Deborah Landau
Stephen Haff is a genius teacher who has created a truly miraculous space for at-risk children in Bushwick. I was extraordinarily moved by the afternoon I spent at Still Waters in a Storm with these inspired and inspiring children. What happens at Still Waters is utopian. The room is warm and welcoming and bursting with energy. There is food to share. There are books. There is music and free play and laughter and plenty of comfortable sofas to lounge on. The children are transfixed by Haff, and when it’s time to get to work everyone in the room is completely absorbed by the reading and writing at hand. The quality of listening in the room, in particular, is exceptional. The children were so open — both to receiving the poems I brought to share that day and in responding in kind with their own magnificent writing. If only there were more sanctuaries like this one. Stephen Haff has designed a one-of-a-kind school with life-changing, world-changing potential; Still Waters in a Storm is a vital organization deserving of our most generous support.