The Literary Magazine of the YWCA Teen Parent ProgramRichard Alan Spiegel - Editor Barbara Fisher ~ Designer Thomas Perry & Tara Harrington - Interns Mary Weidenborner ~ Clinical Director Brenda Giscombe - Site Teacher Debra Gibson & ~ Yvette Torres-Montalvo - The Lincwany Magazine Social’ Workers of the YWCA Teen Parent Prognas Denise. Minton = October/November 1987 Program Assistant Page 3-4 Josie & John 19 Felicia Crawford & Sherri & Aurea 20-21 Judy Quinones 6-9 Elizabeth Linell Williams, 22-23 Arlene Santiago Rufina Sanchez Espada, 25 Arlene Santiageo Alex Maldonado, Alex- Felicia Crawford ander Maldonado 26 Sylvia Winbush 11 Rufina Sanchez 27 Rufina Sanchez 12 Beatrice Davis 28 Beatrice Davis 13 Daphne Sanford, Lyn- 29 Judy Quinones ette Hardness, 30 Arlene Santiago Aurea E. Castillo 31 John Fox 15 Sonji G, Judy Quinones 16 Daphne, Elisa Ayala 17 Beatrice Davis, Marie 18 Sylvia Winbush Richard Organisciak - Principal Dr. Marcia Shelton-Brevot - Acting Superintendent Publication by The Waterways Project was made possible . with funding support from the NYG Board of Education, the New York State Council on the Arts:& Con Edison © 1987 The Waterways Project; Dear Penpal : Hi. My name is John Vero. I'm Italian from Brooklyn. I'm 17 years old. I'm looking for a penpal with * some intelligence. Somebody who likes to have Bey fun and somebody with a good personality. I like to listen to music, disco; | love fancy cars and | like to play all sports. -I love partying. Right now | am in a program called Odyssey House:. | have been here fifteen months and | am getting ready to move back home in a couple of months. What a relief from being in this place. Patiently waiting, John Dear John: Hello. My name is-Josie. | live in the Bronx and I'm 17 years old. [| was born in the Bronx. My father is from P.R. and my mother is from D.R. I'm single. | don't go out at all and everything is boring. During some holidays | go to California. That's where | really have fun. Right now, I'm trying to finish whatever I'm doing now, then maybe I'll go back to L.A. | was supposed to go to San Francisco, but | heard it's too boring. Maybe in the future I'll move to Beverly . Hills. That's if | finish what I'm doing. Don't think I'm ugly and that's why | don't even go out. I'm all right and | know that cause a lot of guys ask me out. And | always say no. | also like fancy cars and | would like to know what's Odyssey House? | know how you feel being there- in the DUMPS. Well, John, | would like to hear more about yourself. Your Penpal, Josie Stttetteeee steed ete te, y Dear Josie: What's up? So you like it in Cali- 7} fornia! | like it there too. My father lives there. | usually go there every summer. | }} usually go to North Hollywood. It's nice there.Odyssey House is a therapeutic community for people who were drug users. This place is real boring. at least now | can go out when I want and do what | want because | am at the highest level of the program, getting ready to graduate. For the first three levels you have to answer to other people and do what they te!l you. I'm glad I'm getting ready to graduate. This program did a lot of good for me. | am drug free almost 16 months. | look really good. | have my G.E.D. I'm starting college in February. | got my permit to drive and a lot of other good stuff. Well, let me go. Be good and write back. | just have one question. You mentioned in your letter - when you finish what you're doing. What are you doing? Your friend, —™ John ¥Hello: My name is Sherri. | am from Brooklyn, New York. | am 21 years old. | have a 5 year old baby girl. She is very beautiful and | love her a lot. | am also now with child. | am very excited about this baby. | have for a long time wanted a next child. | am also happy with all my circumstances. | am engaged to an older man and | love him a whole bunch. Right now | am living in a drug rehabilitation community. | finally decided to get my life together and | am very proud of myself for making that positive and what | feel to be a very much well thought-out decision.: | have been living here for a good 7 to 8 weeks. | like it here a lot. My family here is very to- gether and we all love each other and are - concerned that each of us does the right things as far as getting our lives together and separately and as individuals. | am not able to go to school here because | have my G.E.D. diploma already. But | am allowed in the computer class hoping to form a penpal relationship with an equally pos- itive female who is not seeking to find love, but who is already content in the romance department as | am. | could share my feelings with you and we would discuss being a young parent and the trials and tribulations of being young and faith~ fully in love. Goodbye, take care, Sherri Dear Sherri: Hi! How are: you? I'm going to start y talking about myself. My name is Aurea, but all ‘my friends call me Aury. So you can call me Aury. |'m 18 years old and | have a 1 year old son. He's the light of my eyes. He's so gorgeous too. | see him with the eyes of the heart, right? [ja, ja, ja.] But it's true. He's very nice and cute. | love him so much. Well, you have a daughter. So you know already how big is a mother's love. Well, | already talked a lot of me. Now | want to know more about you and tell you that I'm so glad about you. . Love, PS. Write to me soon. Aury 5Dear Penpal:! am 21 years old. I'm from Staten Island. | have a drug problem | hope to recover from soon. I'm making an effort to do so by attending Odyssey House. | abused drugs badly enough that | feel the need to change. | also would enjoy having a pen pal. | feel the need to change. | also would enjoy having a penpal who likes music, singing, dancing and most of all - sports. My favorite foods are pizza, Chinese food, and Mc- Donalds. My favorite colors are all blues. I'm interested in a penpal who likes the same things and who is intelligent and has a sense of humor. As for me, I'm 121 pounds, have light colored skin and am 5'5" tall. [| also like going out to movies, plays and other exciting events. As for you...| hope to hear from you real soon. By the way, I'm an Aries and my name is Eliz~ abeth Linell Williams. Dear Penpal: | aman 18 year old mother of 4 boys. | live on the West Side of Manhattan. | am married (bad luck!)...just kidding. Well, as you see, | also like to joke around even tho | am sometimes sad. | don't s{mean that | am sad. | am happy most of the “time. Well, | have in the past messed around with drugs, but now | am a very happy woman and mother. | feel very good and happy for you, for youroourage in changing your way of living. | also like music, singing, dancing, and | kave learned to like sports. When | was in junior high school | was on a few teams like soccer, basketball, vollyball and baseball. | love pizza and I'll die for Chinese food (because | am expecting another baby). As you can see | can't go to Mc Donalds cause | can't eat that kind of food. No offence. lam just pregnant. | am 170 pounds and | am a tan oolor. Like you, | like to go to the movies, plays and exciting events. I'd just to hear from you soon. | am a scorpio. And my name is Rufina Sanchez Espada.Dear Ladies: My name is Alex Maldonado. | am 20 years old and | am the father of one. Most of my teenage life | abused drugs, but now | want to do something about it. | go to Daytop and | feel very good. My weight is 156 pounds and | have brown hair and brown eyes. | am 5'9" and | like-to play softball and basketball. | like to go out danc- ing and | also like to go out for dinner in a fancy restaurant. i. Excuse me, but | have to go now. Please write back. Yours truly, Alex Maldonado Dear Rufina: As you should, know, my name is Elizabeth. | am glad to hear from you. It's alright to kid around because | seem to do that a lot also. To know you're a mother is fantastic. | have no children, but | plan to have my own soon. | see we have a lot in common as far as things we like to do. Too bad you can't eat at McDon- alds. But if you can't because you're pregnant, then don't. | have a craving for Chinese food every once in a while too. I'm glad you liked to hear from me and accepted me as your pen- pal.|'m writing you back and I'd just love to hear from you again too. So until then, take care and have a healthy baby. OK. : “ Always, HEC EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHE EERE HEHEHE Dear Elizabeth: | was very happy to hear from you. | am very very happy. | love to hear from you. So don't you ever stop writing to me. | some- times feel lonely, not lonely as in being alone. be- cause | have my kids and my boyfriend, but I ould like to have a friend to talk to even if it's only by computer. | am going to tell you something. You are a human being. You wonder if-| might not want to hear from you. | know that some people are so inhuman that