Seeking Joy

 Seeking Joy

by Jennifer Tianen (McQuillan), 

WBHS Literary Garden Club and Earth Club Sponsor

   

                                        "TEACHER TO TEACHER TO TEACHER"

 For J. Cox

When you took the time to recognize

what I was doing well

you were measuring water into the mouth

of a desert-parched little girl

Now I carry a pitcher,

treasured legacy in my hand. I offer

witness: a voice to say, "I see you."

affirm, "What you can do matters."

argue, "You have something good to share."

Thank you for those flowers planted,

for my sacred mandate to scatter seeds

into every crack in the concrete;

into every unclenched, opening hand.

From Incantations for Rest: Poems, Meditations, and Other Magic 

by Atena O. Danner, 2022. All rights reserved.

   In November of 2022, I was in line at the American Writers Museum in Chicago with my friend Christina from Narrative 4. It was the first time we had met in person; she had driven an hour or more to meet me there (thank you, Christina!) and to listen to Ross Gay read from his newly released book, Inciting Joy. I was so energized from his reading, from the Q & A that followed, and from the intense, exciting conversations we were having in line with a poet and educator we had just met. Atena was thrilled to be there herself, as she had just published her own poetry book and wanted to thank Ross for his inspiration and give him a copy of her work. 

    Atena loved the idea of the Literary Garden. A former teacher now working in education policy in Chicago, we talked about the importance of incorporating nature and joy-filled literature and moments into students' days, especially post-pandemic, with all of its challenges. It was important, all three of us noted, for teachers to have that as well: if exhausted teachers did not find a wellspring for their own social-emotional wellness, we would have nothing left to give: to our students, to our families, and most importantly, to ourselves. 

    That was exactly while I was there. In search of joy, inspiration, laughter. 

    IDEAS for how to adjust, modify, - not pivot, I was so tired of that word! - 

    but to truly change the way I taught. 

    To rethink and rebuild.

   To find the courage to start again. 

    Before I made it to Ross Gay's table, Christina needed to leave. Atena let me go ahead of her. We were the last two in line, and before we parted, she signed a copy of her poetry collection and gave it to me. Stunned by her kindness, I told her that I thought our meeting was meant to be, that she had given me hope that I was heading in the right direction. Her encouragement (and actual directions to my parking garage!) on a chilly November night warmed my heart. 

Thank you, Atena. 

You saw me, teacher to teacher, and reminded me that what I can do matters.

    Why all of this for a Literary Garden post? 

    I encouraged the students to write for this blog while I tried to take a step back. I wanted to showcase their work. The pandemic, however, challenged students in many ways, and I wanted to provide an update for anyone who has ever taken an interest in the Literary Garden. We have wonderfully supportive school, alumni, and community members; incredible partnerships in the civic, business, and state humanities sectors, and a network of authors, museums, libraries, scholars, societies, gardeners, and family members across the country that have been incredibly generous with their time, talents, information, knowledge, funding, and so much more - intangibles that I cannot possibly explain here. 

Please know how grateful I am for 

ALL of the support we have continued to receive over the last 10 years!

  (I meant to publish this three years ago. Whoops!) 

    ROSS GAY: I had the great pleasure of meeting Ross at an NAAEE Conference in 2017 at Wayne State University when he did a reading from his work The Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude. I told him about the Literary Garden (I mean, the man wrote about false indigo in his poetry! I got it!) and asked him how we could honor his work in the Garden. Figs, of course. Mr. Lau's figs:

But, as Robert Frost notes, "...knowing how way leads on to way...." life itself got IN the way, AND a pandemic, so here I was, in Chicago, five years later, reminding this nationally award-winning poet at the end of his very long night at this nationally-award winning museum that he owed me figs. The museum staff wanted me to go home. The museum president wanted me to go home. But I knew that no email could convey my enthusiasm or passion like I can in person. 

Poor Ross Gay. He looked at me bemusedly, if tiredly. Yes, he remembered me and the Garden. Yes, the figs. He laughed. Ok, yes. I was either a Stephen King-level Misery fan or I REALLY loved figs or that poem or... I don't know WHAT he thought, but yes, figs. We'd figure it out. 

And at the very end of May, 2023, we did. 

Thank you, Ross Gay, and Christina, and Atena, and the American Writers Museum, and all of my students over the years, and all of you who take the time to cheer us on in the Literary Garden. We are so grateful, and we are always seeking - and creating - JOY. Moreso in 2026 than ever. 

    

Ten Years of the Literary Garden! Nickie and Jacob

Our West Bloomfield High School Literary Garden is TEN YEARS OLD! In honor of our BIG ANNIVERSARY, please enjoy this series of blog posts from our Literary Garden alums, community partners, and friends.  -Ms. Tianen

"a family affair" by nickie rockett

 “... it helped me learn the value of taking risks and reaching for goals that may seem really difficult or even impossible.”

My name is Nickie Rockett. I am currently in my junior year at Michigan State University. I joined Literary Garden in my junior year of high school after being in Ms. Tianen’s Honors American Literature class. I knew a bit about the club because my older sister, Katie, was a founding member and she had told me about it before, but learning about the specific connections to American Literature through the class really made me want to join. 

Katie is second from right in the purple shirt!

7 minutes (still a record!)

When I was in Ms.Tianen’s class in my sophomore year, I did a research project based on Ada Limón, the Poet Laureate of the United States at the time. Because of that project, I eventually suggested reaching out to include Ada Limón to see if she wanted to be included in the garden. When I reached out to her literary representative, I received a response in 7 minutes that included the plant that she wanted to include in the garden: forsythia.

FORSYTHIA

At the cabin in Snug Hollow near McSwain Branch creek, just spring, all the animals are out, and my beloved and I are lying in bed in a soft silence. We are talking about how we carry so many people with us wherever we go, how even simple living, these unearned moments, are a tribute to the dead. We are both expecting to hear an owl as the night deepens. All afternoon, from the porch, we watched an Eastern towhee furiously build her nest in the untamed forsythia with its yellow spilling out into the horizon. I told him that the way I remember the name forsythia is that when my stepmother, Cynthia, was dying, that last week, she said lucidly, but mysteriously, More yellow. And I thought yes, more yellow and nodded because I agreed. Of course, more yellow. And so now in my head, when I see that yellow tangle, I say, For Cynthia, for Cynthia, forsythia, forsythia, more yellow. It is night now. And the owl never comes, only more of night and what repeats in the night.

© 2022, Ada Limón
From: The Hurting Kind
Publisher: Milkweed Editions

Her literary representative directed me to her latest collection at the time, The Hurting Kind, which includes a poem named after that very plant. Having the ability to create a long-lasting physical connection to my coursework that has stayed in the school beyond my time there really means so much to me because it turned my tenth-grade research project into something bigger than itself. This experience was very valuable to me because it helped me learn the value of taking risks and reaching for goals that may seem really difficult or even impossible. When writing my email asking if Ada Limón wanted to be involved, I doubted there would even be a response. This gave me a new willingness to be ambitious that I have carried with me into my college life, which has granted me many wonderful opportunities that I was scared to go for, but tried anyway.

 

 

At the end of my junior year, I was elected as the Jr. Literary Garden Chair to be in charge of our other garden at Doherty elementary school, which focused on connecting nature to children’s literature. I am very grateful and proud that I got to participate on the board of the club after only being in it for one year. We made so many fun memories taking care of the garden that year, and even received recognition from Michigan Green Schools for our commitment to maintaining nature within the school. 

    In addition to wonderful academic opportunities, the Literary Garden Club also fostered many friendships. I convinced several of my friends to join the club with me and we still look back and laugh about our time in the club all of the time. I love hearing updates on what the club continues to do. My little sister, Alyssa, is now president of the club and I am so proud and excited to see what she does in her position and where the club goes in the future. It’s crazy to think about how this club started with my older sister and its continuous impact on all of our high school experiences, but I would not exchange it for anything. 

“joy and hope” by jacob jackson

 

 

My name is Jacob Jackson and I am currently in my junior year at Grand Valley State University. I discovered the Literary Garden club through my best friend, Nickie, in my senior year at West Bloomfield High School through countless experiences that consisted of enthusiasm and passion. Over time, my interest in this club peaked because I’ve never heard of such an intriguing blend of topics such as literature and nature. I remember joining my first meeting and feeling such a feeling of joy and hope. There was a sense of optimism in the air and a genuine refreshing energy. I felt immediately accepted in a classroom full of different looks, cultures, and energies. The immediate tossing of ideas of which authors to honor in our school's garden was quick and fast paced.

    On a whim, an exchange of ideas occurred between Ms. Tianen and I, mentioning both notable authors and public figures, James Patterson and Dolly Parton. A pairing you wouldn’t necessarily expect, but still manage to respect. An idea quickly turned into an ambitious email. With the collaboration of Ms. Tianen, I drafted an email contacting Dolly Parton’s team through Parton’s own library called Imagination Library. We were greatly astonished at the response from Dolly’s team which resulted in Dolly Parton requesting butterfly plants that attract butterflies to the garden. Following through with this request, a vision of having a butterfly waystation in the garden occurred and a generous $500 grant was given.  Throughout this process, I felt an out of body experience being a part of something like this. I would’ve never expected me to be involved in something to this magnitude, but also feeling proud and relieved that I was. The following year, I was so proud that I decided to dress up as Dolly Parton for the Homecoming parade representing the Literary Garden Club! Talk about school spirit! 

“like being a part of the club was something bigger than us” 

    In my senior year of high school, I took on a more involved role becoming Diversity Chair. My role consisted of promoting diversity, prioritizing shedding light on different perspectives from people of color, and seeking out members from other cultures widely. Along with that, being a part of this club made me realize how important the merging of nature and literature can be. Discovering new authors, poets, and social activists and finding that connection through nature was something very inspiring. Everyone in the club had and still has such a bright and positive spirit that made me feel like being a part of the club was something bigger than us and putting our best foot forward towards something impactful for the environment. Through participating in different community-led events with Literary Garden, it felt natural for me to care about not only the environment around me, but the people I’m surrounded by.  

    Post Literary Garden, I find myself reflecting on the time that was spent in the club feeling proud of the work we did, but also hoping the years following after me do more and continue to lead community led events, care about the environment, prioritize real thinking, literature, and authentic art across all platforms.

WBHS POINTS OF VIEW SENIORS CELEBRATE EARTH DAY BY FUNDRAISING FOR TREES!

"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees." - The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss

Points of View Seniors Fundraise for Trees! 

Check out this article from The Oakland Press to see what our students have been up to for Earth Day 2022! 

Students were inspired to replace trees recently cut down to make room for a new mental hospital in West Bloomfield.

We are hoping to locate some land in West Bloomfield to plant a stand of 22 trees together as a legacy for the Class of 2022.

 If you can help, please let us know! 

Contact Ms. Jennifer Tianen (formerly McQuillan) at jennifer.tianen@wbsd.org. More on this initiative to come soon!

What's a "Literary Garden Club"? What do you do?

Two of our Exec Board Members explain what the Garden - and the Club - mean to them. 

"Impactful"

by Megan Neeley, Literary Garden Vice-President

Megan collecting postcards for Emily Dickinson's
birthday celebration in Amherst, MA (Dec 2019)

        Normally, a friend asking me to hang out, study, or spend time together would prompt me to say, “Sorry, I have swim practice.” However, once a week, I was able to say, “I’ve got a Literary Garden Club meeting.” This would usually lead to me trying to convince them to join us, but most are so unaware of how impactful the Literary Garden is, that they would just call me a nerd and walk away too quickly for me to respond.

I would have responded with a long list of how the garden has impacted me in ways no one could have imagined. Yes, it has enhanced my educational experience. Yes, it has given me a second family. Yes, it is a therapeutic experience to be in the garden. And yes, it has been an amazing club for allowing me, and others, to reach out to the community. But, overall, I have always loved reading, and to see authors physically shown in a garden that I am a small part of, is amazing. I mean, seeing Emily Dickinson’s work represented by the blooming and growing Harrison’s Yellow Rose brings a whole new perspective to how her work has also grown and stayed present in the lives of high school students, today. 

Emily Dickinson's roses, March 2021

“We have Harrison’s Yellow Roses to represent Emily Dickinson, a poet that has never failed to inspire me and my peers with her depictions of hope, love, life, and even death.”

Looking back, Emily Dickinson is how I became so invested in the garden, and the funny thing is, it has come full circle. I have come a long way from being a small freshman joining the club and learning about Emily Dickinson because I am now in and out of college admissions and scholarship interviews. 

Emily Dickinson's roses in full bloom (courtesy of Dr. Jane Eberwein, distinguished professor of English, emerita, Oakland University, and internationally renowned Dickinson scholar)

Matching boots!

    The one thing that is always consistent in these conversations is the fact that they glance over my resume and never fail to ask me about the Literary Garden. A lot of them have no idea what this could be, but by the time I finish explaining it, they all have forgotten their other run-of-the-mill questions, and are expressing how much they wished their high school had had something like this. Or, they ask me what an example of a plant is for an author, almost as if they do not believe I would know, or as if they think I simply overexaggerated the impact this club has had on me. This is where it has come full circle because I never fail to say that “we have Harrison’s Yellow Rose representing Emily Dickinson, a poet that has never failed to inspire me and my peers with her depictions of hope, love, life, and even death.”

Sunflowers for days! (Fall 2020)

So yes, to those that have no idea what this club entails, the Literary Garden Club may seem obsolete in the grand scheme of things, but trust me when I say, there is nothing in my high school experience that has already impacted my life outside of the four walls of WBHS like the Literary Garden has. 

Winter Walk (Feb 2021)

Megan Neeley is a junior at West Bloomfield High School who has applied for early college admission and will be graduating with the class of 2021 this June. She has been a member of the Literary Garden Club since she started at WBHS, and we are cheering her on as she begins this fresh new chapter in her life! We are so grateful for every post she created, every weed she pulled, every idea she's had, every minute she made time for us - Megan is a master of time management, an incredible student-athlete of the highest caliber, and is still one of the first to volunteer to take on a Garden-related project. 

We will miss you, Megan - as Emily Dickinson wrote to Samuel Bowles, "My friends are my 'estate.' Forgive me then the avarice to hoard them!" (ca. 1858 or 1859). 

"Grounded"

by Daniel Wisely, Literary Garden Committee Chair

Megan, Dan, and the other LGC students hosted Gerri Chopin Wendel, great-granddaughter of Kate Chopin, known best for her daring early feminist work The Awakening (March, 2020).

     Pivot. My least favorite word in that damned dictionary. It's a word that’s been overused to death in the past year. It’s a skill that’s become essential in our ever-changing world. Pivot used to be a Ross Geller reference and although it may lose me some Gen Z street cred, I know Friends quite well. When people say it today, I visualize David Schwimmer yelling at his friends beneath the weight of an oversized couch. We, as a society, are Ross Geller. Shouting commands at each other and just praying that something will work. We’re manifesting a way to get out of our sticky situation. The coronavirus is the couch. Big, heavy, and a royal pain in the butt. It’s become more than we expected it would be. For me, a three-week spring break amid a hectic sophomore year sounded like paradise. Little did I know this couch would continue to break my back over a year later. Despite my loathing for this horrible new concept of pivoting, one thing keeps me grounded: The Literary Garden. 

Fall clean up, 2020

I laugh when people ask me to explain the Lit Garden. How do you explain something that’s one of a kind? You don’t. You can’t. So instead, I flash a grin and say it’s a club at West Bloomfield High School. I note our connection with the Michigan Hemingway Society or list my favorite of the dozens of authors represented within our organization. The problem is…

that’s not Lit Garden. Not to me, at least. 

Poster making for Homecoming, Fall 2019

Hosting Kurt Vonnegut Museum Director of Education Max Goller
at the West Bloomfield Public Library, November 2019.

The Literary Garden is a safe haven. A calm within the storm. It’s getting dirt under your nails while, for the first time in your day, taking a breath. It’s sounding your barbaric yawp in the middle of the woods with a chai tea latte in your hands. It’s screaming questionable song lyrics at the top of your lungs with the people you love most. It’s euphoria and peace and warmth all wrapped up in a bow. 

Winter Walk, Feb 2021

As Uncle Walt said: “I am large. I contain multitudes.” I’m just thankful to be one of the multitudes the Lit Garden has the audacity to accept. I’m honored to live, breathe, laugh, love, and drink overpriced coffee with our lovely garden. 

Haunted Lit Garden, October 2019

Once again I beg you to make no mistake. It’s not a courtyard. It’s not a club. Hell, despite my frequent doubts, it’s more than a bunch of dorky teenagers coming together for an afternoon snack. The Literary Garden is a culture. A lifestyle. A connection to the Earth that will ebb and flow with every brave soul who wishes the opportunity. 

Fall clean up, October 2020

I reckon I don’t know if I’m ready to pivot again any time soon. Knowing myself, there will be some eye-rolling, some rated R words, and stress-induced Starbucks runs. I’m okay with that because one thing always brings me back: my connection to the garden. 

First fall meeting and clean up, September 2020

March 2021 - HOPEFUL!

It was there before I got to West Bloomfield and, assuming I do my part, it will be there long after I’m gone. For now, the garden and I continue to grow together. I sure hope you find a place to grow as unique and welcoming as mine. We’re a lucky bunch, us Lit Garden kids, always growing and exploring together. And if you’re reading this, maybe it's a sign to blossom with us.

Dan Wisely is a junior at West Bloomfield High School who can be seen here taste-testing Pearl Buck's (The Good Earth) West Virginia grapes. It appears we plucked them off of the vine a wee bit too early. Sour grapes indeed. 🍇🤣 Dan and his fellow rising seniors are looking forward to leading the Literary Garden Club next year and are actively looking for interested students to join them on the exec board and, as always, in the Garden. Ms. Tianen (some of you still call her McQ, and that's just fine) can be reached at jennifer.tianen@wbsd.org.

Join the WBHS Literary Garden Club! Fall 2020

 Welcome to the WBHS Literary Garden Club! 

We currently meet in the courtyard on Tuesdays from 2-3 PM - check in at the front doors and don't  forget to wear your mask!

In the past weeks we've been weeding the garden and decorating it for Halloween since so many staff members eat lunch out there. We thought it would boost morale!

As the weather turns colder, we are planning on some Walden Walks in the nature trails to take a much needed break from our devices. We'll connect with nature, sound our barbaric yawps, share some of our own poetry, take pictures, and enjoy some silence. Maybe we'll kick a ball around or find some interesting plants or animals out there. Stay tuned to our social media for the latest!

You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @wbhslitgarden

and on Facebook at West Bloomfield High School Literary Garden (@wbhsliterarygarden)

We can't wait 

to meet you!

Contact Ms. Tianen (McQuillan) 

for more information:

jennifer.tianen@wbsd.org

 

Welcome to the Garden, Fall 2019

Welcome to the WBHS Literary Garden, Fall 2019

By Literary Garden Club President 

Olivia Cannella, Class of 2020

Olivia takes pictures of the Garden after our August clean up. In the left foreground, guarded by Poe's raven, is the sedge.

The garden means patience to me. I was never a huge reader which then makes it very odd for an abstaining reader, as I was, to join a club about literature let alone subjugate myself to a whole year of reading old American literature in Honors American Literature. It might have taken me 15 years to get there, but that garden was waiting for me. I became enthralled with Edgar Allan Poe's “The Fall of the House of Usher” as the months passed, and I finally stopped making excuses for disliking every book we read. Poe was the first author to take me to visit the garden, to see his sedge. Sure, the garden had been there beforehand, but it was only then that it meant something to me, where I began to savour the time it took for his sedge to grow and his roses to bud. The garden had patience, it knew the plants would bloom when they were meant to and it knew I would arrive (in my own time) when I was meant to see it. I know the last thing I want to do is wait for something to come, but what a better way to teach me the beauty of time than a garden seeped in years of hard labor and tough love. 

Kurt Vonnegut's heart-shaped hydrangea from Cape Cod, MA. 

My goals for the club and the Garden this year are as follows: Increase the following and support the garden has throught the school on a student level and within the community--including the commitment of both. In addition, I want to involve the garden and its people in the daily lives of our students. This would mean hosting events that include the Literary Garden to celebrate it along with share it with others. Many times, kids don't take a second glance at the garden, thinking that "it's just a garden.” This year, I hope to open the door to others so that everyone can feel welcome as a part of the garden even without being a part of the club. Finally, I want to encourage growth at our daughter garden at Doherty Elementary School, the Junior Literary Garden. I know that with the success of the Junior Literary Garden, we will be able to share even more with the community as a whole. As kids, we were shown that a garden can bring a community together with Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman. Today, I think two gardens are a great start to do just that. 

The door is open to all!

Hello, Goodbye

Hello, Goodbye

by Mrinalini Gupta, outgoing Literary Garden Committee Chair (Class of 2019)

I would argue that procrastination is one of the fundamentals of the high school experience, and I have definitely procrastinated on writing this blog post. This time, however, it wasn’t for the thrill of cutting it close to the deadline, or even because it was an assignment that I had been dreading. It seemed like an impossible task: to condense into a single blog post the three years of everything the Literary Garden has been to me. 

As I wrote this, I found out that it truly was a Herculean task. How could I convey the passion and support of all the club members who showed up and showed out for the Haunted Literary Garden? They braved rain and mud with bright smiles even as noses ran and feathers drooped, and despite the unfavorable weather, they put together an amazing event. There was no way for me to fully convey all the laughter (I’m still laughing at “Poe-ka,” sweat (“this wasn’t a weed?!”), and tears (seeing  “Mothra” in real life was a pretty gnarly experience) that not only I, but everyone else connected to the Garden have invested in it. I have mulched and weeded and done all sorts of things in the Garden, and while I can’t say collecting a whole molehill’s worth of dirt under your nails counts as a great time, spending all that time in the Garden certainly was. This year we also inaugurated the Junior Literary Garden (much love for the amazing Ms. Bain!) and I could not think of more meaningful legacy to leave behind. 

The Garden has a special, undefinable quality that brings people together, and I’m so glad to have been part of a group of such warm, supportive, genuinely wonderful people. They have taught me the strength of teamwork and the power of caring (and also, fun fact, that those “weeds” are actually little baby sunflowers—oops!). Most of all, being a part of the Garden has shown me that if you only have the courage to dream and the bravery to follow it, you can work wonders. 

It seems only yesterday that I was a tenth grader, sitting under the pear tree and discussing Their Eyes Were Watching God. As the flowers in the Garden start to blossom once again, my time in the Literary Garden draws to a close. However, I know that I will continue to carry the three years’ worth of memories, laughter, and love that I have experienced by being a part of the Literary Garden with me always.