District 212's Writers Week and One Book, One Leyden

Held the second week in February, the agenda featured professional writers, faculty, staff and students eager to share their personal stories. “The students and teachers who shared their stories helped advance the purpose of Writers Week in ways I didn't think possible,” said John Rossi, English department chair and event organizer. “We had sad stories, serious stories, and silly stories. Attendees reached out to the volunteers who told their stories to congratulate them and to share their connections. The willingness of our staff and students to participate in the name of creating connections and building empathy affirmed my appreciation for how special Leyden is,” he added.

The week concluded with a visit from Warren St. John, author of Outcasts United, the district’s One Book, One Leyden 2018 selection. St. John visited Leyden campuses in Franklin Park and Northlake to meet with and speak to students and staff about his national bestseller.

During his presentation the author revealed the events, circumstances and people that prompted him to write Outcasts United, his book about a fading town in Georgia; Luma Mufleh, an American-educated Jordanian woman on a mission; and a group of young refugees from all parts of the world that forge a soccer team.

St. John said that at its core Outcasts United is a story about the power of building community, and the impact one person can have on the lives of others. “This book has three central characters - the town, Coach Luma and the refugee community,” St. John said. He explained that together, the three entities influenced “extraordinary, dramatic changes” as the townspeople struggle to understand the new residents, the refugees adapt to life in Clarkston, and Mufleh starts a soccer team to unify the refugee youths.

The One Book, One Leyden committee unanimously selected the book, said Janine Asmus, program organizer and media center specialist at the West campus. She recalled that St. John was “well received by our students”, and that he was “genuinely impressed with our One Book, One Leyden program. His book resonated with Leyden because of the diversity of our student population in terms of ethnicity, language and culture.”

On February 14, Triton College in River Grove partnered with Leyden to open the experience to community members. The college’s library and the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies sponsored Community and Belonging: The Plight of Modern Refugees, a faculty panel discussion on refugees and the challenges they face. There also was a screening of and discussion on the documentary film, The Other Side of Immigration.

Warren St. John, author of Outcasts United, District 212’s One Book, One Leyden 2018 selection, visited with students at both campuses in February. St. John’s appearance marked the culmination of Leyden’s Second Annual Writers Week, a celebration of the art of storytelling and the building of community via speakers, reading and discussion.

Warren St. John is also Patch CEO.