Poems, short stories and works of original art are on full display in Reading Beneath the Gum Tree. This publication is North East ISD’s first student-centered anthology. Sixth, seventh and eighth graders at Bush Middle School contributed to the book.
It was a labor of love that paid off for more than 70 students who can now say they are published authors. Eighth grader Nandita Maraboyina is one of those published authors. She also helped compile the book, sorting through submissions from her classmates.
“It was very fun to create something from scratch like this,” said Maraboyina. “It gave me a chance to dig deep and really find out how creative I can be. It was also a nice way to interact with other classmates and understand their viewpoint.”
Sophia Brundridge wrote a poem about her mother and surprised her with a copy on Mother’s Day. She’ll never forget the moment she opened the book and saw her name in it.
“I was very proud of myself and happy that I was able to make it in a book that was being published,” said Brundridge. “I always had self-doubt in my writing but being published in this book just boosted my confidence.”
Gabriel Oviedo and Chongsook Paiz, ELAR teachers at Bush, helped students with the publishing process. Soon, you can pick up your own copy of Reading Beneath the Gum Tree during a book signing event in the Bush library on Monday, Oct. 2, from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Students will read selected poems from the book and will be available to sign your copy. Dr. Carmen Tafolla, award-winning poet and author, will also be there as the key-note speaker. Tafolla was named the State Poet Laureate of Texas in 2015.
“All the money that comes from the sales goes right back to the school to benefit the library,” said Oviedo. “We wanted to include the whole population at Bush, and the book really reflects all ability levels. This was truly meaningful to our students.”
Readers interested in purchasing a copy can find Reading Beneath the Gum Tree on Amazon.
