Along with the transformations of individual students, classrooms, and schools that took place at the onset of the Twenty First Century were changes in the body of literature as well as the community of readers and writers in the greater society. There was a greater interest in hearing diverse ethnic voices and learning about the diversity of cultures, including the cultures of persons with disabilities. City and state leaders in education were discovering that the kids, who had been written off as triage, were students with something to say.
Students were writing for their peers as well as for their teachers. They were inspired by what they read, and their writing in turn inspired other students to write. The work of Ten Penny Players was influenced by other New York City writing projects that were happening contemporaneously, including Poets In The Schools, Poetry In Public Places, New Youth Connections, The NuYorican Poets, Teachers And Writers, Bank Street College, and Columbia University.
We brought the independent alternative of small press publishing into the classroom. As students published their work they learned that their writing could effect interpersonal relationships. As New York City's Alternative High School and Program students in the 1980’s began using the computers to creatively compose, they also recognized the influence of their written work which they performed at the Waterways’ publication parties and book fairs.
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