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By Justin Ellis Monday, May 7, 2007

Hassan Jeylani did not see himself as a writer, and he never really thought he had much of a story to tell.

But the 16-year-old had trouble reconciling his childhood in Somalia and Kenya with how his life was playing out in his adopted home of Portland.

There were the good schools his father wanted him to go to but also the everyday indulgences American culture offers, like top-shelf basketball sneakers and video games. More and more he noticed his prayer schedule was becoming erratic.

His debate was quiet and internal. He never thought someone would ask him to put it all to paper.

Jeylani is one of 15 local young people from immigrant families who have written about their lives as part of the Story House Project, created by the nonprofit writing workshop, the Telling Room. Their stories, from places like Somalia, Sudan, Iran and Afghanistan, are almost unreal, especially for someone barely old enough to drive.

They have fled from civil war, witnessed loved ones die in front of them and had to reinvent themselves several times over.

The stories will be showcased in a short run Tuesday through Friday at Space gallery in Portland. They'll be displayed with artwork by the writers in "houses" constructed as part of Christina Bechstein's Art for Social Change class at the Maine College of Art. An anthology of the stories will be available for $5.

The showcase is the result of a year's worth of work by the Telling Room, founded by writers Susan Conley, Michael Paterniti and Sara Corbett as a way to help young writers foster their skills through workshops and one-on-one mentoring with Maine writers.

Poet Gibson Fay-LeBlanc, program director of the Telling Room, said when the writers conceived the idea of working with local teenagers from immigrant families, they had no idea where it would lead.

Fay-LeBlanc said the students had different motivations for their writing. Some had an idea ready from the first day, while others were less sure where to start. Getting them to open up and move past the basic events took time, he said.

Jeylani's story is one of flashbacks, unfolding in three worlds, that contrast his life in Portland with the time he spent in Somalia and Kenya. A student at Waynflete, Jeylani said the process of piecing together his story surprised him, especially because he had no interest in becoming a writer.

"I told (Fay-LeBlanc) straight up at the beginning -- I hate writing," Jeylani said.

Through his writing, Jeylani said he found that his Muslim religion has played a constant role no matter where he has lived. He said his story pushed him to rededicate himself to his faith as a way of centering his life.

For Portland High student Aruna Kenyi, the inspiration arrived in the mail last year -- a photograph of his mother and father. Believing their parents to be dead, he and his brothers fled their village in southern Sudan after a rebel militia attack.

Kenyi, 17, said he was satisfied with his first attempt at writing, but found more inspiration after hearing the story of Valentino Achak Deng, who visited Portland in February with author Dave Eggers. The two collaborated on "What Is the What," a book based on Deng's life.

Since then Kenyi has started writing his complete story.

"When I started writing, I didn't know what was going to be the end of this," he said.

Aqila Sharafyar said she was excited about the idea of writing and knew she had to write about her father. He loved doves and spent hours with the birds, feeding and talking to them in a small house next to the family home in Kabul, Afghanistan.

She was about 8 when her father and younger sister went to the market and a bomb exploded. Her sister was wounded and survived; her father did not. Because the road to the graveyard was littered with land mines, they laid him to rest near the bird house. It's a memory she said will never leave her.

The 17-year-old Deering High School student said she wanted to tell her story to give others a sense of the security that comes with living in the United States.

"It's exciting to write about this because I want to share my story with people," she said.

Staff Writer Justin Ellis can be contacted at 791-6380 or at:

jellis@pressherald.com See his blog at: www.pressherald.com