Press
“There are those among us who are doing vitally important work. Merna Ann Hecht is a bright light among those wonder-workers. She has been working for many years with refugee, immigrant, and asylum-seeking students in the Seattle area on projects called Stories of Arrival and WORD TRAVELS Refugee and Immigrant Poetry Projects. I first learned about her work through a mutual friend, Karen Cushman. Merna has been dedicated to these project for more than 16 years.”
- Vicki Palmquist, Bookology Magazine
The Foster High School Multilingual students in this WORD Travels poetry and visual arts project worked with Teaching Artists Merna Ann Hecht and Amaranta Ibarra Sandys Their artful self portraits were created under the guidance of Amaranta and their poetry was guided by Merna. The project took place in Hongyan Newton's Multilingual Learners classroom. Special thanks for project support to the Institute of Poetic Medicine Palo Alto, CA and the Community of St. Peter, Cleveland, OH. Shunpike: Empowering Artists is the fiscal agency for WORD Travels.
“Each year, I look forward to the most recent collection of poetry and art from The Stories of Arrival: Refugee and Immigrant Youth Voices Poetry Project. Since 2009, Merna Ann Hecht, founder and co-director, and Carrie Stradley, co-director, have worked with teens in the Seattle schools”
- Vicki Palmquist, Bookology Magazine
“We Are the Future comes directly from the Stories of Arrival Poetry Project out of Foster High School in Tukwila, Washington. Collecting poetry broadsides from refugee and immigrant youth, We Are the Future gives students a chance to tell their story in their own words and art. We asked Merna to tell us a little more about We Are the Future and the Stories of Arrival Project.”
- Gorham Printing
Stories of Arrival: Refugee & Immigrant Youth Voices. Poems by Foster High School Students, Washington
Merna Ann Hecht is a poet, teaching artist, essayist, and nationally known storyteller. Her writing, activism, and teaching are guided by honoring diverse voices through story and poetry toward creating communities of welcome and belonging. From 2009 to 2021, she founded and co-directed the Stories of Arrival: Refugee and Immigrant Youth Voices Poetry Project at Foster High School in Tukwila.
Our Highline Voices KQWZ Merna Hecht
Merna inspires with her love of carefully chosen, meaningful words, and her deep commitment to human rights. I’ve been brought to tears witnessing the fruits of her work
—SALLY J. FOX, PH.D., WRITER, PERFORMER, CONSULTANT