Welcome

LEAP FOR JOY: Michelle Zhang (right) celebrated at the 2002 Poetry Fair. Michelle won first-place in the middle school division for her poem: A Bad Algebra Test Is...”

Welcome to a literary Treasure House – the on-line home of the Border Voices Poetry Project!

Every year since 1993, the world’s most famous poets have trekked to the southwestern tip of the United States to appear at Border Voices Poetry Fairs. The annual festival at San Diego State University, and its companion TV shows and anthologies, have celebrated a whole host of magical things that happened after Border Voices brought poetry to the schools and the community, including:

1. Spectacular increases in student scores on standardized tests.

2. An explosion of creativity in homes throughout the city. As one proud dad said, “You people at Border Voices have transformed not only our daughter, but our whole family. We thank you!”

Now you, too, can experience the magic. Various links will lead you to Border Voices TV shows, as well as the schedule for the next Poetry Fair. You’ll also find a study documenting the profound impact of Border Voices on student scores; and many other tantalizing, humorous and provocative resources (including some witty and lovely student poems).

Have fun!!!
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Here are some of the resources you will find when you click on the gray links on this page:

(1) A complete list of Border Voices Poets.pdf that teachers can bring into the classroom.

(2) A form for ordering any or all of the Border Voices poetry anthologies.
order form.pdf

(3) Poems by award-winning students.

(4) A report showing how Border Voices boosts student test scores.

Start clicking, and enjoy the treasury of art and information that has been gathered in this electronic Ali Baba’s cave by the Border Voices Project. See if you agree that we have fulfilled our three-part mission:

(1) To make San Diego a nationally recognized showplace for the literary arts,

(2) To use poetry to cultivate sensitivities of perception that are socially and personally valuable for young people and the community at large (and, not-so-incidentally, to generate huge increases in scores on standardized tests), and

(3) To encourage literary and academic collaborations across geographic, cultural and intellectual boundaries.

Welcome to the Treasure House!

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A CHARMING INTRO TO BORDER VOICES POETRY: 9-year-old Brianna Harrison (above) wowed a crowd of 7,500 when she introduced Maya Angelou at Cox Arena. Brianna recited Ms. Angelou’s most famous poem, “I Rise,” with infectious gusto.

FOR MORE POETRY-ON-FILM, visit our archives at YouTube.

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