A Poem A Day » education

Fire Escape Writing Contest

Marcia — Wed, 23 May 2012 11:00:58 +0000

_MG_4614 “Fire-Escape” (Photo credit: Michael Menard)

Here is a contest that will appeal to many Houston youth that have at least one parent born in another country.

The following information comes from Mitali Perkins, an author who navigates the border between her Bengali roots and her California upbringing. For more information, please visit her website:

Do you love to weave words together?
Were you and/or one or both of your birth parents born in another country?
Do you live in the United States or Canada now?
Are you 13-19 years old?

If you answered yes to ALL of the questions above, YOU qualify to enter the 2011 Fire Escape Writing Contests! Submit an original, unpublished poem or piece of prose (fiction or non-fiction) that reflects some of the joys and struggles of growing up between two cultures in America. Mitali’s Fire Escape will only consider one poem and one piece of short fiction per person, so send your best work.

Contests

Poetry (up to three poems)

Short Fiction or Essay (up to 1000 words)

Prizes

Winner in each category: $50

How to submit an entry

Paste your poem or story into an e-mail message and send it to
contests – at – mitaliperkins.com. I will not open attachments.
Proofread thoroughly and keep your presentation simple. Entries with spelling, grammar or punctuation errors and funky characters/fonts may be disqualified without notice. Do not include any clip art, images, or photos with your entry. Words only, please. Fiction longer than 1000 words will not be considered.
Include your name, age, and e-mail address in your e-mail. Also include your countr(ies) of origin. You and/or ONE of your birth parents must have been born outside North America. If you were born in Puerto Rico and are now living in one of the states or Canadian provinces, you qualify.
Current U.S. or Canadian residents only please, and previous winners are not eligible.

To qualify, your entry must be received by June 1, 2012.

REPEAT: You must be an immigrant or internationally adopted teen (or a teen with one immigrant parent) currently living in the United States or Canada.

NOTE: Failure to follow all of the contest guidelines will disqualify your entry.

Winning Poems and Stories will be published on the Fire Escape. Winners will be notified by July 30th. If you do not hear from us by September 15, 2012, you can assume that your entry was NOT a winner. Prizes must be claimed by September 30, 2012. Please note that editorial or any other personal comments will not be provided for contest submissions. The Fire Escape reserves the right to award no prizes if no entry meets the judge’s standards.

The Fire Escape seeks the following permissions from young authors: permission to publish your work on the web site, and permission to include your work in online archives after publication. Authors retain the copyright to their work. Once selected, winners must send their school information and a mailing address so that the Fire Escape can validate the entry and send the prize. Read the Fire Escape’s privacy policy for more information.

Filed under: contest, creativity, education, essay, family, poetry, story, student, student writing contest, writer, writers in the schools, writing Tagged: Mitali Perkins, Short story

Students Will Rock the Menil

WITS Houston — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:08:45 +0000

On Thursday, May 17th, at 7pm, Writers in the Schools (WITS) students will share their art-inspired creative writing at the Menil Collection. This reading, called The Watchful Eye, will feature stories, essays, and poems that come out of a collaborative project called Writing at the Menil. The event is free, and the public is welcome.

Filed under: art, contest, education, event, Houston, Reading, student, writers in the schools Tagged: menil collection, wits, writing about art

Calling Houston Young Writers

WITS Houston — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:26:45 +0000

Click to view slideshow.

Summer is coming. Have you made your plans? There are still spaces available in the Writers in the Schools (WITS) Program.

Who: Middle and High school students

What: Summer writing workshops

Where: Bellaire High School

When: June 11-29, 9 am -12 noon

Why: Because you have a story to tell

How: Click here to sign up today

In the Creative Writing Camp, you explore different literary genres (poetry, fiction, essay, drama) with friends. You learn about craft and revision in one-on-one conferences with published authors. Through multi-disciplinary projects combining text and art (such as painting, sculpture, or music), you will also find new ways to address a particular audience. At the end of the three weeks, you will publish your best work in an anthology and celebrate!

Write your own poems and stories, real or imaginary.
Compose an essay or a manifesto.
Perform your play.
Discuss your revisions with published writers.
Spend your Fridays on the Rice University campus.
Gather material and gain the skills to write a great essay for college applications.
Visit a real publisher.
Publish your work in an anthology.
Make friends with other writers.

Click here to find out more from a Rice News story. This summer program is sponsored by Writers in the Schools (WITS) and Rice University’s School Literacy and Culture Project.

Space is very limited. Click here to enroll.

Filed under: creativity, education, essay, event, homeschooling, Houston, publishing, spoken word, student, writer, writers in the schools, writing Tagged: bellaire high school, creative writing, high school houston camp, high school student, high school summer programs, houston summer camp, houston youth summer, middle school houston camp, Rice University, workshops for high school students, writing camp middle school, young writers houston

Blooms: The Young Writers Reading Series at Discovery Green!

Marcia — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:48:50 +0000

Writers in the Schools (WITS) will celebrate some of Houston’s most talented young artists at its Young Writers Reading, an annual literary event held May 6th, at 3 pm at Discovery Green Park in downtown Houston. The event is free and open to the public.

WITS Young Writers Reading event enriches the lives of students ranging from elementary to high school age by giving them the chance to read the work they have written under the guidance of a professional writer. Each student has been chosen from a juried competition. WITS publishes the best work in a bound anthology called Blooms.

The Young Writers Reading Series began in 1989 as a way to celebrate the achievements of the city’s most gifted young writers. For more information, visit www.witshouston.org.

You won’t want to miss this wonderful event at Discovery Green! Arrive early to play with our friends from Playworks Houston. Please come out on Sunday to support Houston’s youngest poets and writers!

Filed under: contest, education, event, family, Houston, Reading, writers in the schools Tagged: discovery green, Houston Young Writers Reading Series, wits, Young Writers, Young Writers Reading

Celebrate Earth Day with Writers in the Schools

WITS Houston — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:16:44 +0000

Houston school children will celebrate Mother Earth at A Light in the Forest this Sunday afternoon at the Houston Arboretum. Please join us!

Who: Talented students from HISD schools

What: Come hear students from the WITS program read their nature-inspired poems, essays, and stories in celebration of Earth Day.

When: Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 3:00 PM

Where: Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, 4501 Woodway Drive (map)

Cost: FREE and open to the public

Sponsors: Shell Oil Company, Texas Commission on the Arts, City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, Kroger, The Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation, Copy.com, and the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center.

Filed under: education, event, family, Houston, nature, poetry, Reading, spoken word, story, student, writers in the schools Tagged: earth day, Earth Day 2012, Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, Kroger, Shell Oil Company, texas