The Vineyard has an abundance of talented writers, and this coming week, the West Tisbury School and library will offer the youngest up-and-coming writers a chance to share their talent with the public.
Two upcoming events will present the work of young writers to the public. On Sunday, Jan. 23, at 2 pm, young adult author Lara O’Brien will lead a program called “Teens Write for Radio” (the program will be repeated the following Sunday). On Monday, Jan. 24, the West Tisbury School will present Up-Island Voices — a place for younger students to read their work to others.
The Sunday program is intended to prepare teens to record their stories for airing on MVY Radio. While Ms. O’Brien will help the writers create or hone their work, MVY’s Laurel Redington will be on hand to record the students reading their stories for airings throughout the rest of the winter and spring.
“They can either bring in a story they’ve already written, or write from a prompt,” Ms. O’Brien said. “When they’re done and feeling confident, they can record their stories. They might pick a song that will be played along with their reading. For the kids, it’s exciting. Also they will have a link that they can share or attach to their portfolios.”
Ms. O’Brien has been working with teen writers since last summer, when she ran a class at the Noepe Center for Literary Arts. Last fall, she received grants from both the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Martha’s Vineyard Cultural Council to expand her teen program.
Inspired by last summer’s live presentation of the Moth Radio Hour (a storytelling initiative) on the Vineyard, Ms. O’Brien decided to incorporate writing with public readings. She recruited Ms. Redington, who serves as MVY’s production director and also works at Alex’s Place teen center at the Y, to help get the kids’ work out to a larger audience.
“Usually they’re reading to a teacher or other kids in school. The idea that they’re going to be on the radio sharpens them to really look at what they’re writing,” Ms. O’Brien said. “Knowing how to edit, knowing what the point of their story is. They’re really going to zoom in on their writing.”
Ms. O’Brien has published one young adult book, called “Chesca and the Spirit of Grace,” and has completed another called “Rogue.” Both are set in her homeland of Ireland. In 2014, she won a Reader’s Digest Award for a short story featuring characters from her two books.
For the West Tisbury library program, she will provide the kids with a prompt. She has found this to be an effective way to engage young writers.
“For me, writing to a prompt brings out a lot of things that give a little more insight into what’s going on in their lives and makes the story more personal and interesting. It’s more off the top of the head, and deeper into the heart.”
For the upcoming program, the prompt will be, “What is it like growing up on the Vineyard?” “This way we will get a unique perspective,” Ms. O’Brien said. “We’re really hoping to get some insight on the teens on the Island. Some will be funny. Some will be deep.”
Kids who come with material, or who complete a story and feel ready to record on Sunday, will join Ms. Redington in a makeshift recording studio in the library’s Teen Room. “If they’re not quite ready, they can always take their piece home and pluck up the courage and come back the following Sunday,” Ms. O’Brien said. Teens can attend one or both sessions.
The library’s programs director and young adult librarian, Amy Hoff, is enthusiastic about the program. “That’s always my goal, to try to bring more programs for the teens and tweens in the community,” Ms. Hoff said. “When they built the library, this was an important part of the plan, to have a Teen Room where kids could have their own space.” Other teen and tween programming has included movie screenings, cooking classes, yoga, writing workshops, and the ongoing Lego Club.
On Monday, the West Tisbury School will present an opportunity for younger writers. All Island kids from kindergarten through eighth grade are welcome to bring their work (fiction, nonfiction, poetry) to read for an audience at the library. The public is invited to hear students’ work, and/or read their own. Adults, teachers, students, and community members are all welcome. If you would like to read at the event, please email Annemarie Ralph at aralph@mvyps.org.