Save the Date: Houston Young Writers Reading Series

For Immediate Release: March 20, 2011

Media Contact: Jennifer Watson
713-523-3877
jwatson@witshouston.org
www.witshouston.org
 

Meet the Pulitzer Prize Winning Authors of the Future

 


Houston, TX—In order to celebrate some of Houston’s best young writers, Writers in the Schools (WITS) is kicking off spring with our Houston Young Writers Reading Series taking place at the Houston Arboretum, Discovery Green, and the Menil Collection. The lineup includes three literary readings inspired by in-class prompts, nature writing, and cultural field trips. All events are free and open to the public.
 
Young writers will take the stage to read works they have written under the guidance of a professional writer. The students range in age from elementary to high school, and each one has been chosen because of his or her ability to create powerful poems, stories, and essays.  
 
The children participating in the reading series are selected in a juried competition, and their works will be published in a bound anthology. The students represent schools and community centers from across the city and receive awards and prizes in recognition of their success. The Young Writers Reading Series began in 1989 as a way to celebrate the achievements of the city’s most gifted young writers.
 
 
Houston Young Writers Reading Series
A Light in the Forest celebrating Earth Day
Wednesday, April 20, 7 PM
Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, 4501 Woodway Drive (Map)
Writers in the Schools (WITS) and The Houston Arboretum and Nature Center partner to present nature writing by Houston students in celebration of Earth Day, showcasing the best work that was created during the year through the WITS Environmental Writing Project.
 
Blooms
Sunday, May 1, 3 PM
Discovery Green Park, 1500 McKinney (Map)
Students will read their work in front an enthusiastic audience of parents, teachers, and peers. Author, photographer, and Houston’s own Karen Walrond will speak on The Beauty of Different.
 
The Watchful Eye
Thursday, May 19, 7 PM
The Menil Collection, 1515 Sul Ross Street (Map)
Writers in the Schools (WITS) presents its unique program (initiated in collaboration with the Menil Collection in 1989) in which 2nd-12th grade students visiting the museum write poetry and prose suggested by the artwork. At this event, The Watchful Eye, students will read their work inspired by the photographs in the Civil Rights exhibit The Whole World Was Watching.
 
WITS, a local non-profit organization, provides students with year-long creative writing programs in schools, community centers, hospitals, and homeless shelters. WITS writers work in year-long programs in over 350 classrooms in order to help students develop their creative and analytical thinking skills.
 

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