“Tzivia Gover tells us that according to the educator, Paulo Freire, ‘It is impossible to teach without the courage to love.’ In this beautifully written memoir, Gover musters up the courage to love her students despite the often difficult differences between them. By having the pregnant and parenting teens in her classroom learn to read, write, and recite poetry, Gover exposes her students to a whole new world. Upon reading their poetry, Gover is exposed to a whole new world as well.
Learning in Mrs. Towne’s House is a testimony to the power of poetry. Reading it will enrich your life.”
— LeslĂ©a Newman, Poet Laureate, Northampton, MA 2008-2010
Tzivia Gover is the author of Mindful Moments for Stressful Days (Storey Books). She received her MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Columbia University and her work has appeared in The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and The Christian Science Monitor, among others. She teaches poetry to teen mothers at The Care Center, which is located in Elizabeth Towne’s former home in Holyoke, Massachusetts. She is still learning from her students, and from Mrs. Towne, whose spirit continues to infuse the classrooms at The Care Center. The ninth volume of Nautilus II, the center’s poetry journal, was recently published.
