HISTORY
Beginnings
In 2012, after I started teaching, I realized we are failing our teens when we only teach the mechanics of writing in order to pass standardized tests. Without the inclusion of creativity, the mechanics of writing makes writing uninteresting. Mechanics are important, but can be taught in a multitude of ways other than rote instruction.

I started writing when I was nine-years old. But, I was in my 30s before I became a full-time writer. Until then, I didn't know how to become a writer. I've always imagined that if I had someone during my high school years to show me how, tell me what, and guide me where, I would have been walking in my purpose much sooner.
Evolution
As an English teacher, I was six years in when I decided I had to do something. It took me a minute: trial and error, frustration and fear, doubt and little faith. But soon, I went into labor with a charge I’d been pregnant with for seven years: an after school writing club for teens. After all, athletes have sports, performing artists have band, choir, and theater, and visual artists have fine arts clubs. But, what do teen writers have?

So in October 2018, we began as a writer’s discussion and critique club in a high school classroom, with nine members, a different name, and an uncertain future. Membership fluctuated but growing pains and growing gains held the club together.

To attract teens to the club, we hosted an ice cream social, a jump rope for literacy contest, author birthday parties, graffiti art projects, literature circles, writing challenges, and make-and-take events. We had fun, but we were exhausted! Then, we realized: teens who love writing didn't need convincing, they showed up eager to write, and teens who once hated writing, just needed a spark to be rekindled. Soon, the more they showed up, the more they expressed how they wished they could write for a living.

That's when ​I became fueled to kick-start the writing careers of as many teens as I can. If I can help it, no other high school age teen will want to become a writer and not know how to get there and stay there.
Beyond
Today, #TeenWritersProject is a 501(c) nonprofit organization that helps teens realize the value of their opinions about the world around them. We show them that those opinions can be written into powerful stories, and those stories can generate income and change their lives.

To do this, we offer several opportunities for teens to write, be published and get hired. From online micro writing prompts to workshops, and digital and printed publications, we give teen writers a chance to consistently build their confidence. At the same time, they will improve their problem-finding, problem-solving, critical thinking and creative writing skills. Since our beginnings, we have published or hired teen writers from around the world, including from Thailand, Turkey, Nigeria, India, and the US, and we have so much more planned!

Whether they connect with us in high school or the community, we want teens to know that they have a space to discover how their imaginations can translate into powerful storytelling. ​#TeenWritersProject is my promise to provide the support for teens around the world to channel their vulnerabilities and tell real stories that matter to them, their world, and the entire world.