Washington Writers' Publishing House

Teaching America’s Future 

1. Analyze contemporary poetry and prose responding to social, cultural, and environmental futures.
2. Explore DMV regional voices in a national/global context.
3. Develop close-reading, comparative analysis, and creative writing skills.
4. Engage with themes of identity, migration, and technology 

Themes/Topics to Explore

America’s Future

Focus: What is “America’s future”—and who gets to imagine it?

Identity, Memory, and Inheritance

Focus: How does the past shape imagined futures? Generational stories.

Climate and Environment 

Focus: Eco-poetics and climate futures

Technology, Surveillance, and Digital Lives

Focus: A.I., social media, disinformation, and digital futures

Justice, Activism & Collective Futures

Focus: Democracy, justice, and community building

Creative Futures Workshop

Focus: Students produce their own creative futures

We are thrilled that you are considering using AMERICA’S FUTURE in your classroom. If you are in the DC, Maryland, or Virginia area, we would be happy to discuss an in-person appearance by one of our writers in your classroom. If you are outside the DMV, we would be happy to arrange for a video visit with one of our writers. Please email editor Caroline Bock at info @ washingtonwriters.org to discuss.

• WWPH Direct Discount pricing (please note that this pricing can be adjusted depending on the book order). In addition, we are now working with Barnes & Noble College stores for distribution to colleges. 
• Complete list of contributors 
• Table of contents 
• Select video samplings of poetry and prose featuring the writers of America’s Future
• Discussion/reading of America’s Future featuring Baltimore-area writers and the editors of AMERICA’S FUTURE (Caroline Bock and Jona Colson) at the iconic Enoch Pratt Free Library here.
• Discussion/reading of America’s Future on the Library of Congress ‘Poet and the Poem’ with editor Caroline Bock and Jona Colson and poet master GRACE CAVALIERI. PODCAST HERE.
• EDELWEISS REVIEW COPIES AVAILABLE HERE
• Thank you for reading and considering AMERICA’S FUTURE for your classroom!

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POETRY

“Let Us Praise Sadness” by Mary Ann Larkin 

designed by Professor Jona Colson for Montgomery College Humanities Day

Grade Level: 8–12 (adaptable)

Length: 45–60 minutes

Theme: Honoring Connections and Belonging Here and Beyond

Text: “Let Us Praise Sadness” by Mary Ann Larkin

Learning Objectives:

1. Analyze how poets express complex emotions through metaphor and imagery.
2. Discuss how writing can strengthen human connection and belonging.
3. Compose a praise poem inspired by Larkin’s structure.
4. Reflect on how emotion and creativity shape community and shared experience.

Materials:

– Poem: “Let Us Praise Sadness” 

– VIDEO LINK TO POEM read by its poet Mary Ann Larkin

-Video link to more poets & writers from AMERICA’S FUTURE here

-Mary Ann Larkin Bio here and complete of contributors here

 Activities

Warm-up: “Which emotion feels most powerful in your life right now? Why?”

Students may share verbally or write privately. (5 mins)

Before Reading the Poem: Introduction to Theme (3 minutes)

Briefly introduce the theme of belonging and emotion in writing.

Ask: “How can talking about difficult emotions bring people closer together?”

Reading the Poem: (5 minutes)

Read the poem aloud once or twice.

Ask students to listen for tone, emotion, and imagery.

Small-group Discussion: (10 minutes)

Questions:

– Why praise sadness?

– How does the bird metaphor shape the poem?

– What does “sing of sadness together” mean?

– How does acknowledging sadness build connection?

Prompt/Writing Workshop: Create a Praise Poem (15–20 minutes)

Students choose a difficult emotion and an animal.

Writing Scaffold (fill in the blanks):

Like a __________ (animal) filled with __________ (emotion/synonym),

A __________ on/in/above __________ (place),

Doing __________ (action)…

What does the animal teach about your emotion?

End with:

“Praise it, my ___________, and the __________ it comes from.”

Share your poem with the group!  

SAMPLES from 2025 Montgomery College Humanities Day student poems here – published by the Washington Writers’ Publishing House’s online lit mag, WWPH WRITES. 

AMERICA’S FUTURE IS AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD and can be bought via WWPH DIRECT at a special classroom use discount. Educator, please contact: Caroline Bock at info @ washingtonwriters.org

AMERICA’S FUTURE features work from 164 voices of poetry and prose. This landmark anthology meditates on the past and dares to imagine the future. This lesson plan discusses generations, past and future…

POETRY

“The Generations” by Varun Gauri

Grade Level: High school AP classes and first-year college students

Length: 30-45 minutes 

Text: “The Generations” by Varun Gauri 

Pairs well with Three Generations of Black Women and a Look Into America’s Future by Bernardine Watson, a creative nonfiction essay also found in America’s Future. See video sample here.  Lesson plan also provided.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Analyze how different characters within a poem can interact to suggest a specific theme/idea.
2. Identify poetic techniques such as rhythm and tone, and how they can add to a piece’s themes or topics.
3. Compose a poem that details an interaction between members of different generations in order to illustrate a greater idea (about societal or personal themes). 

Materials 

• Poem: “The Generations” 
• Video: “The Generations” read by Varun Gauri; https://youtu.be/tLlwQwM4ccA
• Biography: Varun Gauri was born in India and raised in the American Midwest. He now teaches at Princeton University and lives with his family in Bethesda, Maryland. His short fiction was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and recognized in Best American Nonrequired Reading. His debut novel, For the Blessings of Jupiter and Venus (WWPH 2024), won the Carol Trawick Fiction Prize and was selected for NPR’s Books We Love 2024. More on Varun Gauri here.

Activities

Warm-up: 

• “Think about interactions that you’ve had with people of other generations. Why do these interactions stand out in your memory? Did you learn something from them?” Students may discuss verbally or write privately. (5 minutes)

Before Reading the Poem: 

• Briefly introduce rhythm and tone and how they can contribute to a poem. Contemplate some brief examples, such as by asking, “How can poets stress certain words in a poem?” or “How can rhythm force the reader to speed up or slow down when reading?” (3 minutes)

Reading the Poem: 

• Listen as Gauri reads the piece, paying attention to how he pronounces the rhythm of the poem (where does he place stress when reading aloud?). Then, students will take turns reading, each student reading two lines. Try to emphasize the rhythm of the piece when reading aloud—it may be challenging when switching readers, but try to keep up with the rhythm. Underline or jot down lines that stand out to you. (5 minutes)

Small-group Discussion: (10 minutes)

• Questions: 
  • Where does Gauri create rhyme or use line-breaks to stress certain words? What kind of rhythm does this create (Is it fast or slow? Is it punchy or lyrical?) Do you think this adds to the piece’s themes?
  • Did the line where the professor throws his notes surprise you? What do you think this moment adds to the poem?
  • Why do you think the poem is called “The Generations”? What kind of ideas does this suggest about the poem?

Ask for volunteers to share takeaways with the whole class. 

Prompt: 

• Write a poem that explores an interaction between members of different generations. (20 minutes)
• Create two (or more) characters that belong to at least two different generations. They can be made-up or inspired by your own experiences. 
• Detail an interaction between the characters. What does the interaction reveal about greater societal or personal themes?
• Try creating a rhythm or rhyme to emphasize certain ideas.

AMERICA’S FUTURE IS AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD and can be bought via WWPH DIRECT at a special classroom use discount. Educator, please contact: Caroline Bock at info @ washingtonwriters.org

A Baltimore public school teacher uses satire to make his point in this epistolary essay. Nominated by the Washington Writers’ Publishing House for a Pushcart Prize.

PROSE

“Now That DEI Is Dead, Things Are Looking Up for Me” by Adam Schwartz

Grade Level: 11–12 AP English Language

Length: 40-45 minutes

Theme: Satire, Rhetoric, and Privilege

Learning Objectives:

 Analyze the rhetorical strategies Schwartz uses to convey perspective

Evaluate how satire and exaggeration shape the audience’s perception of DEI, privilege, and meritocracy.

Practice writing analytically about tone, purpose, and audience using textual

Materials:

Text of Schwartz’s essay. Reading by the author of the complete essay can be found here.

Biography:  Adam Schwartz’s debut collection of stories, The Rest of the World, won the Washington Writers’ Publishing House 2020 prize for fiction. His non-fiction has appeared in Newsweek, Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Banner, and elsewhere. He has taught high school in Baltimore for twenty-eight years.

Annotation tools / AP rhetorical analysis graphic organizer. Sample here

Warm-up (5 min):

• Prompt: “Identify a mythical character whose words or actions could spark debate about fairness or privilege. What makes their message persuasive—or satirical?”

Before Reading (5 min):

 Briefly define satire, audience awareness, and rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos).

• Ask: “How might an author use humor or exaggeration to make a serious point about society?”

Reading the Text (10 min):

• Students annotate for rhetorical strategies, tone, audience cues, and evidence of ethos/pathos/logos.

Small-Group Discussion (10 min):

 What is the author’s purpose in framing DEI as a “crushed” movement?

• How does the exaggerated praise for Trump affect the reader’s interpretation?
• Identify examples of irony, diction, and rhetorical How do these shape the argument?
• If you were to write a letter on a topic that matters to you, how would you frame it? Would you use satire like Schwartz? Or would you perhaps use sentimentalism? Would you use ethos and logos?
• Could you imagine writing a letter to a mythical character using satire, wit, and sarcasm to make a larger point?

AP-Style Writing Workshop (20 min):

 Prompt (modeled on AP Rhetorical Analysis FRQ):

• “Analyze how Schwartz uses rhetorical strategies to convey his perspective on DEI and privilege. Consider tone, audience, and structure.”
• Students write a timed, structured opening paragraph that incorporates a satirical tone to a mythical character. For example: Dear Tooth Fairy… I believe the current rate for teeth is undervalued because prices are rising everywhere and…

Share & Wrap-Up (5–7 min):

 Volunteers share thesis statements or topic plus opening paragraph of Dear Mythical Character.

• Instructor highlights effective analysis of satire and rhetorical

AMERICA’S FUTURE IS AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD and can be bought via WWPH DIRECT at a special classroom use discount. Educator, please contact: Caroline Bock at info @ washingtonwriters.org

ADAM SCHWARTZ was part of a dynamic reading and discussion held at the Enoch Pratt Library, the main library in Baltimore, and a recording of that event can be found here.

A Black writer critically examines her life and her mother’s, and looks ahead to her granddaughter’s life and aspirations in science in this essay from America’s Future…

PROSE

“Three Generations of Black Women and a Look into America’s Future” by Bernardine Watson

Grade Level: 11–12 AP English Language

Length:  45 minutes

Theme: Historical Context and Rhetorical Structure

Learning Objectives:

1. Analyze how Watson uses narrative, historical evidence, and generational perspective to convey her argument.

2. Evaluate the interplay of ethos, pathos, and logos in a reflective nonfiction

3. Develop analytical writing that connects the historical context to the author

Materials: 

• Text of Watson’s essay
• Video sampling of the essay can be found in this video by Bernardine Watson
• Biography:  Bernardine (Dine) Watson is a nonfiction writer and poet who lives in Washington, DC. Dine’s book Transplant: A Memoir, won the 2023 Washington Writers’ Publishing House prize for nonfiction. Transplant was also chosen by National Public Radio as one of the 2023 “books we love” and featured in Poets and Writers Magazine as one of its 5 over 50 debuts. Her poetry has also appeared in numerous journals. More at website here.

Activities:

 Warm-up (5 min): 

• Prompt: Think about a historical event that shaped the opportunities available to people today. Think of your grandparents, your parents, and you. What are the differences in opportunity for each generation? Can you narrow that opportunity to one area, such as education or employment? How are your opportunities different than your grandparents or great grandparents? How might a writer use personal narrative to illustrate the change in opportunity?

Reading the Text (10–15 min):

 Students read and annotate for:

• Key historical references: Great Migration, Civil Rights, Brown Board of Education, Great Society.
• Ethos (credibility through personal/family history)
• Logos (historical facts and statistics)
• Pathos (emotional appeals through family stories)

Small-Group Discussion (10 min):

 Questions:

• How does Watson build ethos through intergenerational narrative?

• What role does historical evidence play in shaping the argument?

• How does the author balance optimism for the future with acknowledgment of systemic barriers?

• Watson uses flashback for most of her piece to get her point If you were writing a piece about your childhood and you were to utilize a flashback, what would you include? Which parts of your childhood would it highlight? Would it focus in on one specific characteristic like Watson? Or would you explore many different aspects? Would it tell the tale of America at the time you were a child? How so?

AP-Style Writing Workshop (15 min):

 Prompt (modeled on AP Synthesis or Rhetorical Analysis FRQ):

• Analyze how Watson uses rhetorical strategies to convey the challenges and opportunities faced by three generations of Black women. Use specific examples of ethos, pathos, and logos.
• Use Watson’s essay as a model for a three-generation essay of your own. Focus on your parents, your grandparents, and your future.

Share & Wrap-Up (5–7 min):

• Volunteers discuss thesis statements and/or an introductory paragraph
• Instructor highlights effective integration of historical context and rhetorical

AMERICA’S FUTURE IS AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD and can be bought via WWPH DIRECT at a special classroom use discount. Educator, please contact: Caroline Bock at info @ washingtonwriters.org