Literary Highlights

This page has been launched to highlight the literary accomplishments of our students and staff.  We will proudly display poems, essays, and reviews that are currently being published, or soon to be published. 

 Look for our ongoing literary highlights produced in the creative writing, ABE and ESL classrooms.

Congratulations to our own 

Ms. Jean Copeland 

on winning the 

Golden Crown Literary Society's 2016 Debut Author Award

for 

"The Revelation of Beatrice Darby"

July 9, 2016

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We are happy to announce the second novel by Jean Copeland 

The Second Wave

 published by Bold Strokes Books

Look for it at your local bookstore now

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This is the first novel by Jean Copeland, an English and Writing Instructor, at the Adult Learning Center.

How much courage does it take to be yourself? In a decade when good girls conform to strict family and social expectations, Beatrice Darby is about to find out. After a harmless admiration for her older boss, sophisticated Abby Gill, blossoms into a full-blown crush, Beatrice is startled to discover why she’s never felt like other girls. She soon learns the necessity of “passing,” the shame of secret “sin,” and the pressure to meet family expectations, all while suffering the angst of unrequited love and the disastrous end to her friendship with college roommate and future sister-in-law, Gwen Ridgeway. When Abby reappears years later, can Beatrice go against all she’s ever known to be happy? Will she have to choose between honesty and her family?

About the author: Jean Copeland is a writer and English/language arts teacher at the East Haven Learning Center in East Haven, Connecticut. Taking a chance on a second career in her thirties, Jean graduated summa cum laude from Southern Connecticut State University with a BS in English education and an MS in English/creative writing. She has published numerous short fiction and essays online and in print anthologies.

In addition to the thrill of watching her students discover their talents in creative writing and poetry, she enjoys the escape of writing, summer decompression by the shore, and good wine and conversation with friends. Organ donation and shelter animal adoption are causes dear to her heart. The Revelation of Beatrice Darby is Jean’s debut novel.

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This is an interesting article where Jean discusses her initial foray to teaching 

"The Revelation of Beatrice Darby" to her Gay and Lesbian Class in the Spring of 2015

Pride Week Guest Post from Jean Copeland: Teachers Pride:

Why Its Important to be Out in the Classroom

http://www.ekristinanderson.com/?p=13585

_______________________________________________________________________

Rebecca Coomes

EHALC Class of 2014

More Than Dead

(Ode to Sylvia Plath)

Oh Daddy, if I may call you that,

Your death brought more than grievance.

No, no grievance at all just rejoice.

The world had no space for

An evil man like you.

No time to watch me play,

Share giggles for even a day.

I could still hear the disappointment

In you tone, disappointment from

Lack of perfection.

But Daddy, I came in second,

Studied as hard as I could.

You couldn’t see more than your student,

I wouldn’t be teacher’s pet.

If only death would come so easily

As it did for you.

Appetite for vengeance, forever

To be starved,

Depriving me of

Sleep, isn’t it a dream

To live without your voice begging

more from me?

Now not only your words float

Around, but the chirps of strange

Voices tell me to take my life, too.

I wish to do as they say,

But don’t know how.

Please show me the way, just

As you wished, always to teach me.

      Connecticut River Review 2014

      Connecticut Poetry Society (CPS)

   ctpoetry.net

_______________________________________________________________________

Short Works from the P.M. ESL Intermediate Class

Ellen Creane - Instructor

First writing about Winter 2015

Lusi: 

First of all, I hate the cold. That’s why I don’t like winter.  I dislike wearing thick dresses.  I dislike using a car on rainy or snowy days because of traffic accidents.  But on the other hand, work and schools are sometimes closed because of these reasons.  It’s good for children and us. I like the holiday!

Levi: 

I like winter because it is unique. Winter is special for me because there is a lot of snow.  And I do not dislike!   And I like it!

Iman:

I like winter because we are playing with the snow.  It’s fun with my friend.  We drink hot coco, and I feel like with family sitting together. I don’t like the winter because it’s cold and I feel lazy.

Jose:

For me, winter, like other seasons of the year, has things that make me feel better. The nights in winter are longer than the summer, and I can rest more time.  Also I prefer the winter for work, because you are wearing more clothes for the cold.  But in summer, you can’t remove clothes.  The things that I dislike in winter are the ice on the streets and the coldest days.

Tatsiana:

Winter – this is cold and a lot of snow.  I very much like winter always.  In my country, all children after school are playing with snowballs and making snowmen.

Fall 2014

Francisco Barreto

I believe that the most important things in my life are to care my family and to make my dreams come true.  And what are my dreams?  First, to work in some cruise line.  I wish Disney cruise.  Some day I hope to have a family or adopt children.  And I want to travel around the world.  

Silvia Hinestroza

Maybe in all my life, the important thing is change.  It depends on the moment.  A few months ago, the most important thing was my relationship, the love for my boyfriend, our dreams and quality time.  But now and after that relation finished, the most important thing is my family and its needs.  Because the love for my family is the biggest, I have the best parents in the world, my sisters are awesome and my two dogs are the pure love and the masters of life.  In conclusion, for me the most important thing is the LOVE!  

Rocio

The more important things in my life are many. One is to see my kids finish the college and find a good job.  I want to learn English because I want to create my own business.  My dream is to teach the little kids some Spanish because I was a teacher in my country.  

Jose M. Paqueras

I think the most important in the life is to have a good health, because if you have bad health, you can’t do almost anything.  You can’t work, travel or whatever you want.  For all of this, I think that health is the thing most important in the life.

Bobby

There are lot of things important in the life ie:  eating, sleeping, cleaning, going to work, etc.  But one of the most important things for me is to spend time with my kids.  I have two little kids, and as for me, in order to make them good citizens, teach them discipline, manners and family values, I need to spend time with them on a daily basis.  

 Iman Barjas

The most important thing is that I have 3 sweet kids. They make my life different, special when they got big now.  They help me a lot when I need them.  I feel like my family is beside me. 

Gloria Muneton

The most important thing in my life is my health, because if I have health, I can do a lot of things:  such as work, take care of my family, take English class to improve my English.  If I learn better English, I can look for a better job.  If I get a good job, I can get more money, then I can have a lifestyle better with my family.