November 3rd, 2020.
May this election
bring us hope.

May this election
bring us peace.

May this election
bring us change,
whatever form it takes –

lift up the oppressed,
the *tired, the poor,
the huddled masses yearning to breathe free –

He could not breathe.
they cannot breathe,
stolen from this world
and scattered across the sky.

They cannot breathe,
gasping from a merciless virus,
saying goodbye to those they love
on a tablet screen.

May this election
protect our
life
liberty
and
pursuit of happiness,
and those
certain inalienable rights –

May we rise as one
to overcome adversity.

*reference to Emma Lazarus' "The New Colossus"

Congratulations to Adelle Brunstad, a longtime YWP writer and the editor of the Social Distancing Journal! Adelle has just been granted a UC Berkeley Community Impact Scholarship to participate in their online Professional Writing Program. She wrote an essay about her work on the Social Distancing Journal – and won the scholarship! See the story here: https://voices.berkeley.edu/writing-editing-and-technical-communication/big-future-small-town-writer

Community Leaders are the heart and soul of Young Writers Project – they put so much energy and love into this community that they deserve special recognition. READ THE COMMUNITY LEADERS' NEWSLETTER HERE! YWP writers, photographers, and artists are invited to become Community Leaders because of all they do for YWP, the thought and care they put into their own work, and the encouragement and positive reinforcement they give to others on the site.
 

It's the grateful season! Join YWP for November's online writing party/salon with host Alex Muck – Saturday, Nov. 14, 6:30-8 PM. Sign up for your invitation!
 

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Hi everyone! This week I spoke with Yellow Sweater about her poem, "The Big Blue," writing with synesthesia, how memories connect to writing, taking inspiration from religion, writing in a specific palette, and prose poetry. Also, here's the signup page for the online open mic that Yellow Sweater and I are hosting October 24th at 7pm EST!
I hope you enjoy!
-Iris
 

Hi everyone,
    For my Girl Scout Gold Award Project (which I think I might've mentioned in an SDJ way back when), I'm conducting a series of creative writing workshops with my local library. I've actually just hosted the first one (journaling) this past Saturday, and I thought I might invite you all as well. It's not quite the same as the fantastic ones Alex holds (because I'm pretty new to this whole presenting thing + they're for specific genres), but I think they're pretty fun. I've found for myself that even if I'm already are very comfortable with the genre, it's also a great way to set aside a period of time to writing.

(Ideally) these workshops will:
- briefly explain each genre of writing,
- provide a safe environment to share,
- give feedback & encouragement,
- & let you express yourself!