Young Writers Finding Their Voice With the Inkblots at John McIntire Library
ZANESVILLE, OH – The great novelist, Toni Morrison, once said, “If there’s a book you really want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
Down at the John McIntire Library, kids and teens have the chance to explore creative writing in the Teen area with the Inkblots Writers Group.
Elizabeth Christy, a mentor with the Inkblots, says the writers group is a space for these young writers to try creating ideas for plays, books, and short stories while also learning to collaborate with other writers.
“Actually I talked with, texted with, one of my Inkblots yesterday and one of the things that she was saying is this gives her a place to come and be fully herself and there are people here that she knows will be interested in her stories.” Christy said. “It encourages kids to write and they have a really good time but also they’re being serious about the work that they create. I think it helps them to connect writing with reading, they all read and they all kind of study what they read, they read for fun, of course too. But they pay attention to the way the novels, especially, are structured and that kind of thing.”
The Inkblots meet every second and fourth Saturday at the John McIntire Library and Alyssa Fisher, the Teen Assistant Librarian, says they provide snacks, writing utensils, as well as journals for the teens to take home, for if inspiration strikes.
So if you’ve been drawing characters in the margins of your notebook during class, think up lines of poetry in your head, or even make up a story about a stranger at the store, the Inkblots Writers Group might just be the place for you.
“This is a great resource for teens in the community especially to connect with one another, Elizabeth is a writer herself, she is a published author.” Fisher said. “So she has great insight to give to teens if this is a field that they want to go into, so this is an invaluable resource for our community.”
If you are interested in joining the Inkblots Writers Group, you can reach out to (740)-453-0391 ext. 115 to get more information.
