A group of about  30 middle and high school students with a passion for writing met at the Warren Hills District Office in December for the annual Horizon’s Young Writers’ Conference, with debut author Annie Liontas as their guest speaker.

The focus of the workshop was on nonfiction and to not only get the students writing, but to get them excited about it as well. It was emphasized that everyone should be open to accessing their own authentic stories and writing about them.

“I wanted to ‘dust off’ the form  a bit, to help students see that nonfiction is not just facts and data, that writers are working as much in the narrative mode in nonfiction as they are when they are writing fiction,” said Liontas.

In the first activity, everyone had the opportunity to create their own ‘six word memoirs’ and read them aloud. Each one was just a glimpse of the writer’s life, but it was a chance for the students to express their personal stories in a creative way.

“When people shared their six-word memoirs, it was very interesting because some were light-hearted and funny, while others were deep and serious,” said junior Emily Reed. “It was really cool to hear which way people went with their writing.”

As an inventive ice-breaker, the students then partnered up and asked each other some questions from The New York Times’ article “36 Questions That Lead to Love.”  There were three stages, each group of questions more personal than the other- which helped create a more relaxed atmosphere.

“I felt that it was a great way to break the ice and find similarities between all of us so that we could become comfortable enough to share our writing and ideas with one another,” said junior Kirsten Dorman. “It was really inspiring.”

Afterwards, the students read and shared their ideas about different nonfiction pieces that Liontas had brought in, some of which included manifestos, like the “Declaration of Independence,” “Apple: Here’s to The Crazy Ones…” and “Black Lives Matter.”

For the last part of the workshop, the students  formed  groups to create their own manifestos and talk about issues that were important to them.

“I really enjoyed watching the students getting excited over creating their own manifestos. The energy in the room was palpable. The manifestos were magically diverse in ideas and execution, and I was truly privileged to get to witness the whole process,” said English teacher Kevin Horn.

For anyone that’s on-the-fence about going next year, the conference was an amazing opportunity to work with a truly inspiring author. The students were able to explore new forms of writing, along with improving their current writing skills as well.   

“My goal for the Young Writers’ Conference is to provide an enrichment opportunity for middle school and high school students to work with an author and artist who is living and working in her art form,” said Media Specialist/ Librarian Margaret Devine. “This access allows students to learn about the author’s process of writing, revision, and storytelling.”

Anyone interested in writing- whether as a hobby or future career–should definitely put this on their  “To Do” list.

“Please come to this conference! It is a day of writing and bonding that will change your perspective on being a writer and possibly your life,” said Horn. “That’s no small potatoes!”