Calling all middle school writers!

The Wren’s Nest will host its first-ever Scribes Summer Camp from July 10-14. Over the course of five days, students will dive into the craft of writing and sharpen their skills in a workshop led by a local teaching artist. Each camp day will also feature guest speakers who will share how writing has shaped their careers as journalists, authors, communications professionals, and beyond. Camp will conclude with a Scribes Showcase where students can share their creative talents with family and friends. We can’t wait to welcome youth writers to our campus this summer!

This camp is intended for rising 6th-8th graders and is limited to 15 students.

Camp Details

Location: The Wren’s Nest, 1050 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd SW, Atlanta, GA 30310

Schedule: Monday, July 10 – Friday, July 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Registration: Camp tuition is $300 per camper. For an additional $75 fee, families can register campers for aftercare, offered from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. each day.

Supplies: Students will be provided with notebooks and writing utensils – no other devices needed!

For more information, please click the registration button below. Camp is limited to 15 students, and registration will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis. For questions, please contact us at chair@wrensnest.org.

Register for Camp

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Job Summary: 

Reporting to the Director of Operations, the Museum Docent will greet and check in visitors, lead guided tours, and support all guest experience aspects of the house museum. We seek docents with a passion for our mission and for cultivating welcoming, memorable, and hospitable experiences for museum visitors. This is a contract position of $15/hour for four hours each Saturday, plus private tours as they are scheduled (typically on weekday mornings and afternoons). 

About the House Tour:

By exploring each room of The Wren’s Nest, the historic home of a noteworthy American writer, tour takers will learn about the life of Joel Chandler Harris, the significance of the Brer Rabbit folktales in American literature, and trends in Atlanta history encapsulated by the city’s oldest house museum.

About The Wren’s Nest / Joel Chandler Harris Association:

The Wren’s Nest, the historic home of author and journalist Joel Chandler Harris, is a cultural center, house museum, and National Historic Landmark in Atlanta’s West End neighborhood. Our mission is to preserve storytelling traditions, cultivate the next generation of readers and writers, and celebrate self-expression through educational and cultural programming, including house tours, live storytelling performances, free book programs, youth writing programs, and special events. The Wren’s Nest is operated by the Joel Chandler Harris Association, a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

Responsibilities:

• Greet guests and facilitate the check-in process via Eventbrite and/or process walk-up admission transactions via Square.
• Serve as primary house docent, delivering tours, interpreting museum collections, and interacting with all guests in a positive and engaging manner.
• Support the Director of Operations with administrative and facilities tasks as needed, including light cleaning, trash removal, organizing supplies, etc. 

Qualifications:

Must be a people person who can diplomatically interact with a wide range of people who have different views. This position requires walking and standing for extended periods of time. 

Specific requirements include:

• Strong interpersonal skills; comfortable managing group dynamics, different personalities, and a variety of backgrounds and perspectives 
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in a wide range of contexts
• Demonstrates integrity, punctuality, professionalism, and a positive attitude
• Demonstrates resilience and flexibility in a fast-paced environment  

Candidates with an interest in arts and culture, historic preservation, museum studies, and/or community engagement are encouraged to apply! 

This is a contract position of $15/hour for four hours each Saturday, plus private tours as scheduled.  

The Wren’s Nest is committed to non-biased hiring practices. The application for this job consists of a short written work task. Please email operations@wrensnest.org to express your interest. No phone calls, please.

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An actor, puppeteer, and a 2012 Governor’s Arts & Humanities Awardee, Akbar visited the Nest for the first time in 1985 and heard that it was looking for storytellers. He volunteered and became our storyteller-in-residence, entertaining countless visitors to the house and students at numerous schools over the last five decades. Usually dressed in a colorful dashiki, Akbar delighted in making connections between the Uncle Remus tales and African folktales, especially in his telling of the Angolan tale “Smart Turtle.”

Akbar was a critical figure in the transition of the Wren’s Nest into a more welcoming and culturally inclusive institution. We were so happy for him this fall when the National Association of Black Storytellers honored him with its Zora Neale Hurston Award for lifetime achievement, given to those who demonstrate a long-term commitment and contribution to the preservation and perpetuation of African American folklore.

Akbar Imhotep will always be part of our story at the Wren’s Nest. We send our love and deepest condolences to his family and to his fellow storytellers.

On our YouTube channel, you can revisit some of Akbar’s performances, in addition to an interview we conducted with him in 2020 in honor of his 35th year with The Wren’s Nest.

Thank you, Akbar.

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The Wren’s Nest’s iconic front porch and interior rooms will be festooned with decorations designed and installed by Old World Christmas Master Decorator Sarah Dyne to create a period-inspired and photo-worthy holiday experience. 

During guided architecture tours, visitors will step back in time and discover how Atlanta’s oldest house museum, built over a century ago, transformed over the years to become the special place that the Harris family called home from 1881 to 1908.

On each event date at 1pm, our professional storytellers will perform folktales and holiday stories to be enjoyed with cookies and hot chocolate. Gwendolyn Napier will perform on Nov. 26 and Dec. 3. On Dec. 17, Akbar Imhotep’s performance will be followed by a children’s book reading and cookie decorating craft led by Angeline Brew of Simply Angeline.

Special tour rates apply, and advanced registration is highly encouraged. All ticket sales will support The Wren’s Nest, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that preserves storytelling traditions, cultivates the next generation of readers and writers, and celebrates self-expression.

Home for the Holidays Schedule: 

For each date, tours will begin on the hour and half-hour from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase on Eventbrite. 

• Saturday, November 26, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Saturday, December 3, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Saturday, December 17, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

(Please note that The Wren’s Nest is closed on Saturday, December 10 for filming)

The Wren’s Nest is supported in part by the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, Georgia Humanities, and the Georgia Council for the Arts through appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. Georgia Council for the Arts also receives support from its partner agency – the National Endowment for the Arts.

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As a primary function of Arts & Culture, the CFS program provides unrestricted general operating and project support to nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations, arts & culture organizations, cultural institutions, colleges, and universities, as well as units of government that produce or present ongoing arts programming for the general public. In addition, the CFS program seeks to improve the cultural health of individuals, with a special emphasis on youth, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and underserved communities.

With the support of Fulton County, we can continue to offer programs and events that enrich the cultural landscape and the lives of our neighbors and visitors.

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These in-person workshops are open to middle-grade students in Georgia. Spaces are limited, and admission will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis. For each workshop, a $10 registration fee includes workshop attendance, museum admission, a notebook and writing utensil, and light refreshments.

Learn more about each workshop below + sign up for your spot(s). We can’t wait to see you this fall!

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

View the workshop description and instructor bio on each Eventbrite page.

• Saturday, September 10, 10:00-11:30 a.m. – “Writing (Im)Possible Worlds” with Ra’Niqua Lee – REGISTER HERE
• Saturday, September 24, 10:00-11:30 a.m. – “Word of Mouth Stories” with Deborah Strahorn – REGISTER HERE
• Saturday, October 8, 10:00-11:30 a.m. – “Finding Your Writing Voice” with Necole Gibbs – REGISTER HERE
• Saturday, October 22, 10:00-11:30 a.m. – “Illustration and Story” with Ross Boone – REGISTER HERE
• Saturday, November 5, 10:00-11:30 a.m. – “The Art of the Interview” with Kamille Whittaker – REGISTER HERE

KEY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Are students required to sign up for all five workshops? Is this a sequential workshop series?

No. These workshops are offered “a la carte.” Sign up for one to two that interest you, or all five–you get to choose your own adventure! 

How will drop-off and pick-up work? 

Drop-off and pick-up will be on the Wren’s Nest front porch. Parents/guardians must sign their students in and out before and after the workshop. If someone other than a student’s parent or legal guardian picks them up, we require prior written notice.

What do students need to bring?

We will provide notebooks and writing utensils for students. No devices are necessary!

Who is leading the workshops?

We are excited to partner with professional local writers, each of whom brings deep knowledge and experience to the classroom. Each workshop registration page includes a teacher bio. Wren’s Nest staff will also be onsite to greet students and parents/guardians and facilitate a smooth workshop experience. 

How big are the workshops?

In order to facilitate a meaningful learning experience that fits our unique venue, each workshop will have a maximum capacity of 15 students.

What can students expect to leave the workshop with?

Each workshop agenda contains generative writing exercises and prompts, as well as time for breakout discussions and activities. While you may not leave with a fully-written new story, you’ll go home with plenty of ideas to keep the writing going after class! 

Are there financial aid opportunities?

If the workshop registration fee is prohibitive, please contact us at chair@wrensnest.org. We would be happy to explore options with you. 

What is your refund policy?

In the event that your student cannot attend a workshop, the registration fee may be refunded if your student’s place can be filled. Refunds will not be issued for cancellations submitted during the 48 hours leading up to a workshop occurrence.

How long is the museum open? Can my student take a tour after the workshop?

The Wren’s Nest is open for historic house tours on Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m, with a performance by a professional storyteller at 1:00 p.m. Admission for students is included with workshop registration. For parents, guardians, and other guests, museum admission can be purchased here. Admission fees directly support our operations as a nonprofit organization–thank you for your support!

This Scribes Youth Writing Workshop series is sponsored by Publix Super Markets Charities and made possible with support from the Homestead Foundation. 

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After Joel Chandler Harris died in 1908, the Wren’s Nest, Harris’ home since 1881 and where he wrote the Uncle Remus stories, was purchased by the Uncle Remus Memorial Fund (later to become the Uncle Remus Memorial Association). According to a 1909 newspaper article, the purpose of the memorial fund was to turn the house into a memorial to Joel Chandler Harris. The fundraising was led by Mrs. A. Mcd. Wilson, the President of the Uncle Remus Memorial Association (URMA). The article described Wilson as “one of the most prominent clubwomen in the South.” She was involved in many Atlanta women’s organizations, serving as the President of the Gulf States Department of the Young Woman’s Christian Association, The Atlanta Woman’s Club, the Confederated Southern Memorial Association, Junior Memorial Association, and as the Vice President for the Georgia division of the United Daughters of Confederacy. She was also the regent of the Georgia division of the Daughters of the American Revolution. There are a few scholars or journals that detail her affiliation with Atlanta’s history, including her federation with the Wren’s Nest via the URMA, which has a deeply racist past.

In the book Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage, Mrs. A. Mcd. Wilson is known as Margaret Adeline O’Connor Wilson. She was born in Georgia in 1856. Her husband, Arthur McDermotte Wilson, also known as A.Mcd.Wilson was the President of a grocery company on Howell Mill Road. Arthur Wilson was born in Ireland and came to the United States in the 1870s. The couple got married in 1875, and he died in 1925. They had one child, a son named Arthur McDermotte Wilson Jr. Margaret Wilson lived the majority of her life in Georgia, and she died on August 19, 1942, at the age of 87.

Since Wilson was the President of the Uncle Remus Memorial Association, she was a significant contributor to the Wren’s Nest and its history. She was the one seeking support and donations from Harris’s friends, such as Theodore Roosevelt and Andrew Carnegie, to support the creation of the museum.

Additionally, Wilson advocated for the funding to buy the Snap Beam Farm that later became part of the Wren’s Nest campus. The purpose of the Snap Bean Farm was to be a playground. In 1909, Wilson created the famous May Day Festival, during which the May Queen was crowned, which was an annual tradition until the 1980s (and May Day Queens are still commemorated on the May Queen Walk on the back lawn of the Wren’s Nest campus). According to local newspaper coverage, the May Day Festival started in Atlanta and used to be a custom for children each spring, but the tradition died out after the Civil War. Additionally, the annual Joel Chandler Harris Birthday Celebration, which many Southern states recognize, was started by Wilson and the URMA as a way to celebrate Harris’s life and writing. 

Though Wilson participated in many women’s organizations focusing on progressive issues, such as fighting for child labor laws and public school education access, she remained a strong supporter of uplifting the history of the Confederacy in Atlanta and maintaining the traditions of the Old South. As stated before, Wilson was the Vice President for the Georgia division of the United Daughters of Confederacy (UDC). The UDC hosted meetings, events, and tea parties at the Wren’s Nest. She had her own chapter, Margaret A. Wilson’s Chapter, which was the chapter for the Children of the Confederacy (COC). The Snap Bean Farm was intended to be a chapter house for the COC.  

While Wilson wanted to preserve the Wren’s Nest because of Harris’s writing and its impact on American literature, operating the Wren’s Nest as a house museum became a way for Wilson and URMA to uphold the Lost Cause ideology of the “Old South,” especially during the “New South” era, when the economies of many Southern states began to industrialize following the Civil War. Further, as many African Americans came to Atlanta for opportunities, White  Atlantans commonly argued that they were taking jobs from the white laborers and also blamed Black Atlantans for problems like crime in the city. The Uncle Remus stories captured for readers like Wilson an idyllic version of the Old South before the Civil War, when Black Americans were enslaved, the agriculture economy thrived, and people lived simple lives free of crime. Like many white Americans, Wilson saw Black Americans as the root of the problems in Atlanta; especially during the time of the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot, during which many Black men were accused of assaulting white women, inciting a white mob that destroyed  Black homes and businesses and ultimately killed dozens of Black Atlantans.  

In an Atlanta Georgian newspaper, Wilson was asked about her thoughts on the cause of the Atlanta Race Riot of 1906 and the solutions. Wilson blamed African Americans for the alleged assaults on white women. As she stated, “The immediate cause, in my opinion, was the numerous assault upon white women, which have occurred with terrifying frequency within the last weeks.” She also described African Americans as being uneducated: “As it is very obvious, these assaults have been committed by the younger generation, the so-called educated class or rather the class which has the opportunity for education.” To her, the solution to prevent these issues was to have law and order. 

Margaret Wilson’s racist views against Black people and allowing the UDC to host their meetings at the Wren’s Nest aligned with how the URMA operated, including when the association was renamed the Joel Chandler Harris Memorial Association (JCHMA) and was managed by the same women. The JCHMA still enforced a segregation policy at the museum and would not allow Black visitors inside the house, even after the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Even through forced integration, the JCHMA still held on to its racist management until the Association was disbanded in 1983, and an organization that currently operates the museum, the Joel Chandler Harris Association (JCHA), was formed in 1984.  

As stated before, being the President of the Uncle Remus Memorial Association, Wilson oversaw the preservation of the Wren’s Nest as a house museum, created the annual May Day Festival hosted at the house, and influenced the city of Atlanta to celebrate Joel Chandler Harris’s birthday each year. Her achievements can be understood and even appreciated but must be considered alongside her racist views of African Americans and her endorsement of the Lost Cause ideology, including her affiliations with numerous Confederacy organizations. Deeper research into Wilson, her peers, and the history of the Wren’s Nest allows the museum to tell a more complete story of this unique landmark that will observe 110 years of operation as a museum in 2023–for those who visit us today and well into the future.

Sources:

“Mrs. Wilson of Atlanta to Promote Interest in Snap Bean Farm,” Richmond Palladium Daily, August 23, 1909.

“Mrs. A. McD. Wilson: Leader of the Movement to Perpetuate the Name of Uncle Remus,” The Jeffersonian, Atlanta, Ga, August 25, 1910.

 “North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000,” digital images s.v “Margaret Adeline O’Connor Wilson.” Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/2207514:61157

Misses Mead, photographer, “Arthur McD. Wilson Residence” Photograph. Atlanta, Ga: Atlanta History Photograph Collection. From Kenan Research Center, Atlanta History Center. https://album.atlantahistorycenter.com/digital/collection/athpc/id/1

“1900 United States Federal Census,” digital images s.v “Margarett A Wilson. Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/15093816:7602

“Georgia, U.S., Death Index, 1919-1998,” digital images s.v M A Wilson. Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/796715:5426

“Uncle Remus Memorial Association to seek funds to buy Snap Bean Farm.” The Wren’s Nest Archives, Atlanta, Georgia.

“Uncle Remus’ Birthday Celebrated,” The Atlanta Georgian, December 8, 1914.

Rebekah Tamar Helfgot, “The Wren Nest: An Atlanta Landmark Reclaimed” (M.A., University of Georgia, Athens, 2016), 32..

“Atlanta Is Swept By A Raging Mob Due To Assaults On White Women,” Atlanta Constitution, September 25, 1906. If you want to read more about the Atlanta Race Riot of 1906, read The Atlanta Riot : Race, Class, and Violence in a New South City by Gregory Mixon.

“What Some Prominent Atlanta Women Think Of The Causes and Remedies For The Present Trouble,” Atlanta Georgian, September 24, 1906.

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In the first half of this year, we have welcomed visitors from across the city, state, country, and globe – including Russia and Trinidad. We’ve hosted a National Poetry Month reading, a photography exhibit, a moderated conversation about Atlanta’s history and future, and even a porch party for our West End neighbors. Soon you’ll be able to enjoy jazz concerts in our backyard, a Little Free Library in our front yard, youth writing workshops, and much more. 

There isn’t a space quite like ours in any other part of the city or state. We are collecting memories from those who know us best to help us tell our story (including on our website and social media channels). To submit your favorite Wren’s Nest memory, click here.

As Atlanta’s oldest house museum, we are still standing because our community has and continues to believe in our mission to preserve storytelling traditions, cultivate the next generation of readers and writers, and celebrate self-expression. You can help support this space for stories by making a donation today.

I warmly invite you to reach out to learn more about what we’re up to in 2022 and beyond. I am always available at chair@wrensnest.org. 

Thank you for helping us write our exciting next chapter. 

-Paige Sullivan, Board Chair, The Wren’s Nest

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Over the last year, we were able to…

• Revise our mission statement, organizational focus, and website.
• Breathe new life into our fundraising efforts in partnership with Purpose Possible. We are so grateful to have received support from the Abreu Foundation, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, the City of Atlanta, and the Homestead Foundation in 2021! The Wren’s Nest is also now an Amazon Smile affiliate.
• Forge partnerships with organizations like LEAD Atlanta, Tech Soup, and the University of Georgia to strengthen our organizational capacity and imagine new exhibits and programs for the community to enjoy.
• Initiate two free early childhood book programs in our neighborhood, thanks to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and GEEARS’ Mayor’s Summer Reading Program.
• Refresh our signature house tours and curate themed storytelling hours that celebrated African American history, women’s history, and Atlanta’s history.
• Produce new community events, from a Juneteenth celebration and National Black Arts Festival programs to a fine art photography exhibit, One Day Soon Come, by artist Tokie Rome-Taylor.

As a cultural attraction, site of historic significance, and community center that celebrates storytelling and self-expression, programs and efforts like these wouldn’t be possible without supporters like you.

Please consider making a gift to sustain this special space and the stories we share here.

In addition to newsletters like this one, stay in touch with us on social media for announcements about future programs and ways to engage with the Nest online and in person.

See you soon!

Sincerely,
The Wren’s Nest Team

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Brer Rabbit has decided to host a competition this March with some of his rabbit friends to see who is the Rabbit Champion. In four rounds of competition, famous rabbits from literature, movies, TV, and advertising will face off in head to head battles for the most social media likes to win the title. We had a tough time narrowing down the field of competitors so we hope your favorite rabbits made the cut!

How It Works

Fill out your bracket and play along to see how well you can do.

Check our Facebook and Instagram pages for the head to head battles. On Facebook, “like” the photo of the competitor you’d like to win that battle. On Instagram, comment the name of the rabbit you’d like to win. Each round’s voting will close after two-three days and the rabbit with the most votes will move on to the next round. After four rounds, the Rabbit Champion will be announced!

Meet the Competitors

Schedule

March 19 – Round 1 Voting Opens
March 21 – Round 1 Voting Closes
March 22 – Round 2 Voting Opens
March 24 – Round 2 Voting Closes
March 25 – Round 3 Voting Opens
March 28 – Round 3 Voting Closes
March 29 – Round 4 Voting Opens
March 31 – Round 4 Voting Closes
April 1 – Rabbit Champion Announced!

Help us determine the Rabbit Champion!

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