For members of Exclusive Ink, Room 238 is like a gym for all of us where we put in the extra hours of practice and hone our academic skills. In this way, we’re sort of team of writers, with the mentors serving as coaches.

As with any new team, even some returning members have some growing pains and an adjustment period, some come in as renewed superstars, some first-year players blow you away with their raw talent that has yet to be controlled and channeled for effective use. Some coaches click with certain players better than others. When you come together as a team and stay motivated towards the same goal, the results can be pretty astounding.

One of the best examples of growth in one of our writers I’ve seen is in S––. When I first worked with S––, it was hard to get him to say much more than two or three words at a time, much less write an entire poem on a page. And it would be the absolute end of the world to ask him to get up in front of everyone and read what he wrote. I felt bad that even his friends were giving him flak.

I didn’t work with S–– the next week, but Allyson did. She said that she noticed some marked improvement from the week before and even got him to write a paragraph, which made us mentors happy. We all knew that if he could just put something on the page, it would hopefully free up his mind a little.

However, the next session I had with him, he was timid again, almost to the point of being withdrawn. He didn’t write a word.

The following week, Doug and I ran a group exercise where we wrote a poem one word at a time. S–– was in our group. In this exercise, he was not only forced to write something, but he could contribute to the whole group project in a small, but noticeable way. The exercise was a resounding success. After struggling for the first few minutes, soon he was giving us words with more and more confidence. By the end, it was hard to get him to stop blurting out words, even when it was someone else’s turn. He was so taken with the exercise that he even offered to read the finished product. We were finally to move S–– past his concerns about “not being right” or “sounding dumb” and put some words down without worry.

The momentum continued. Not only did S–– volunteer to help lead the next week’s exercise within his group, he read again. We’ve seen him stand up for himself more often and be more assertive. Instead of putting his head down with his hood up when we ask for someone to help us out, he will contribute. And, perhaps what’s most astounding, he continues to write.

Contributed by Luke Wortley 

Having just moved to Indianapolis weeks before, I had never even heard of Shortridge and had no idea what to expect when I walked in the door. I immediately saw the signs for our creative writing group, Exclusive Ink. Great, I thought to myself, as if I weren’t nervous already. Thankfully, as it turns out, the group is anything but exclusive.

The group, in just six weeks this semester, has become remarkably close. Even the mentors from last year have made a note that the atmosphere is tight-knit. Like I said, it can be intimidating at first, as a new member of the program. I remember the embarrassment of having to ask for everyone’s name multiple times on the first day.

The kids did eventually forgive me for not knowing their names and now we talk about daily life, we try to solve the world’s problems, we write.

Recently, we did an exercise where we wrote a poem, story, or letter to our past or future selves. It was an incredibly moving experience––there was no reservation, no exclusivity. Everyone shared. I was amazed at how open the students were. It moved me so much because the first-time mentors had no pre-existing relationship with the students other than the last few weeks in room 238. Despite all this, I feel like I’ve not only been accepted as a member of the group, but I would say that I’ve made friends there. It’s not all about helping out with an exercise. It’s about what you learn while doing it.

The name of this group, Exclusive Ink, is a little deceptive. My background is different from most of the students at Shortridge, but I feel like I’ve been coming to the group for years and it’s not just because of the personalities of my fellow mentors–– it’s because Exclusive Ink has an energy that promotes inclusiveness and acceptance.

Contributed by Luke Wortley

Our fall semester has been an unquestioned success thanks to our newest group of Butler mentors enrolled in the Writing In The Schools course. Not only have they helped us spark the creativity of Shortridge students during our Exclusive Ink sessions, but they have proved their dedication to making a difference by spending additional time before the end of the school day tutoring a select group of students who are still hoping to pass their ECAs (End of Course Assessments).

They’ve also provided us with some feedback worth sharing.

Katie O’Neill: Yesterday was a great day for writing with the students I had. B– really clicked with the exercise, participated in lively discussion, and wrote two poems. My other student was always involved with the exercise, although I noticed, with some eavesdropping, he was having some girl issues. His phone kept going off. He would be distracted, but he would always come back to the work. He was obviously stressed, and I think the exercise gave him a little escape from the drama in between texts. If writing does anything, it gives you personal therapy and a chance to vent. For a lot of the students at Shortridge, this might be the only place where they can do this, which is a great service in itself.

Whitney Willhite: I had a really great day today! I worked with C– and T–, and they were both really focused on their writing. C– is a really amazing writer, and he actually ended up helping me write a poem. I think it made him feel good that I asked for his opinion. After that I worked with J– on his Chemistry homework, and it was really rewarding to see everything come together in his head. He was really happy that he finally figured it out. Overall, I was really pleased. I feel like I am already forming personal relationships with the students after just a few times and that is definitely the most rewarding part for me.