Decatur Writers Studio, Decatur Education Foundation announce creation of DEF Young Writers Workshop
Celebrated Young Adult novelist Terra Elan McVoy will conduct workshop for selected Decatur High students as part of partnership
April 4, 2016 (Atlanta) — The
Decatur Writers Studio (DWS), a project of The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival (AJC DBF) whose goal is to
serve both established and aspiring writers, has announced a partnership
with the Decatur Education Foundation (DEF) to create the DEF Young
Writers Workshop for Decatur High School students.
Celebrated
Young Adult author Terra Elan McVoy, whose books include Pure, After
the Kiss, The Summer of Firsts and Lasts, Being Friends with Boys and In
Deep, will conduct the workshop, which will take place at Decatur
CoWorks, home of DWS. With the involvement of Decatur High English
Department Chair Cara Cassell, 11 students were selected to participate
in the workshop, which will be fully funded by DEF.
The
students were selected based on their aptitude, their passion for
writing and also based on certain diversity criteria such as
socioeconomics. AJC DBF Founding Executive Director Daren Wang said that
when he came up with the concept for DWS, the AJC DBF board asked him
as part of the new endeavor to create a scholarship program for
students.
The workshop is set to begin on April 13.
“The
AJC Decatur Book Festival has partnered with the Decatur Education
Foundation for years,” Wang said. “This idea came out of a desire to do
something unique for the students. The goal is for this to become an
integral part of the Decatur Writers Studio going forward.”
DEF
Executive Director Gail Rothman said the eight-session workshop adds to
the rich learning environment already available to Decatur High
students, which includes the AJC DBF.
“We want
people to know that when they donate to DEF, we invest in organizations
and activities like this that help to enrich the education of City
Schools of Decatur students who come from all backgrounds,” Rothman
said. “Most high school kids don’t get to work with a nationally
renowned author.”
McVoy said what she hopes to
bring to the students is some of the wisdom and experience she has
gained over the years as a professional writer. She said that she
benefitted from having supportive creative writing teachers in middle
school and high school and wants to pass that on.
“I’m
really keen on sharing that with young people,” said McVoy, whose Being
Friends with Boys was named among “10 Books All Young Georgians Should
Read” in 2015 by the Georgia Center for the Book. “It’s my, ‘Pay it
forward.’ There are fewer and fewer creative writing opportunities for
young people. I want to do whatever I can do to provide encouragement
and skillful instruction to young people who are passionate about
writing.”
Decatur Writers Studio (DWS) is
a project of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival,
the largest independent book festival in the country. DWS is a dynamic
new player in Decatur’s thriving literary community whose goal is to
serve both established and aspiring writers. DWS offers workshop-style
creative writing classes led by instructors, including some of the
area’s most accomplished authors. It also offers a limited number of
memberships that provide a private writing space for members. For
information about schedules, a calendar of courses, pricing and other
benefits of membership, visit DecaturWritersStudio.com,“
Decatur Education Foundation (DEF) supports
the youth of Decatur in a variety of ways. DEF partners with community
organizations to offer youth-focused programs and provides grants to
teachers for innovative classroom learning. It also awards student
grants that help remove obstacles or that fuel an individual’s passions
and aspirations. For more information go to DecaturEducationFoundation.