Creative Outlets for Youth @ Your Library

Creative Outlets for Youth @ Your Library was very inspirational. Susan Kernohan has been an inspiration to me for quite a while, as she and Lisa Heggum were both heavily involved with the publication of “All Sleek and Skimming Stories,” a few years ago and Susan actually wrote one of the stories in the anthology. This seminar focused mainly on “Young Voices,” which is a TPL publication featuring the writing and artwork of young people. “Young Voices” is also a program, as there are affiliated workshops, a writer’s conference, and a team of youth who select the pieces for inclusion in the magazine. The presenters didn’t gloss over the fact that the success of this program is due to an enormous amount of work as well as a long history of building a reputation for the program and the publication. They made it very clear that it would take some time to become successful.

I would like to start something similar here, but wonder at how difficult it might be to get writers involved who are willing to work for free and travel to Markham. I also wonder about whether there is enough interest for such a thing in Markham. It would be a great volunteer opportunity for teens who are genuinely interested and motivated.
Amy