Why did you choose this remix strategy? How does it address a challenge or opportunity in your context? Because of the pandemic, our in-person programming has been limited and not very well attended. I’ve been offering Take and Makes for teens for a while and I’ve heard from teens that they appreciate them. I also know there are regular patrons who like to hangout in the branch and want something to do/make while they’re here. There are many times where I can’t be at the children’s/teen staff desk so by offering Take and Makes and passive programming, I’m able to offer the activity without needing to be physically present to facilitate.

Did you create any example projects for this prompt? Please describe. [In the playtesting phase] I made a Found Poem from street names and digitally collaged the poem with a map. I made a fantasy-map version of the floorplan of my library, using inkarnate.com. I made a Street Renaming “poem” by tracing streets of Sparta and renaming some for Missouri musicians. I made a couple other examples along the way, which weren’t directly related to these prompts but helped me figure out some ideas.

What went well? What was challenging? It was a little challenging for me to pare down my ideas into a concise activity. I definitely made things a little complicated by pursuing the Take and Makes and in-person passive at the same time (I think this might have confused patrons a little). I think when I was at the desk and could explain things/talk up the project in an exciting way, patrons were more likely to grab a kit or participate. Most of the teens I talked to were really interested and happy to try it out. I really encouraged teens to bring back anything they made to share with me, because I didn’t have another good mechanism to see their work.

What did you celebrate? I celebrated patrons noticing connections between Spatial Poetry and subjects they’re passionate about- especially local history, creative writing, and visual art.

Which of the PLIX facilitation techniques did you use or think about while planning this remix activity, if any? While I was planning this activity, the facilitation techniques I had most on my mind were “Frame activities to encourage creative possibilities,” “Curate a set of diverse example projects,” and “Celebrate the learning process.” I tried to carefully create examples that were inspiring but opened up wider possibilities.

Are there any activity-specific facilitation tips that you used with patrons? In the language I used in my zine remix and in talking to patrons, I tried to highlight the process of close looking (at maps/place names) and the value of each patron’s unique perspective.

What advice would you give facilitators planning to do this remix at their libraries? Making lots of different examples that connect with various aspects of your community is a good idea, and I’d recommend having a variety of map sources. This project was really enjoyable for me to work on and I think my kind of silly excitement helped encourage patrons to participate, so definitely find a way to implement this that is most exciting to you!