Issue 01

Table of Contents (Links)

About Us

Behind the Name

ICY is an acronym for I-CREATE YOUTH! We wanted to deliver motivation, information, and advice for writers and visually impaired students in bite-sized and flavorful scoops. So here's your order, a delicacy of our own creations: ICY SCOOP. Enjoy!

What in the Newsletter?

Writing Prompts, a Featured Writer, and more. We won't give it all away; taste it for yourself!

About I-CREATE YOUTH

I-CREATE YOUTH is a youth-led nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading creative writing education, opportunities, and resources to K-12 students with visual impairments of all degrees.

Featured Writer: Constance Merritt

Constance Merritt is a poet and activist.

Constance Merritt, renowned for her literary pieces that oppose the tyranny of categorizing art, was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas on November 22, 1966. Educated at the Arkansas School for the Blind in Little Rock, Merritt found her passion for poetry at a young age. Today, this 53 year old poet and novelist is recognized for her contributions to American literature through her four published works: A Protocol for Touch, Blind Girl Grunt: The Selected Blues Lyrics and Other Poems, Blessings and Inclemencies: Poems, and Two Rooms: Poems.

Although visually impaired, Merritt combines her stylistic skills and passion for literature to overcome the social stigma that surrounds the disabled and creates masterpieces that speak to the blind community as well as those who undermine the abilities of the impaired. Additionally, she remains an avid reader with the help of Talking Books, an application provided to her and those similarly affected by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. To her, the option of listening to an audio book seems an indispensable part of her life as it opens up the possibility for her to engage in the world of literature and poetry just as we can.

Merritt also believes that her impairment comes with a price more than just blindness; it also costs her mentally and emotionally as the barriers that society builds between the abled and disabled are quite taxing on the handicapped. Her escape remains Talking Books as she claims to lose herself in the reality of different worlds.

Through both her interest and knowledge on American literature and poetry, Merritt has become one of the most successful and appreciated writers among socially unacceptable communities. She has received several accolades for her writing, namely the Vassar Miller Prize in Poetry, Rona Jaffe Writers’ Foundation Award, and the Porter Prize for Literary Excellence.

Merrit’s dedication to bring forth concepts that start important conversations within households remains one of the most complimented characteristics of her writing.

Poems by Constance Merritt (Selected)

Invisible Woman, Dancing | READ HERE

A Study In Perspective | READ HERE

2 A.M.: The Body as Weaver; 6 A.M.: Meditation: Entering the Mind of Winter; Coda | READ HERE

Vandals | READ HERE

Features

7 Questions With Constance Merritt, Louisville Future | READ HERE

10 Questions for Constance Merritt, The Massachusetts Review | READ HERE

Poetry Books and Collections

A Protocol for Touch | Published December 1st 1999 by University of North Texas Press

Blind Girl Grunt: The Selected Blues Lyrics and Other Poems | Published January 1st 2017 by Headmistress Press

Blessings and Inclemencies: Poems | Published October 1st 2007 by Louisiana State University Press

Two Rooms: Poems | Published October 1st 2009 by LSU Press

Motivational Messages

“There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark.” - Helen Keller

“Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision.” - Stevie Wonder

“Disability is not a brave struggle or courage in the face of adversity. Disability is an art. It’s an ingenious way to live.” - Neil Marcus

“Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you’re needed by someone.” - Martina Navratilova

“Abled does not mean enabled. Disabled does not mean less abled.” - Khang Kijarro Nguyen

Writing Prompts

#1: Write a letter to your future self.

#5: Rewrite the ending of your favorite movie / TV show

#3: "Fairy" is sometimes is used to describe any mystical creature of humanoid appearance, including goblins or gnomes, and at other times only to describe a specific type of more ethereal creature. Many folktales are told of fairies, and they appear as characters in stories from medieval tales of chivalry, to Victorian fairy tales. Write a modern day folktale involving fairies.

#4: Pretend a necklace - a ruby pendant on a silver chain - is being passed around a high school. Everyday, it appears inside a student’s mailbox. Everyday, that same student puts it on and dies before 5:01PM.

#5: Describe 2020 in 20 words.

Initiatives

Letters for Disabled Students

Write a note HERE

Collaborative Collective

Email us to join HERE

Follow us on instagram

Start a chapter or join our general team

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