Teacher/writer breaks down barriers

NEA Today, Oct 1999

New York English teacher Wendy Cleveland went to South Africa -and brought back enough memories to last a lifetime.

Through the People-toPeople Ambassador Programs, NEA member Wendy Cleveland was recently part of a delegation of American women writers and educators that met South African writers, publishers, educators, and editors on their home turf.

Over a two-week period, the American delegation criss-crossed the nation.

"We met with the Congress of South African Writers, exchanged ideas and approaches to writing, and gave three readings during our trip," reports Cleveland, a 1 Oth and 12th grade English teacher at Lansing (New York) Central High School.

"It was fascinating to see the difference in approach." she adds. "U.S. readers were so professorial, while the South Africans were wonderfully spontaneous."

One special highlight of the trip: a memorable day spent at a prison reading with young men in a writing and art rehabilitation program.

Cleveland brought home an extensive photo record of her trip, a meticulous journal, and vivid memories of the South African people and panorama. These have provided her inspiration and images for several new poems, including one, at right, about life in Soweto, a place of searing poverty and a turbulent past. /