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Don't really know where this is going. Ideas?
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There are lots of things in this world that I don't understand.
I don't understand why today was such a beautiful day.
I don't understand why none of my teachers would go let us sit in the sun (not even for a minute).
I don't understand love.
I don't understand high school.
I don't understand pain.
I don't understand the concept of understanding.
Sometimes I wonder why we have to understand.
Why must we understand love?
Isn't it beautiful enough on its own?

Just a quick reminder that my workshop, The Art of Storytelling, is happening this Saturday at the Young Writers Project space in the Champlain Mill in Winooski. We'll talk about the elements of narrative and look at some examples. We'll also do a series of writing prompts and begin working on stories of our own. The workshop will be from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. An outline of the workshop is attached, as are a few stories we'll take a closer look at this weekend.

“When you get to the fork in the road, take it.”
—Yogi Berra, storyteller, Major League baseball player

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

In life, it is said, one thing happens after another. In stories, it is also said, one thing happens because of another. No matter what happens, the story won’t go on until a character makes a decision. In fact, we might look at stories as a series of decisions—some monumental, some incidental—that give the narrative shape and direction.

UPDATED: 3.10.2010 11:40 p.m. -- A change on Twitter
We had a couple of complaints by folks regarding the setup for Twitter. It defaulted to posting to twitter.com/ywpvt and folks following it say they were being deluged with references to all your posts. While they just stopped following ywpvt, that was not the purpose -- we want you to get more readership from this.

So, for the moment, we've disconnnected the global account. We'll continue to manually highlight great work, until we adapt the module. HOWEVER, if you have a Twitter account, you can post links to your work on your Twitter account. Here's how: Go to "My Account," click "Edit" tab and then click "Twitter Accounts" tab. Put in your info about your account. (You can then choose to have your Twitter posts come into your space for others to read.) Then when you create a blog post, you'll see an option to post an announcement about your blog post on your Twitter account. Check the box for yay, uncheck the box for nay.

More below on the other changes.

Do you like writing and reading? YWP is looking for help selecting the best student submissions for publication in newspapers and on the Web site. All work is done online and takes an hour or two each time. We rotate the judges so that you won’t judge more than a few times during the year – unless you’d like to do more. It’s fun and interesting and is guaranteed to help improve your writing too!

If you’re interested in judging, contact Lee McIsaac, the YWP content coordinator, or call 802-324-9539.

Lee McIsaac

UPDATE: 1.12.09: Thanks for your responses -- keep them coming, either below or via email.
As we consider who will be on our Core Group, let me say that we want to involve anyone and everyone in this process in one way or another. All of your voices WILL be heard. Here are two quick things you can do to help:

• Go online and surf. What Web sites do you find fun, interesting or engaging either because of what happens on the site, what you can do on the site or because of the way it is laid out. Criteria: Sites should be focused on youth expression, community, social action and multi-media.
• Encourage a few folks to participate in this process who are NOT involved in YWP? One below suggested a reader who doesn't like writing... what about an athlete or an actor or a visual artist or a debater or someone engaged in community service or someone who's awesome at a trade -- metal working or carpentry -- or someone who's into video or lighting or someone into computers. We're talking fame and fortune here, guys. (kidding) But actually it's an opportunity for them to design something that might be interesting to them.

I am announcing a new project. And I am looking for volunteers. Consider this a journalism project. Consider it also a project to the lay the ground work for the next generation of youngwritersproject.org

As many of you know, we've been noodling on how to take this site, and this project, to the next level. Frankly, we've been so busy that we really haven't had the time to give YWP's future the attention it needs.

So I come to you. I'd like to assemble a team comprised of you and some sharp adults -- journalists, writers & artists, digital educators and software engineers -- to figure out what YWP should become.

This team will do the following:

1. Research: Through online research, interviews with peers and experts and surveys, determine what great ideas are being done or haven't yet been developed.
2. With that research, brainstorm concepts for the next generation of youngwritersproject.org
3. Focus ideas and research into a vision and detailed plan.
4. Develop and test prototype; document ideas and planned programs.
5. Raise money and implement.

It sounds a bit more ominous than it is. Your parts will be divided on your expertise and interests. We are going to work on the theory that many heads make light -- and fast -- work.

We are looking not only for you, but perhaps students you know who are not involved with YWP. We are looking for writers, techies, artists, athletes, dramatists, civic activists and a few folks who are downright bored with school but might be intrigued to engage in a project they might like. Talk to them about it.

We will have a few sessions in person. We'll have a lot of short sessions online through a cool meeting interface that everyone would call in on (Skype on Sterioids). You guys will tackle some of the research on your own.

What we can offer in return is some basic guidance on basic journalistic techniques -- because this is, as you will discover, a kind of journalism project. We can run this as an independent study project for credit at your school, or write you recommendations or give you something you can put on your resume for college. We can occasionally feed you pizza.

We will not be taking everyone who submits their name. We want a working team whose members are committed to making this project a better place and who are also intrigued with the idea of what we will be looking to find out -- Who's doing cool things with youth online? What would teens like to be doing online that they can't now? And what can YWP do to become better? Can we develop leading edge technology, ideas and programs that engage, intrigue and excite?

Interested?

Contact me as soon as possible. ggevalt (at) youngwritersproject.org or call 802.324-9537. Or hire Pony Express or Western Union. Or comment below -- but don't just say you're in; ask questions; get the dialogue going.

cheers,

gg

Long lines, sold out shows, by now, many of you have seen Avatar. What do you think of it? Blog about it and put "Avatar" in the keywords or comment below. Click "Read More" for a trailer to get you back in the mood. Sorry, no glasses available. -- gg

Braving cold and snow and snow and cold, the YWP Players -- P-T, Usagi, Qwerty, Peaches, Geist, Special and Bailyrae -- did a fantastic job at First Night in Burlington Friday. Remarkable writing and editing; rehearsed and performed in an incredibly short time frame. I was proud to be a part of it. Many accolades from folks in the audience, including some surprise luminaries of Burlington. Nice job, folks. Special thanks to Robin Fawcett for her amazing coaching. And special thanks to all of you who contributed 6-word visions of 2110. Here are the script, sound and images. Click here for Gallery. Video to come in a few days. -- gg

YWP folks....

YWP has submitted an application to the Knight Foundation for a NewsChallenge project that will involve many of you -- if we get it. This is a long and very competitive process, but we remain, as always, optimistic. This is the nut graph as they say: We want to create a journalism project by and for teens that would include building the next generation YWP site and online and in-person instruction on journalism, art and digital media.

The comment period is over for the proposal and thanks so much to all of you who viewed the specifics of our proposal. (We've attached a copy.)

This application is all about taking YWP to the next level, about encouraging as many of you as possible to engage in writing about your world, your observations, your concerns. You do that now. But we have some ideas for helping you do an even better job with a foundation of good journalism and cool technology.

I've been noodling on this idea for a while. As someone who spent 33 years working in journalism, it's been very difficult to watch the mega-news companies shrink, cut, exploded newsrooms around the country to the detriment of us -- we have less deep, true, accurate information to judge what is happening in this world.

I don't know whether we'll ge the grant. Probably won't. But I am trying to figure out ways we could make it happen anyway, to be able to assemble groups of you with some of the best journalists, software developers and digital experts that I know to create something new. And over the years I've been fortunate to work with some amazing folks. One of them, Bob Paynter, wrote me this morning about his potential involvement in the project. Bob was responsible for our former paper winning the Pulitzer Gold Medal for Public Service in 1994. Here's what he wrote:

>i>I would love to be involved in your project. I can't believe that all our efforts and aspirations over the years were for naught. There must be a way to distill the essence of what we were about, boil away whatever has become obsolete and irrelevant in this bizarre new world, and pass along the heart of what remains to kindred souls in the youth-o-sphere. So, bravo on your powerful idea.

We'll let you know how you fare. In the meantime, rest assured that we will be embarking on new things in the coming year.

Stay tuned.

gg

YWP folks,

We received word this morning that our proposal has been accepted by Burlington City Arts! We're on the schedule for a 12-15 minute show (repeated four times over an hour) during the Burlington First Night Celebration.

To aid in organizing this, we have created a new group for you called First Night. This is your space to brainstorm, discuss and post writing related to the Vermont in 2110 theme. Our key creators and performers are already members of this group (Locke-Peter, NonSequitur, ParisianTwist, QwertyGirl, Usagi & Peaches) but all interested students are encouraged to join and share your thoughts -- just remember that posting here is not a guarantee that your work will be included in the final performance.

ALSO, you will notice that we are seeking 6-Word Stories about Vermont's Future in the widget in the upper right. Change gears; envision Vermont in the year 2110 and express it in six words!

And if you have a flare for performance, be sure to let us know -- there may still be opportunities to expand our show.

If you have any questions, contact GG or edevries by email (ggevalt and edevries at youngwritersproject.org) or by phone or comment here.

So here's a question that we'd like to discuss... What kind of "blogging" is appropriate for this site?

Now I will be the first to say that the word "appropriate" has changed in meaning in recent years, with the advent of movie ratings and the invention of adult-driven restrictions on Internet use. I think of the word appropriate in a much different way -- does it belong? does it fit? is it part of a larger point?

So is "blogging" about ones daily life appropriate for this site?

In an effort to communicate with all of you better, we are reviving our Facebook page and our Twitter account. To help us get the word to you, we hope you will become "fans" of us on Spacebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Young-Writers-Project-Inc/54341961467 and will also follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ywpvt

We hope you don't mind this intrusion into your lives, but we also want to make sure that you get our messages, announcements, etc...

We also want to further highlight the Daily Reads, Daily Podcasts, Daily Songs, etc... to bring you more fame, if not fortune.

In the last week of August, 13 energetic young writers attended and wrote about the first Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival at Elley-Long Music Center at St. Michael's College. The festival was led by the brilliant violinist, Soovin Kim, and featured some of the world's finest musicians. To read the students blogs, click here.