Young Writers Project On VPR

Young Writers Project: A Love Plea

Mon, 21 May 2012 01:00:00 -0400

Colleen Knowles, a senior at Proctor High School, says she has always loved to write, but got really interested in it when she was a freshman.

Young Writers Project: A Requiem For Titanic

Mon, 14 May 2012 01:00:00 -0400

Evan Wing, of Milton, is a senior at Rice Memorial High School. “I started writing poetry in the third grade, moved on to short stories and essays, and wrote my first book during the summer before my freshman year,” he says.

Sequoia Salasin-Burns's Poem "Maybe"

Fri, 04 May 2012 01:00:00 -0400

Sequoia Salasin-Burns, a 7th grade student at Brattleboro Area Middle School, says "I wrote this poem to try to get people to realize that if we keep treating the world the way we do, it is most likely going to become a terrible place to live."

Young Writers Project: Writing Words

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 01:00:00 -0400

Paige Tuttle, of Colchester, a sophomore at Rice Memorial High School, says she wrote this poem, "Writing Words," for her American literature class.

Young Writers Project: College Admissions Essay

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:00:00 -0400

Anna Rutenbeck, a long-time Young Writers Project writer, is a senior at Champlain Valley Union High School. She will be attending Bennington College next year.

Young Writers Project: My First Car

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0400

Jessica Austin, a junior at Essex High School, says of her writing: “I write all the time, forming little half-stories or even just one-liners in my head. Usually they don't make it to paper. With this piece, I had just driven my little standard transmission Honda Civic successfully for the first time, so I got on the computer and let my inner monologue run. I guess good things come to those who write.”

Orange peel smiles and banana phone calls

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0400

Mugdha Gurram, a seventh grade student at Brattleboro Area Middle School, says she is usually prompted to write a story after seeing a photo or video. "They remind me of something (or someone) from my life, or I imagine what it would be like to be in the main character's shoes. It's like living another life, through my writing."

Born into this world

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0400

Frida Rosner, who is in fifth grade at Marlboro Elementary School, says she was inspired to write this poem by a painting she made of a girl and a feather. "I erased the girl's face too many times and she ended up all wrinkly," Frida says. "It gave me the idea that her face could relate to the feather."

Do You Know?

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 05:00:00 -0400

Alexandra Contreras-Montesano is in Grade 5 at Champlain Elementary School in Burlington. She says she enjoys playing viola, dancing ballet and writing, "especially in the woods!" When she wrote this piece, she says, she was thinking about "what really makes the world go around, and I wrote it from the point of view of a person in love."

Life in a Dream

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:00:00 -0400

Taylor Carlson, of Newbury, Vermont, is a junior at Oxbow High School. "Writing has always been a part of who I am," she says. "For this piece, I truly was just in the moment, writing what I felt."

Marble Eyes

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 05:00:00 -0400

Caleb Hoh, a seventh grader at Edmunds Middle School in Burlington, started writing to small prompts in class, but soon became serious about his work and dedicated to the Young Writers Project. "Through reading responses and contested prompts I feel that I have learned to use the situations and feelings of real life to make my writing come alive," he says. "I even performed one of my pieces at a talent show with some friends...I like to write fiction, from action to intense scenarios, and I get caught up in whatever piece I write."

My Town

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Kiera Loomis, who is in 5th Grade at Shrewsbury Mountain School, says she is motivated to write by the prompts provided by the Young Writers Project and she likes to be creative and share her experiences with others. Kiera loves animals, and dreams about being a veterinarian one day.

On the hill

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Charles Myers, who is 13 and in 8th Grade at Edmunds Middle School, wrote this piece after his close friend, Bentley Davis Seifer, died at age 12 in a swimming accident on July 12, 2011. Charles says,

"Last summer, one of my best friends, Bentley, passed away swimming at the Bolton Potholes. This piece is about what I do sometimes to comfort myself...

"Bentley and I did many fun things together. I mention some of these things in my piece, like how we made forts in the woods and played in the snow. Bentley was a very outdoorsy kind of guy. He liked to play outside just like me. When I wrote this piece, it really helped me get my feelings out. I have been having a very tough time since his passing, and my writing really helped me let a lot of my feelings out. I will never forget my friend Bentley, and through my writings I will keep his memory alive."

My George

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Quinn Bornstein, a sophomore at St. Johnsbury Academy, says she is inspired to write by "seemingly stray ideas" that pop into her head. These could be "an image of a character, or a single line that I could build a story around. Before I forget, I jot down the thought on a sticky note or the margin of my notebook, and then expand on the idea when I have time to write. For this particular story, the Young Writers Project weekly prompt was to use the line 'close your eyes.' This led me to write a story based on the Beatles song 'All My Loving,' which begins with that phrase.

Waging War

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Noah Smith, a senior at Champlain Valley Union High School, says of his writing: "I do a lot of thinking about connections in life, and my poetry tends to be more about human nature, life and society. 'Waging War' was inspired by Robert Frost poetry, and has a little bit more of a nature setting in it. However, it doesn't stray from my style because it connects war, human emotions and a storm."

At the Bus Stop

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Sammy Storz, a freshman at St. Johnsbury Academy, has this to say about her poem: "The woman in this piece, however hard her life may be, is always smiling. People like her really motivate me to write, people who are stubbornly optimistic. She didn't know the narrator, yet she decided that the girl meant something to her. Living in rural Vermont, I find that I encounter many of these people; life is hard here, but you can't keep them from smiling."

Endings

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Jesse Brinkman, a freshman at Chelsea Public School, says the idea and emotions behind this poem came from a death in her family as she dealt with the stress of death and loss.

We're Meant To Be

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Kyle Coburn, a sophomore at Chelsea Public School, says he started writing poetry in middle school. "At first, I wrote with no seriousness, only writing about what I thought would make people chuckle," he says. But recently, inspired by his girlfriend, poetry has become a passion for him.

I Close My Eyes and Memories Take Me Home

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 -0500

Henry Lang of Norwich, Vermont is in 7th grade at the Francis C. Richmond Middle School in Hanover, New Hampshire. Looking ahead, Henry would like to study English/journalism in college and minor in musical theater as he has been involved in both professional and community musical theater for several years. He says he is prompted to write by the hope that "someday I could be the mastermind behind an amazing book like classics I have read in the past."

Christmas Morning

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 05:00:00 -0500

Megan Nadler, an 8th grade student at Christ the King School in Rutland, says her class just started writing for Young Writers Project during this school year, and it has given her a chance to "think more about how I use description and how I include creativity in my writing."

The Man Who Came From Yesteryear

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:00:00 -0500

Olivia Q. Pintair, a sixth-grade student at Williston Central School, says writing is her passion, and she writes at school, in her room and online at youngwritersproject.org. "I write through the perspective of my characters," she says. "It's almost as if I am thinking their thoughts, feeling their heartbeats in my own chest." Olivia says her family inspires her and encourages her to write. "They mean the world to me and I hope it shows in some of my work."

Beautiful rainbow

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 -0500

Nicole Pierpont, a junior at Chelsea Public School, says her inspiration to write comes from "what I've done, seen, gained and lost. For me, I believe that no matter what you do, you can learn from it; so when I realize something about a recent event or feeling, I write it down in hopes that others will not only enjoy it, but also learn from it."

The Face in the Moon

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 05:00:00 -0500

Danielle Liguori, a junior at Essex High School, says she wrote this poem to help convince a friend that sometimes it's better "to give up things that are important to us because they are not good for us and damage our health." She read the poem at a Young Writers' Project poetry slam and, with it, progressed to the second round. "It was my first poetry slam," she says. "The poems I heard that night were awe-inspiring and the positive experience drew me to return to the next slam, and the next."

Starlight

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:00:00 -0500

Kay Bushman, a sophomore at U-32 High School, says the vignette in this poem was inspired by Native American creation myths she remembers her third-grade teacher reading to her class.

Waves of Red, Gold and Orange

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 -0500

Matt Skelly, a 7th grade student at Crossett Brook Middle School, says he has lived in Waterbury for all of his 12 years in a former farmhouse overlooking the town pool and recreational fields. His poem reflects some of his interests in Vermont, including skiing at Bolton Valley and sledding on nearby hills. Matt says he likes to write fiction, and just this year became interested in writing poetry because of his language arts teacher Betsy Unger, who specializes in poetry.

Sky Waystation

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:00:00 -0500

Molly Wight, a freshman at Rutland High School, says she wrote this poem in response to a writing prompt at her school, "Over 9,000." Molly pictured a sky waystation at over 9,000 feet, a floating island shrouded in clouds and managed by angels. "The poem has a slightly fantastical setting in a world where the Earth is a mess and nearly uninhabitable," she says. "The waystation is a stop between several habitable areas and ... the feather beds are made from the molted feathers of the visitors and caretakers." Molly says she loves to write, especially poetry, to send a little magic into the world. She also enjoys reading poetry and one of her favorite poets is Robert Service.

Medicinal Poetry

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 05:55:00 -0500

Kate Cipolla, a sophomore from Montpelier who is home schooled, won third place with this poem at a recent Young Writers Project Poetry Slam. She says she was inspired to write the poem late one night while rushing to meet a deadline for an assignment about Sylvia Plath. "My mother took in my frazzled state, and said there was no point working on Sylvia Plath that late, because ‘Sylvia Plath is bad for you when you're already tired.' I quit working on my homework, picked up a piece of paper and a pencil, and this was born."

The Sounds of Fall

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 05:00:00 -0400

Gabriello Lewis, a sixth-grade homeschooler from Burlington, has been writing since the age of five. He says, "I did not feel comfortable about my writing until I was published by Young Writers Project. Being published inspired me to write more! My motivation is my family and friends and what I see and hear around me."

Not the Hero Anymore

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 05:00:00 -0400

Julia Anderson, an 8th grader at Hartford Memorial Middle School, says she wrote this poem about people's roles changing through life and not always being able to be in control. "I wrote this when I didn't feel like 'that girl who always has the answer,'" she says. "I was letting down my guard and looking to other people for the answer, and that inspired this poem."

You're Really Something Beautiful

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 05:00:00 -0400

Cherish Amanda Greene, a junior at Chelsea Public School, says she wrote this poem about a boy at school, "who has literally caused me to think of nothing else since he arrived on campus." Cherish says she has written many poems, but none with the emotional intensity that she felt while writing this one. "When a poem comes out easily, it's from the heart," she says.

Bully

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 05:00:00 -0400

Summer Moran, a sophomore at Peoples Academy in Morrisville, says she wrote this poem after a hard year of being bullied. She says that bullying has had a big impact on her life and this poem is about what it's like to go through the experience. "I hope that this inspires people to shout out if they are being bullied because if you don't say something now or when it starts, then you could change in a way you don't want to be or will regret."

Maybe

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 05:00:00 -0400

Eliza Laycock says she writes most of her poetry in her head before putting pen to paper. For this poem, Eliza says she "came up with the puzzle metaphor one day and over a few weeks the poem sort of formed in my head." When her English teacher asked the class to write for seven minutes, Eliza says she "already had the whole poem, I just needed to write it down," and the result was "Maybe." Eliza, of Hanover, New Hampshire, is in 8th grade at Richmond Middle School.

Garden Ghosts

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 05:00:00 -0400

Abhi Dodgson, a fourth-grader from South Hero who is home schooled, says that his family has a tradition in which he gives his parents gifts of poetry. "Garden Ghosts was a poem I wrote for my mom," he says. "My mother loves spending time in the garden and I had just finished studying weather, and that is what inspired me."

Can You See?

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 05:00:00 -0400

Olivia Hern, a sophomore at Champlain Valley Union High School, wrote this piece after attending her first poetry slam. "The poems there were some of the best I've ever heard, and I became overwhelmed with how beautifully they spun their words," she said. "Then I started thinking about words themselves, and how they could be woven to suit any purpose, and how amazing that was."

Maybelle

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 05:00:00 -0400

Meghan Cleary, a student at South Burlington High School, says she wrote this piece "as just another scribble, just another character forming in my head fighting its way onto paper." The result was "a personification of that bit of me that focuses only on creativity and self-expression," while the actions of the character's mother show how creativity can be stifled.

Irene

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 05:00:00 -0400

In this week's piece from Young Writers Project, Aidan Ellis, a junior at Woodstock Union High School and a resident of Reading, writes about his hometown four days after Hurricane Irene noticing both the force of the water and the power of Vermonters.

We Sit in the Middle of a Soul Pond

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 05:00:00 -0400

This poem is based on a the meshing of a few memories, mostly regarding love and the peculiar places I've found myself this summer, but also of specific pinpoints of this season. I wrote this while watching fireworks at the edges of an enormous field.

N.

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 05:00:00 -0400

Braeden Hughes, an incoming junior at Mount Mansfield Union High School, says that while writing this piece she was thinking about the universal emotions surrounding friendship, as well as an old friend of her own.

The International Sign for Happiness is a C Major Chord

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 05:00:00 -0400

Ruby McCafferty, an incoming Sophomore at Burlington High School, wrote this piece in anticipation for the 2011 Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, where she'll be writing about the musicians and their performances. She writes about the power that music can have over emotions, and how mere words can become inadequate.

Watch Your Feet

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 05:00:00 -0400

Georgia Parke, a Junior at Stowe High School, completed this piece while attending the Vermont Governor's Institute on the Arts. Inspired by the prompt "Perhaps it was the clams..." Georgia combined her irrational fear of the ocean with ideas of conformity and, conversely, standing out in the crowd.

Luna (and Hagrid)

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 05:00:00 -0400

This week's featured piece is by Abby Rampone, a sophomore at Fair Haven Union High School. She begins by writing about the impact that the Harry Potter books have had on her as a writer, reader, and as someone who has learned valuable lessons from the series. She ends her piece with a reflection on the film, concluding that even though the series is finished, the characters will live on with her.

Of Celery, Spring, and Waiting

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 05:00:00 -0400

This week's poem by Addy Campbell, a sophomore at Mount Abraham Union High School, came about while eating a stick of celery, which she actually doesn't enjoy. In questioning why she was eating it, a memory of a time since passed was triggered, and she found inspiration to write in the most unlikely of situations.

Apple Tree

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 05:00:00 -0400

Izziey Woodward, a senior at Enosburg Falls High School, finds inspiration in the writing of Lewis Carol. In this unsuspecting acrostic poem, Woodward writes about a friend who is far away at the peak of summer.

Building Walls

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 05:00:00 -0400

This week's Young Writers Project piece is a poem and podcast by Sarah Wells, a sophomore at U-32 High School. She writes about goals that seem out of reach, and the barriers we construct to avoid getting hurt or disappointed. She comes to the conclusion that if we step back and take a moment to truly look at the situation, we can often find a way to climb those invisible walls.

Looking through the eyes of Asperger Syndrome

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 05:00:00 -0400

In this week's essay and podcast, Clark Hamm, a seventh grader at Brattleboro Area Union Middle School, explains what it's like to have Asperger Syndrome and what it's like to find a friend. The piece was created as part of the school curriculum for the This I Believe project.

Learning from Pizza Hut

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 05:00:00 -0400

This week's Young Writers Project piece was written by Justin Souvanh, a 7^th grader at Brattleboro Area Middle School. Justin's piece is about a small act - being handed a set of chopsticks to eat pizza of all things - made him feel angry at being stereotyped but how, after much thought and many hours of writing, he realized that his best response should be forgiveness.

Song Of Myself

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 05:00:00 -0400

In this week's Young Writers Project piece, Katelyn Jewell, an 11^th grader at Mount Mansfield Union High School says she finds meaning in a world built entirely of words and says her creation was inspired by Walt Whitman's epic poem by the same name.

What Really Happened to Humpty Dumpty

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 05:00:00 -0400

This week's Young Writers Project piece - with audio - is by Gerret Margolis, a seventh grader at Frances Richmond Middle School, who performed the piece at a recent YWP Poetry Slam and reflects the untold story of Mr. Humpty Dumpty.

P457

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 05:00:00 -0400

In this week's Young Writers Project piece, Julia Hancock-Song, a ninth grader at Pacem Learning Community in Montpelier, explores her past in a dreamlike sequence of images.

I'mFinallyDoneTryingToLookAtEverythingAtOnce.

Mon, 30 May 2011 05:00:00 -0400

This week's Young Writers Project piece by Zach Ward, a senior at Northfield High School, is an elliptical look at the frenzy we often feel about trying to see, feel, experience as many things as we can all at once.