SPINE is the annual printed anthology written by the students of EmersonWRITES. The anthology was first named SPINE (Student-Produced Interconnected Narratives at Emerson) in a brainstorm session with the 2014-15 faculty. After much discussion and deliberation, we decided on this name not only for its acronym, but for the symbolism and imagery evoked by the word "spine":

  • A backbone
  • Standing up (for what our students believe in)
  • Strength
  • Confidence
  • Connecting the body (what moves us through the world) and the brain (how we make sense of this movement)
  • Made up of parts that complete a whole - this diverse community of teachers/students/writers, hailing from all over the city/country/world
  • The bones beneath our skin - more truly us, representing our identities, free of the way the world defines us by our outward appearances

SHOWCASE: At the end of the program, students celebrate with a culminating open mic Showcase, where they share excerpts of their creative work for family and friends and receive their printed copies of SPINE.

Screenshot from a SPINE issue