Last month, I spent a week with the Hurston/Wright Foundation, leading a workshop for teens on the campus of Howard University. Hurston/Wright has been offering a Teen Workshop every year since 1996 and I was honored to be a part of it this year. I had nine enthusiastic students from eighth through eleventh grade from schools around the DC-metropolitan area. We studied fiction writing, poetry, plays, memoirs and personal essays. It was a fantastic experience, and to see and hear the teens read their work during the closing ceremony at the end of the week was incredibly satisfying.
My hat goes off to full-time teachers, because preparing for and then leading the workshop for five days was a lot of work! Well worth it, though.
Many thanks to Hurston/Wright for inviting me to participate and for all the work this organization does to promote and encourage writing in the African American community. Please visit their website and consider sending a donation. The work they do is important in not only educating and encouraging young writers, but also in preserving and sharing the work of black writers for generations to come.
