If you’re a tween, teen, or a cool adult who loves one, get over to the library and pick up your copy of Field Notes! Inside you’ll find all kinds of prompts that invite you to express yourself in writing, or art, or both.
What’s so cool about expressing yourself? It’s proven that playing this way makes you healthier. You may even notice a shift in your mood for the better. Field Notes gives you new ways to think. Watch out! As you explore yourself through the Field Notes, you might just grow your confidence.
Field Notes are different from a straight-up journal. They invite you to observe your thinking like an anthropologist. They ask you to take off your judge robes and be a witness of your own life. And the only rule? On these pages, you are the boss of how you respond.
Some of the prompts start with a quote or a poem. There are prompts that ask you to imagine, to consider an idea, to remember, or to create. You might build a fantasy, or react to someone’s transformation.
You’ll read voices of youth from community organizations like tTucson Village Farm, Ironwood Tree Experience, Owl & Panther, and the University of Arizona Museum of Art. There’s a shout-out to the University of Arizona Poetry Center and of course the Pima County Public Library who made this project possible. All of these places offer youth chances to inspire themselves.
You can do Field Notes alone. You can do Field Notes with someone who makes you feel brave. You can use the pages to spark meaningful conversations. Give Field Notes a try! We think you’re going to like it. The book is spiral-bound so it lies flat when you’re drawing or writing in it. It’s small so it’s easy to take with you. And the design of the pages? I hope you agree that Carolina Caples’ work is amazing! I’m thrilled to see her vision for my words. Bowing also to Stephanie Mitchell who was my library guide and invaluable partner in this project.
Field Notes: Exploring You! is Pima County Public Library’s spark for teens for summer. Find Field Notes at your local branch. And who knows, as you explore on these pages, you just may discover and unleash your superpower!
