You can check out the new Kokte Quest at the Jacoby Creek Land Trust by visitingwww.jclandtrust.org or emailing jclandtrusst@yahoo.com

If you’d like to help test the Muir Beach Quest, developed in a program that had Steve working with children, families, volunteers and staff, contact Lucy_Scott@nps.gov

3. Kentucky

Thanks to the Greensburg, Kentucky Arts Council, there are now Quests in Greensburg, KY! Millie Pickett writes “This Quest is presented in honor of my 8th generation Grandfathers John Brents and Thomas Marshall, early settlers of Green County in 1793. “ The Quest explores 19th century historic sites including the Greensburg Courthouse (1802-4), the Hobson House (c. 1820), the Siloam Meeting House, Elijah Creel’s home (c.1820), and Allen’s Inn (c. 1810), among many others.

4. Maine

Quebec Labrador Foundation (QLF) continues to develop the Midcoast Maine Questprogram. In early Spring, Steve traveled to Maine for two days to help sixteen participating teachers plan their units. Read about sixth graders making a Quest on the Medomak River here.

Jen Atkinson of QLF writes: "We’ve applied to Americorps for an 11-month position supporting our school-based Questing Program and helping launch our community-focused recreational Questing program. If our application is successful, we will start recruiting in June for a position that begins in August and based in Waldoboro, ME. It's a one-year stint with an option for a 2nd year. " Since it’s funded through Americorps the compensation is "Peace Corp-esque". If you (or someone you know) is interested in the position, email Jen: jatkinson@qlf.org

5. Massachusetts

South Shore Quests - the 2nd U.S. community to adopt Questing - celebrated the opening of their 10th season on April 15th. The 2010 Quest season runs through November 15th. There are seven new quests this year, and the new South Shore Quests book is available for $6.00 at:
Fuzion Sports Club, 288 Wood Road, Braintree, 781-849-0444
Holly Hill Farm, 230 Jerusalem Road, Cohasset, 781-383-1455
Hingham Public Library, 66 Leavitt Street, Hingham, 781-741-1405
South Shore Audubon Society, 2000 Main Street , Marshfield, 781-837-9400
For more information: admin@southshorequests.org

Mass Audubon Quests help families, youth groups, and friends explore and learn the special stories of Mass Audubon sanctuaries. After a workshop with Steve in 2008, there are now Quests at more than a dozen sanctuaries. Find Quests at participating Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries. Approximate completion time for each Quest is 1 hour or less.

Individual quests are available for download, at Quest sanctuaries, or through the Mass Audubon Education Department. The Mass Audubon Quest Pack, a collection of all the Quests, is available from the Mass Audubon Education Department.

The Trustees of Reservations, with Steve's guidance and support, have developed a Quest-based summer camp at the magical, seaside Crane Estate in Ipswich, MA.Summer Quest is an adventure for children entering grades 3-8. Through hands-on discovery, crafts, and games, children learn more about what makes their local environment such a special place. Working together, children become the guides for friends and family as they create their own adventure - or Quest - to share at the end of the week. Each day also includes swimming and kayak time at Crane beach!

Camp sessions run Monday through Friday, 9 AM – 4 PM, from July 5 through Aug 23. SummerQuest is a day camp of The Trustees of Reservations, and is open to children of all backgrounds; 30% of enrollment is reserved for children needing financial assistance. For more information click here.

6. New Hamphire

Keene Quests - the 3rd oldest Quest program - and lead partner Horatio Colony Museum hosted their annual season-opening Keene Quest Fest on May 1st. This free program began at 12:00 at the Horatio Colony House Museum, 199 Main Street, Keene, NH. For More Information about Questing in Keene, email Anita:colonymuseum@webryders.com

7. Ohio

In March, Steve traveled to Ohio to help launch a brand new Quest program along theOhio & Erie Canalway! Learn more about Questing in Ohio by contactingArrye_Rosser@nps.gov

8. Oregon

In Fall 2009, Steve and Cait Goodwin, the Coordinator of the Oregon Coast Questprogram, co-presented workshops at the NAAEE Conference and the 2009 Land Trust Alliance Rally. Cait just sent in this program update: “The Quest workshop we held last Saturday in Coos Bay went GREAT! The 11 participants made plans to get together to start making their first Quest together as a group. So far we’ve got 8 participants signed up for the upcoming May 12th workshop at OSU.” To learn more visit Questing in Oregon or contact cait.goodwin@oregonstate.edu.

9. Vermont

Valley Quest celebrated the opening of the 15th Upper Valley Questing season on May 1st and 2nd with two “season opener” events. Greeting the spring at The Fells in Newbury, NH, a beautiful retreat that reminded John Hay of his ancestral homeland in Scotland; and the 11th Annual Herrick’s Cove Wildlife Festival on Sunday, May 2nd. For more information about the wonderful world of Valley Quest, contactLaura@vitalcommunities.org or find a quest here.

Vermont Institute of Natural Science has also added Questing into their pre K to 6th grade summer programs! If you enjoy questing, VINS’ Natural History Mysteries campwas made for you! Through daily themes and quests, campers will become nature detectives and solve a “natural history mystery” everyday. By the end of the week campers will earn a certification as a VINS Nature Investigator! For more information visit, www.vinsweb.org.

Orleans County Quests - a collaboration among Steve, the Old Stone House Museum, the Orleans County Historical Society, and 16 elementary school classrooms - lead to thehidden treasures of Northern Vermont.

While snow was still on the ground, Nordic Quests - a program of the Vermont Ski Area Association - brought children and their parents to Nordic resorts across the state. This annual, state-wide program grew out of two workshops Steve held for participating VSAA members in northern and southern Vermont.

***
Special thanks to Fred Bay and the Bay & Paul Foundations, for their steadfast belief in the Quest program model and support of the national dissemination of the Quest program model.

***

DEEPEN YOUR SENSE OF PLACE IN THE UPPER VALLEY!

WINTER CENTER for INDIGENOUS TRADITIONS
P.O. Box 328 · Hanover, New Hampshire 03755 wcit@valley.net

Wednesday - Friday, May 5 - 7
“Traditions of the Ash Tree”
with Jesse Larocque, Jeanne Brink, Jesse Bruchac, Michael Hanitchak, & John Moody
Morning & Afternoon workshops on basket making, ash log pounding, splint making, Abenaki and Native history, culture, traditions, and language.
Dartmouth College Organic Farm & Campus, Hanover, NH

Saturday -Sunday, May 8 - 9
The Dartmouth College Powwow
Jeanne Brink, Jesse Larocque, and guests will be pounding ash, shaping splints, and making baskets; Jesse Bruchac and family will have a table of Native American storytelling, literature, language, and history books and CDs as well.
Dartmouth College Campus, Hanover, NH

Monday, May 17, 7 - 9 PM
“Abenaki and Sokwaki History in the Mascoma River Valley”
A talk by Donna Roberts Moody & John Moody Talk
Lebanon Public Library, Lebanon, New Hampshire

Saturday, June 5, 9 AM – 5 PM
Black ash basket making
With Jesse Larocque
AVA Galley and Art Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire
www.avagallery.org

Saturday, July 31, 9 AM – 5 PM
Black ash basket making
Jesse Larocque
AVA Galley and Art Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
www.avagallery.org

Friends of the Arava Institute are pleased to announce...
THE TRANS-BOUNDARY ECO-TOUR
Visit key environmental sites and learn from environmental leaders in Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian West Bank. Runs from December 26 - 31, 2010.
$1745 pp/do. For more info, call 866-312-7282 or email david@friendsofarava.org

Save the Redwoods League
invites K–12 teachers, environmental educators and interpretive naturalists to apply for grants to teach broad audiences about redwoods. Applications are due June 30. Learn more.

CommunityMatters’10®
October 5 - 8, in Denver, CO. CommunityMatters ’10 is a unique innovation-action experience—a coalition of leaders, thinkers and doers committed to building strong, vibrant communities from the ground up.

Copyright (C) 2010 Poetics of Place PO Box 357 Thetford Center, VT 05075 All rights reserved.

Steve Glazer
Poetics of Place
steve@poeticsofplace.com

Poetics of Place Newsletter Winter 2010

2010-02-03T07:18:00.000-08:00

During the fall, Poetics of Place offered programs in six states. There
were conferences:

ANCA - the Association for Nature Center Administrators
CINC - the NH Children in Nature Coalition
LTA - the Land Trust Alliance Rally
NAAEE - North American Association for Environmental Education
NHSTA - the NH Science Teachers Association

As well as wonderful workshops & regional partnerships:

In Arizona - with Arizona Alliance for Environmental Education, Be Outdoors Arizona, Audubon Arizona, the Environmental Education Exchange, Pima County Parks & Recreation, Saguaro National Park and Together Green.
In Pennsylvania - working the Heritage Conservancy, the Skippack Historical Society, and community volunteers as part of a Route 113 corridor project (with support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation).
In Oregon - presenting in tandem with Cait Goodwin, coordinator of the Oregon Coast Quests program.

Upcoming Events:

Stories: Connecting
People & Places_
Georgia River Network
Jeckyll Island, GA
2/19

Two Day Community Questing Workshop
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Brecksville, OH
3/3-4

Two Day Questing Workshop for teachers
Cuyohoga Valley National Park
Brecksville, OH
3/5-6

Settlement Quest Workshop
Hartford, VT
5/7 - 8

Project Preservation
Dartmouth College
Krakow, Poland
6/14-24

Ag-tourism Quest Workshop
Baltow, Poland
6/25-27

Four Day Civil War Quest
Antioch New England Institute
Keene, NH
7/6-9

Wellborn Ecology Fund Retreat
Whole Communities
7/24-3010/27-28

Whole Thinking Retreat
Whole Communities
Fayston, VT
8/20-26

Field Notes

Heres a taste of a few of the Quests we created:

In Pennsylvania, the _Indenhofen Farmstead Quest_ moves chronologically,
telling the story of the brothers and their historic homestead:

c. 1710 - 1725
This multi-purpose structure, built of Locatong stone,
Served as much more than a single family home:
the brothers, their wives, and der kinder inhabited this space;
and for the German Reformed Church this was a house of grace.

In 1714 - after the road from Wide Marsh was laid
this home became a public house where travelers stayed.
Ich habe hunger and Ich habe durst
Folks stopped by to quench their hunger and thirst.

Peer in the window that is on your right.
The Indenhofens kitchen will be in sight.

In Arizona, Quest for the Whispering Rocks shares some of the geology of
the Sonoran Desert: moving up a wash, listening to (and letting) the stones
talk:

Look at your compass. East up the arroyo you go. Before a bend, on your
right, red rock will show. Step up close to the rock and you will spot a
bunch of little, white polka dots!

Red rock whispers:
I have seen so many changes here
over many, many million of years.
Way back when, I was mud on the shore of a lake.
Aquatic creatures dug into me, homes theyd make.
As the lake dried up, the iron in me rusted red.
I hardened to RED rock; creature trails turned WHITE instead.

In New Hampshire, Upper Valley Jewish Community teens created a Dartmouth
College Quest as a service project. The Quest visits a famous Doctors
reading room. The text is written (we hope!) in a style quite fitting:

At the far side,
take the stairs down.
The Doctors Room
will soon be found.

His room is there.
Its lovely and quiet.
Youll want to explore it
But 1st you must find it!
The Doctors first name?
__ __ __ __ (__)__ __

Letters

"I take kids out all of the time and am very intimate and emotionally
attached with nature. But what you did really slapped me in the face. It
flipped a whole bunch of switches I never would have considered. I am
extremely excited by this approach!"-from Arizona

"Questing...what an amazing project! Talk about all of the places we've
passed each and every day of our lives, cruising on by, so unaware of the
many treasures these sites have to share with us, impart to us. Maybe its a
park; or perhaps an old home or farm. Yes, these places in our lives are a
part of who we are, and as we stop to learn and listen, we create a powerful
sense of place, one that forever links us to that place and to each other."

With a heart as wide as the world, a spirit that is infectious with zeal,
zest and a passion for helping to foster this sense of place and a knowledge
base to help design the most amazing Quest ever, Steve is truly an
impeccable facilitator, teacher, leader and person. When you work with him,
you walk away with all the tools needed to make an awesome adventure come
alive. You even learn new aspects of the story you tell - no matter how long
you may have worked at or explored the very site you seek to design a Quest
for." -from Kentucky

"What I loved the best about the process is how you can sit down with total
strangers, start to swap stories, and discover that you once crossed each
other on the streetor share some deep belief. All it takes is talking and
asking questions. This is such a simple but profound process."
- from Pennsylvania

Links

Wildlife Action Grants Available_
This New Hampshire Fish and Game Department program provides mini-grants of
$300-$600. The deadline for proposals is February 1, 2010. For a proposal
packet, write to Marilyn Wyzga, marilyn.wyzga@wildlife.nh.gov; or (603)
271-3211.

Heart & Soul Photo Contest
If you could capture the authenticity, character and spirit of your town in
a photograph, what would it look like? Check out the Orton Family
Foundations first Heart & Soul Photo Contest! Find out more about how
to enter and upload your images to the Community Heart & Soul Photo Contest
Group on Flickr. http://www.orton.org/page/heart_and_soul_photo_contest

Community Matters 10
Conference in Denver, Colorado, October 5th through 7th, 2010. More
information.http://www.communitymatters.org

National Wildlife Federation
Has officially launched its new Eco-Schools USA Program this month and are
asking for your help in spreading the word.
http://www.nwf.org/ecoschools/index.cfm

Decomposition @ MBRNHP

2009-07-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

My first Youtube video, made at Marsh Billings Rockefeller NHP today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwQpiNXf-HE

Sosnitsa, Ukraine

2009-07-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

Sosnitsa is a few hours north and then east from Kyiv. It is part of the same district, Chernigiv, that includes Nova Basan and Kozelets--two ancestral villages--but it is a good deal further northeast.

Sosnitsa is a big town / very small city. At one point the Jewish population of Sosnitsa was quite large; but by 1939 that number was reduced to 370 Jews. Today, there are 6 Jews in Sosnitsa. Most if not all of those 370 people are in mass graves (ravines) at the outskirts of town. We visited two of the mass grave sites, just beyond the town's potato fields and adjacent to a large apple orchard.

One of the remaining six Jews in Sosnitsa is Yakov Zaleevsky. While Yakov's father was off fighting with the resistance, his wife and children were murdered with the rest of Sosnitsa's Jewish population. After the war, Yakov's father returned. He later re-married, and Jakov was born.

Yakov is a wonderful man; and tremendous force of good. Working with his family, he built a memorial to mark the mass grave site. There is a small wooden enclosure surrounding a clearing in the forest; and within the clearing are five stone circles, each filled with human remains and covered with earth.

Near the gate, Jakov pointed out strawberries. Nature and time heal, recycle the elements...and yet still the ground is soaked with blood and the red color returns.

During the Nazi era the town's Jewish Cemetery was vandalized - stones broken, mausoleums opened, obelisks overturned. And in the Soviet era, tending to religious sites was hardly a priority. Because the surviving community is so small - 6 - and mostly elderly people, the large cemetery has reverted to forest.

When we began working, on Sunday, about 20 post-1960 stones were visible in an area covering about 10 x 30 meters.

Over three days, with Yakov on scythe, neighbors on chain saws and weed whackers, Dartmouth students in gloves, and on rakes, clippers, shovels, axes, and crowbars, the cover of locust trees, stinging nettles, maple and box elder saplings, was trimmed back...and dozens of stones, tombs, and grave sites dating back to the mid 19th century were revealed.

We organized: there were choppers at the forests edge; haulers removing the brush from the cemetery; throwers tossing the thorny matter up into a truck, where stompers flattened the load. Truck load after truck load was hauled away.

Once the boundaries were cleared, Dartmouth students hauled fence panels while local craftsmen began to pour concrete supports and weld the panels together.

Within the boundaries, the Rabbi and Michelle (a Dartmouth student who speaks Russian) translated the headstones (from Hebrew and Ukrainian respectively); Michelle also photographed the stones; and Mark, another student, mapped their locations.

The rest of the group continued cutting, clearing, cleaning stones, righting them, and cementing broken pieces together.

By yesterday morning the fence was up. The front, back, and sides - the entire cemetery - was clearly visible; and clearly a cemetery.

That open space was something like 100 x 75 meters. Students were tired, hands and shins covered with sores from the thorns. Arms itchy from stinging nettles and bug bites. Necks and faces red from the sun. And all dehydrated from the sun, work & 100 degree temps.

At 11:00 the cemetery was re-dedicated in a ceremony led by Rabbi Boraz with full participation of the group.

We had a mid day feast with borscht, boiled potatoes, cabbage slaw, garlic rolls, and strawberry blintzes for desert...and then had the long drive back to Kyiv, and then flight to Krakow.

Nova Basan and Kozelets, Ukraine

2009-07-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, June 18th, Sasha (a taxi driver) and I traveled to Nova Basan and Kozelets, Ukraine.

NOVA BASAN

My grandmother's father Dave and his brother Charlie; their mother Hasse (Arluck);
her parents (Nussin Arluck and Esther Farber); and Esther's parents Ezra Farber and Chaya Sura Berkowitz all lived in Nova Basan. So it was (sort of) our ancestral home for at least four generations - between c. 1800 and the early 1900s.

It's kind of like Thetford, Vermont only much poorer and also much flatter.

You pass from forests (mixed hard & soft woods), to fields (corn, potatoes, hay),
and then into a small, not-well-tended village.

In the center of town there is a common...just like Thetford Center. Behind it is a church, just like Thetford Center: only this one is an Russian Orthodox Church.

Surrounding the square are very old & small houses, made of wood, brick & cobb. There is a small market / bazaar, which was not active.

In terms of climate, lot of the trees are the same: oak, maple, birch, pine, apple, cherry.

We nosed around for a couple of hours, but could find no one who remembered any of our family names, or knew of the former synagogue location, or of a Jewish Cemetery. We did explore a few Christian cemeteries at the north edge of the town.

KOZELETS

Then we drove to Kozelets. Kozelets is where Solomon Rozhowsky lived, and his son Pinye was born. Pinye Rozhowsky married Hasse Arluck - and they gave birth to Grandpa Dave and Grandpa Charlie. Dave later married (once in the US) Kate Gekowsky and gave birth to both my GG (Grandma Gladys) and Aunt Rozzie.

In the center of Kozelets is a huge, lovely Russian Orthodox Church. Visiting the church, we met a woman who steered us to the town clerk's office. At the town office, they tried to help us look for records of Rozhowsky's...but no such luck. (The family history says that Solomon ran an estate for a wealthy man, and that Pinye was a surveyor. Other Rozhovsky's dealt in cattle,
and one was a shoemaker.)

The town officials were, however, able to point us towards the Jewish Cemetery, and with
a few wrong turns, corrections, and turnarounds we found it at the edge of town & also a highway. There, behind a field of potatoes, amidst what looked like an overgrown dump were toppled headstones among the weeds, saplings, and in some case very large trees. I was able to find more than a dozen of them, and took photos of the several inscriptions that are still legible.

Once back in Kyiv, out looking for a restaurant, I came upon one of the three synagogues still functioning in Kyiv. I went in and said Kaddish in memory of those past and lost; and made prayers for a brighter future: one without genocide, without forgetting, and also with care for both the living & the dead.

Poetics of Place - June Newsletter

2009-06-05T08:33:00.000-07:00

Questing News

1. Mass Audubon Launches Quest Program
The April - July issue of Connections: A newsletter of Mass Audubon, highlights this new program in “It’s All About the Quest,” written by Suzan Bellincampi. Learn more about Mass Audubon Quests by visiting: www.massaudubon.org/quests

2. Heritage Quest Program planned for Pennsylvania
The Heritage Conservancy of Doylestown, PA received funds from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to develop a “Heritage Quest” program along Pennsylvania’s Rt. 113 corridor. Spanning 30 miles between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, this region is an important transportation and cultural corridor for the Germanic farming communities surrounding Philadelphia.

3. Canalway Quests on the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway
Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CUVA) and its Ohio and Erie National  Heritage Canalway (OHER) partners proposed a $20,000 Quest project to the National Park Service's "Parks as Classrooms" program. Their proposal - ranked #1 in the NPS's Midwest Region – will launch a  quest program in Northeast Ohio. Steve will  facilitate a planning meeting with Canalway partners; and run trainings for staff and volunteers. Working in pairs, participants will create 20 quests: 15 in CUVA and 5 in metroparks linked to CUVA by the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.

4. Questing in Maine!
Individuals teachers, community groups, and families have been slowly bringing Questing to Maine over ten years, but now a NOAA-funded program though the Quebec-Labrador Foundation will offer a Summer Institute for regional educators. Fee is waived for 4th-8th grade teachers in the Muscongus Bay school districts. For more information contact Anne Stires: (207) 563-7456

5. Summer Workshops
I serve on the faculty of the Center for Whole Communities; and CWC has some wonderful public programs scheduled for Summer 2009:

Whole Thinking Workshop, July 7-9
With Peter Forbes and Stephanie Kaza
An intensive workshop to help diverse leaders create new coalitions and approaches to address broad environmental and social change.

Whole Funding Workshop, July 28-31
Peter Forbes and Kaylynn Sullivan TwoTrees
In difficult economic times, philanthropists are having to examine more than ever their focus and approach in order to carry out their mission. Come to explore what “transformational grantmaking” – seeing and addressing the whole – could look like today.

Finding the Story Workshop, August 12-14
Anushka Fernandopulle and Peter Forbes
This workshop will help us support one another to find our voice, to use shared language and to harness the power of story, not only in our lives but also in our leadership.

These programs will be held at Knoll Farm, in Vermont’s Mad River Valley. For more information on curriculum, faculty, accommodations and fees, or to register, visit www.wholecommunities.org .

6. Questing at the 2009 LTA Rally in Portland, Oregon
Come learn more about Questing in Oregon!
Workshop Title: Connecting People and Places with Questing
Session Day, Date & Time: Wednesday, October 14, 10:30am – Noon
For more information: www.lta.org

7. Outdoor Classroom Funding
The Nature of Learning Grant Program supports “Outdoor Classroom Programs:” Learn more about applying at:
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/rfp_item.jhtml?id=250300012
Grants of up to $10,000 will be awarded to schools, nonprofits, and local groups partnering with a National Wildlife Refuge to provide community-based environmental education.
Deadline: June 15, 2009

8. This Place Matters
This Place Matters is a campaign of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, sponsored by Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, and is an online program to showcase the diverse places that matter to all of us. People from across the country are honoring their favorite places and making a call to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to all of us.
http://www.preservationnation.org/take-action/this-place-matters/

9. Upcoming Events Calendar

Questing Workshops in Poland
@ Polish Environmental Partnership Foundation
Krakow, Poland
6/28 - 7/3

Half Day “Introduction to Questing”
@ Forest for Every Classroom
Woodstock, VT
7/14

One Day Questing Workshop
@ Tolowa Dunes State Park
Crescent City, CA
8/8

Two Day Questing Workshop
@ Heritage Conservancy
Doylestown, PA
9/24- 25

“Introduction to Questing”
@ Land Trust Rally
Portland, OR
10/14

With best regards from Thetford Center, VT!
 Steve

Steve Glazer
POETICS OF PLACE
Connecting People & Places
www.poeticsofplace.com
steve@poeticsofplace.com

Poetics of Place, March 2009 Newsletter

2009-03-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

POETICS OF PLACE NEWSLETTER, March 2009

Field Notes
In February, Steve traveled to Jamestown, Kentucky, to run a Quest workshop for Amanda Patrick and Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery. The 2-day training was co-sponsored by: KEEC (the Kentucky Enviromental Education Council), Southern & Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association, the Kentucky Dept. of Agriclulture, Lindsey Wilson College, Kentucky Division of State Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery, and Friends of Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery, Inc.

Over the course of the two days, 20 participants went through all of the lessons/stages in creating a Quest as we worked together to create a Quest for Wolf Creek NFH. The “Catch a Rainbow Quest” will serve as a self-guided interpretation tool for visitng families and school groups. Learn more by checking out the Poetics of Place BLOG: http://poeticsofplace.blogspot.com/ You can see a few pictures of Wolf Creek by visiting me on www.facebook.com

NORDIC QUESTS
There’s still a few feet of snow on the ground in Vermont—and lots of great Nordic Quests for you to enjoy!

Four years ago, I ran two trainings (north and south) to help the Vermont Ski Area Association (VSAA) develop a state-wide, cross country Quest program for Vermont. VSAA’s NORDIC QUEST program is now in its third year, with 16 participating cross country centers. To learn more about NORDIC QUESTS visit: http://www.poeticsofplace.org/quests_programs.htm

MASS AUDUBON QUESTS
A year ago, I ran a Quest workshop for educators and interpretation staff of MASS AUDUBON –
and now they have a Quest program! Click on http://www.poeticsofplace.org/quests_programs.htm to find Quests at: The Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield; Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Worcester;
North River and Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuaries in Marshfield; Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary in Barnstable; Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary in Edgartown; Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln; and Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary in Easthampton.

MARCH EVENTS

FRIDAY, MARCH 13, TUCSON, ARIZONA
On Friday morning, March 13th, Steve Glazer and Poetics of Place will be introducing Questing
to the Tucson community at The Environmental Education Exchange, 738 North Fifth Avenue,
Suite 100, Tucson, AZ, 85705. For more information about this event, call EEE at (520) 670-1442, visit www.eeexchange.org, or contact Steve Glazer at Steve@poeticsofplace.com

FRIDAY, MARCH 20, MERIDEN, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Friday, March 20th, Poetics of Place will have a table at the Wellborn Ecology Fair in Meriden.
The event will take place at Kimball Union Academy. For information, email Kerry Rosenthal:
Kerryrose9@yahoo.com

FRIDAY, MARCH 27, WISCASSET, MAINE
Steve Glazer, from Poetics of Place, and Jennifer Atkinson from the Quebec-Labrador Foundation will co-present a workshop Questing: Connecting Kids & Communities with Treasure Hunts at the annual Maine Environmental Education Association (MEEEA) conference. The conference is hosted by the Chewonki Foundation, 485 Chewonki Neck Rd, Wiscasset, ME. For more info, visit http://www.meeassociation.org/conference.html or email Tamara@watershedfriends.com

COMING SOON

The Cemetery Quest: Using Burial Grounds to teach Local History
@ Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH
May 2 & 9, 2009
1 graduate credit
www.plymouth.edu

Questing: Identifying & Interpreting our Local Treasures
@ Fundacja Partnerstwo dla Środowiska(Polish Environmental Partnership Foundation, Krakow, Poland)
June 29 – July 3, 2009
www.epce.org.pl

The Civil War Quest: Viewing U.S. history through a Local Lens
@ Antioch New England Graduate School, Keene, NH
July 6 – 10, 2009
1 graduate credit
www.antiochne.edu

CURRICULA
Thetford Academy’s work with our Civil War Project was profiled in the Valley News this month.
To see all of the lessons in the Civil War Project, visit: http://www.poeticsofplace.org/publications.htm

IN THE NEWS
This was a good month for Questing! There are stories in:

VERMONT MAGAZINE, MARCH / APRIL 2009
A feature article by Chuck Bingaman follows a family along the Bill Hill Quest in Thetford Center.
http://www.vermontmagazine.com/

VERMONT LIFE, SPRING 2009
Former Vermont Life editor Tom Slayton offers a wonderful review of Best of Valley Quest.
http://www.vtlife.com/pdf/sp09-shelf-life-web.pdf

KEARSARGE MAGAZINE, SPRING 2009
Laura Jean Whitcomb profiles the Esther Currier Quest in Elkins, NH and Best of Valley Quest.
http://www.kearsargemagazine.com/

GLOUCESTER DAILY TIMES, MARCH 9, 2009
Girl Scouts Emily Collins and Sabrina McCarthy won a Silver Award for their work in creating
The Halibut Point Quest for the Trustees of Reservations - Read the article at:
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/punews/local_story_067223302.html

Dam Dualities

2009-03-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

In February, I travelled to Jamestown, Kentucky, to run a Quest workshop for Amanda Patrick and The Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery.

The 2-day training was a wonderful collaboration among a wide variety of co-sponsoring organizations: KEEC (the Kentucky Enviromental Education Council), Southern & Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association, the Kentucky Department of Agriclulture, Lindsey Wilson College, Kentucky’s Division of State Parks, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery, and Friends of Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery, Inc.

Over the course of the two days, 20 participants went through all of the steps /lessons in creating a Quest as we worked together to create a Quest for the Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery.

Initially, we were considering creating a Quest within the Fish Hatchery, and telling the “story” of the rainbow trout’s life cycle. After viewing the site, however—and deep conversation—we widened our scope to the larger story of Lake Cumberland; not looking simply at the fish hatchery, but seeing the larger story of this place: a lost river, a man-made lake, a habitat transformed, and on-going restoration / mitigation efforts.

What do I mean by the "larger story?" Floating in the air above Jamestown, looking across to the far horizon, a visitor or viewer finds a scene of overwhelming beauty: the water reflects forest, rolling ridge lines, and the light-play of sun, clouds and sky. Looking down from the gunwhales of a boat one feels immersion in vast, timeless nature…and perhaps the rush of that “Quest for the elusive striper.” From below the dam, one turns back to discover a “great wall:” a vast attempt at flood control, hydro power, and recreation generation. And other, subtler clues are not so easily seen.

More than 150 feet below the surface of the lake—beyond sight, beyond light—are the remains of towns: roads, bridges, homes, farms, and more. Hidden within the lake water itself is the ghost of what was once a more sinewy, swift and shallow river. As lake habitat differs from river habitat, a different community of fish now inhabit this place. Below the dam are found the premier rainbow trout fishing grounds that attract fishermen, fisherwomen and fisherchildren from across the region…thanks to the stocking efforts of Wolf Creek. Two thousand fish are released into Hatchery Creek each month!

As we began writing the Quest, we developed an internal, over-arching theme: Dam Dualities. This theme helped us to juxtapose before and after, above and below, cost and benefit; and tell a story that you can really see and learn right HERE, in and from this place.

Our aspiration with the Quest were for five outcomes:
- Visitors becoming engaged in an experience of THIS place
- Visitors learning to decode clues in the built & natural environment
- Visitors seeing the life cycle of rainbow trout up close
- Visitors having fun together
- Visitors developing new “eyes” with which to view the complex world they inhabit.
Externally, we chose to call the Quest “Catch a Rainbow,” for that is what this place is famous for. Trout are key components in the regional culture, diet and economy.

Here’s the beginning of the Quest we created together. It attempts to guide visitors through a complex, historical narrative in a playful, engaging, and self-guided fashion.

Catch a Rainbow!
A Quest @ Wolf Creek NFH

Introduction
This is a Quest: Follow the clues and you’ll pass our test.
You’ll be led on a journey; and learn as you travel.
Collecting some letters a puzzle you’ll unravel.
It’s a half hour of fun. You’ll know a lot more when you’re done!

Clues:

#1 Pass the buck, pass the bear,
Out the door – Can you see a huge concrete thing out there?
Let your eyes follow the towers
To find the source of electric power.

The Corps[1] built this thing out of concrete, rock & clay,
Creating a lake where people like to play.
This great big wall constructed by man
Greatly changed both the water & land

What’s this great wall called? A __ __ __

# 2 Listen carefully and you will hear
The song of a river that is no longer here.
River and farmland changed into a lake;
Town and habitat flooded in its wake.[2]

Now, head back through the doors to the skunk in the hall.
Can you find a great blue lake on a map on the wall?
This lake like a snake swallowed the river:
Less flooding, more power, the dam now a giver.

What is the name of the lake formed by the dam?
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

#3 Turn around. Look up in the sky,
Can you find an opossum hanging high?
Pass between two trees standing tall,
Moving towards a flowing waterfall.

Before 1950, the Cumberland River flowed free,
With temperate waters: 35 to 85 degrees.
This natural habitat was all a bustle,
With paddlefish, banded sculpins, 60 kinds of mussels!
Of the fish that live in this tank, which do you think is most unique?

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

#4 Head right from this tank of “years ago.”
Underneath a bobcat you must go!
Thru a cave where bats hide and stalactites grow
Stop at the tank beyond the words Did You Know?

There are new fish in what is now a warm water lake.
Above the dam so many trophy fish to take!
Fishing guides buy lunch, bait, tackle and gas,
To help their visitors hook a big striped bass!

What is the state record for striped bass (in pounds)?

__ __ __ __ __ - __ __ __ __ __

To read the rest of the clues, you'll need to visit the Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery!

REFLECTIONS

In reflecting on this experience, I personally carry away a few important teachings and koans:

1) The Power of Collaboration
The experience of THIS place was deepened by the participation of a broad group of people, with a wide range of interests, experiences, and gifts. Together, we were able to see differently, “see the elephant in the room."

2) Learning to “Read the Waterscape”
Whenever you see a body of water, look and ask: Is this natural or man-made? If natural, where does the water come from? What's unfolding right here? And where does it travel downstream, on the next part of its journey? If man made, what’s lurking beneath the surface? What was here before? And what is different because of the changes in the waterscape?

3) The Power of Place
Every place tells stories, sings specific songs. We simply need to take the time to be inspired: breathe in the spirit of the place.

4) The Power of People
Looking across the land- and water-scape, how much of what we perceive as “natural” and “beautiful” are, in fact, huge constructs undertaken for people and their desires?

5) The Status of Everything Else
...and yet we are but one species in this complex world. How would our places be different if beings other than people had status, voice, rights, a say?

[1] U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
[2] Deep at the bottom of the lake are old buildings, bridges, roads.

Bearing Witness to Genocide in Rural South East Poland

2009-01-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

The Situation
For a decade, I have helped children and communities connect with the special places of the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire through Quests, or educational treasure hunts. For five years I have been teaching “Using Burial Grounds to Teach Local History,” at both Antioch New England and Plymouth State University; while for two years I have been facilitating “Whole Thinking Retreats” for the Center for Whole Communities in Fayston, VT.

The Match Strikes
Last fall, I was invited to teach Questing in Poland. I spent two weeks working in Lower Silesia and Lesser Poland. Towards the end of my visit embarked on a “Cemetery Quest” of my own with my daughter, Kayla and two Polish friends.

Then a Spark
That night—the eve of Rosh Hashana—I had a dream in which the water of these three streams (special places, burial grounds, community facilitation) flowed into a single pool. By bringing Americans and Europeans together to repair abandoned Jewish cemeteries, both groups could bear witness to the past, repair in the present, and strengthen relationships for the future. If this work could be done well and brought to scale, then hundreds or even thousands of participants could have formative experiences of Tikkun Olam—repairing the world—as dozens to hundreds of abandoned cemeteries were communally repaired, helping contemporary communities authentically lift veils of silence of forgetting.

And an Offering of Light
Project Preservation of Dartmouth College, the Upper Valley Jewish Community (UVJC), the United Church of Christ of Dartmouth College (CCDC), and Poland’s Fundacja Partnerstwo dla Środowiska will be partnering in Summer 2009 to offer a work/study trip:

Bearing Witness to Genocide in Rural South East Poland

From June 24 - July 5, 2009, members of CCDC and the UVJC are invited to travel with Rev. Carla Bailey and Rabbi Edward Boraz on a 12-day trip to Poland. Together, we will: bear witness at Auschwitz and Birkenau; celebrate the Shabbat in Krakow; participate in Krakow's 2009 Festival of Jewish Culture; and then spend a week repairing a Jewish Cemetery in Lutowiska, Poland.

The projected cost per participant is $2750 - $3000.

In addition, we will be seeking to raise $25,000 towards the physical costs of the cemetery restoration: materials and labor for repairing gravestones and constructing a cemetery enclosure (gate and fence).

Participants will be expected to meet together for study and preparation in advance, in the spring.

If you are interested, please do not hesitate to contact:

Steve Glazer - steve@poeticsofplace.com

Place-based Education and Poetics of Place

2009-01-10T19:44:00.000-08:00

Place-based education is learning in and from where you are. Learning from the outer place - nature, culture and the community; learning from the inner place - body, mind and spirit; and learning from the places "in between," those edges where outer and inner meet and rub: borders, relationships, interactions, and so many other "arisings." Place-based education uses as classroom and curriculum what is here, what is gathered, and what is unfolding. Place-based education is not for children only. Learning in and from "here" is very helpful for adults, groups, organizations, communities, and the planet.

The poetics of place are the subtle and infinite ways that places speak their truth, tell stories, sing their songs. Each place is a unique gathering of piecesa which nest in patterns. See the pieces, discover the patterns, and they will reveal the processes of what has, is and will happen here. The poetics of place is a practice of inhabitation: entering into a place, breathing it in, experiencing it deeply. The poetics of place is also dialogical: breathing out into that place gifts of experience, energy, clarity and creativity.