Young Chicago Authors

Say What magazine, the Saturday Writing Program, Louder Than a Bomb: The Chicago Teen Poetry Festival, WordPlay open mic and Workshop series, GirlSpeak (www.youngchicagoauthors.org/girlspeak), Men as Allies: Swaggerzine(www.youngchicagoauthors.org/girlspeak/2008/swagger), anything and everything centered around teens writing in the Chicagoland area.

//DONORS//

Young Chicago Authors owes much support and thanks to generous grants from:

Alphawood Foundation

C.N.A. Foundation

Chicago Tribune Foundation

The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs

Department of Children and Youth Services

Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation

Lloyd A. Fry Foundation

Goldyne H. Heyman Fund for Education

Leo S. Guthman Fund

Illinois Arts Council

Illinois Humanities Council

Mayer and Morris Kaplan Family Foundation

MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at The Richard H.

Driehaus Foundation

McCormick Foundation

Northern Trust Charitable Trust

The Poetry Foundation

Polk Bros Foundation

Prince Charitable Trusts

Queenan Foundation

Sahara Enterprises, Inc.

Speh Foundation

Threshold Foundation

TZONE Foundation

Woods Fund

And contributions from many individual donors and community partners.

//MEDIA//

"Chicago is home to many fantastic cultural treasures. Young Chicago Authors is one of these--word purveyors, expression freaks, powerful in thought and delivery--where the voiceless can scream and the poets are arbiters to the imaginary life in an unimaginative time."

---Luis J. Rodriguez, award-winning author of eight books in poetry, children's literature, memoir, fiction and journalism, including the best-selling Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in LA.

"Kickin' rhymes" by Nancy Drew from Chicago Parent, Feb 2003

"The Magnificent Seven: Write-Minded" by Jeff Ruby from Chicago Magazine, Jan 2003

"Opening Books, Opening Minds" by Suzy Schultz from the Chicago Sun Times, Aug 1995

"Word Association" by Mark Scheffler from the Chicago Tribune, July 1995.

//Young Chicago Authors//

2008-2009 Programs

PERFORMANCES:

WordPlay is a weekly open mic, writing workshop and performance series that attracts 40-50 teens every Tuesday night at YCA's writing center September-June. Chicago writers and artists serve as monthly artists-in-residence and featured performers.

Louder Than a Bomb Teen Poetry Festival

YCA will present its 9th annual festival in March '09. In 2008, the festival took place at Columbia College Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Arts, and the Vic Theater. We expect more than 5,000 people to attend 7 days of performances by 400 teens from 52 high schools. LTAB is the largest gathering of teen anywhere in Chicago. Teen from every neighborhood come together across ethnic, geographic and economic divides to celebrate poetry and the strength of words.

Check the Method: Check the Method is an intensive weeklong writing and performance camp that takes place during the summer and winter school breaks, concluding with a public performance. This summer, it is being presented in collaboration with Jane Adamms Hull-House Museum.

Student Performances: YCA students perform at a variety of venues throughout the year including Printer's Row Bookfair, the Steppenwolf Theater, McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Jane Addams Hull-House, local libraries, community centers, and other locations.

PUBLICATIONS:

Watch the Steps Press is YCA's youth-led publishing wing that plans, edits, produces and distributes publications. Planned for 08-09: Say What magazine #8 will be published in fall 2008 (circ. 22,000). Say What is the voice of Chicago's dynamic young writing community and will be distributed to 150 Chicago Public Schools.

GirlSpeak Webzine #4 was published in August 2008. YCA expects more than 400 submissions from young women around the world. GirlSpeak is a pro-woman, arts and activism workshop series in which young women write, curate and publish a webzine: girlspeak.org

Anthologies: 1-3 anthologies are published that showcase writing by YCA students.

Chapbooks: 7-10 chapbooks are published each year. Chapbooks are single-author short collections by YCA students. Chapbooks are often the first publication by emerging writers which open doors to publishing and reading opportunities.

WORKSHOPS:

The Saturday Writing Program is a free three-year intensive writing program that serves 67 students from diverse communities. The Saturday Writing Program is offered in a series of five, 5-6 week sessions from September-June.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS:

Men As Allies: YCA offered the Men As Allies program in Summer 2008 for Eight young men of color to discuss and organize around gender discrimination, sexism and violence against women. The program culminated in the "Safe Around Me" campaign, and the publication of the Swagger webzine.

Intersections Youth Literary Conference: YCA will offer the 2nd annual Intersections Youth Literary Conference in November 2008. More than 200 high school students will attend workshops on authors including Toni Morrison, Patricia Smith, Quraysh Ali Lansana, Angela Davis and Charles Burnett among others.

IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMS:

Global Writes is a three-year partnership between YCA, Global Writes in New York, and Chicago Public Schools, Department of Fine Arts. Through Global Writes, YCA offers creative writing and performance poetry workshops at: Brighton Park, Pope, and Chalmers elementary schools. YCA teachers are working in 7 classrooms and will work with the same students during their 6th, 7th and 8th grade years.

Englewood Arts Education Project: YCA is entering its third year working in Lindblom Math and Science Academy. YCA provides the integration of literary arts (including creative writing, poetry, and performance) within Lindblom's curricula. In 2008, YCA added Englewood's Gage Park High School to the project.

YCA School Workshops: YCA offers writing and performance workshops in 6-12 Chicago Public Schools throughout the year

YCA Changes Lives!

by Urszula H.

Chicago, IL

who gave YCA a 5 star rating

04/12/2006

A scholarship Saturday program for high school students that lets them write creatively on any topics and after the 3 years gives them money for college. It is the most innovative way to help inner city youth. Empower them by allowing self expression, and then encourage them, by giving money for further education.

I was fortunate to be in the early years of this program, and it helped me so much. I had a rough time when I was a teen. Everything was fine academically, but I was a depressed teen. This place really helped me build my confidence. I felt like I always had a place to go and be safe. The environment is so nurturing.

Through this program, I saw cool cutting edge plays, ate Mongolian food for the first time, developed a liking for old films, won an award for creative short fiction at the U of W at Whitewater high school writing competition, read one of my short stories at a book reading with Sara Paretsky at the Chopin Theatre, and many many other things.

If any of you have high school age kids and live in the city of Chicago, get your kids involved. It is a hard program to get into, but so worth it. If any of you are wondering what to do with your money, this place runs almost exclusively on donations and some grants, and will put your money to good use. You will feel good that maybe you helped get a kid a life they may never been able to lead. Seriously, this place did that much for some students.

Dr. Bob Boone and his wife deserve ovations and praises. I hope they find this, because I'm not sure if they know the difference they have made in my life.