Julie Powell
Stephen Haff was my first boss in New York City, when I came here to intern at the great New Dramatists, and a more nurturing, sensitive, and mentoring boss one couldn’t possibly have asked for. He brings all of his best qualities – blazing intelligence, deep empathy, patience and gentleness and a love for the power of language – to this simple yet ambitious experiment in writing, community, and alternative learning, Still Waters.
Far more than simply promoting literacy, Stephen, along with the parents, writers, and most of all the kids themselves with whom he as worked, has built a nurturing community, a forum for expression, and a fun and safe space for gaining both independence and a growing sense of respect for others. During the afternoon I spent with these kids, writing, eating, playing, and getting to know one another, I was impressed not just with the educational opportunity Still Waters was providing, but with how Stephen has harnessed the enthusiasms and personalities of every single one of these young individuals to make them all into a family. Even the youngest of them had a passion for writing, and maybe more impressively, for listening to the writing of others. And the oldest, men and women in their early twenties, clearly still felt that they had a place in this small, bright rooms, and still took joy in sharing their dreams. One young man who has been working with Stephen for years had just gotten into college, another woman was planning to open a hair salon; both of them came to Still Waters with their news, and to pass on the feelings of support they obviously feel to the kids that have come after them.
It was one of the most extraordinary afternoons I have ever spent; I can honestly say I’ve never seen an organization make such a tangible difference to so many with so little. When I think of what a more fully supported Still Waters could accomplish with Stephen Haff at the helm, my heart quite literally beats faster.
Oh, and the pizza is pretty great, too.