home.
where you belong, usually.
where you go to school, to work if you're lucky.
where you make friends and meet up with them.

i do that.
i meet up with my friends at cafe 49 on main street.
i go to school just minutes from my house if i ride my bike, less if i drive.
i work an even shorter distance away.

i've got friends on my street, ones that will come out of their house to pet my dog.
i know my neighbors well; mrs. jan to my left, mrs. joyce to my right.
i know the roads better and have never gotten lost.
it's easy for me to go miles on my bike without even realizing how far i've went.

it's nice, my hometown. the middle of the county.
40 minutes away from a too-big city
and less from the countryside.
we don't have too much crime and it's quiet.

new york is a nice state, if you're not in the city.
syracuse? nah. nyc? nah x2. buffalo? nah x3.

WRITING ON THE ROOF is YWP's series of free writing workshops in the rooftop conference room of the Karma Bird House (YWP's  home base), 47 Maple Street, Burlington, VT. More info here

VOICES FOR CHANGE is a social justice initiative led by a group of YWP writers, and anyone is welcome to join! This youth-led program builds leadership, collaboration and audiences for you to advocate for positive change through writing and art, spoken word and publication. Writing workshops and open mic events are held throughout the year free at Burlington City Arts, 135 Church St., Burlington. More info here

During this school year, the Community Journalism Project will offer an array of writing challenges, skills-building exercises, and resources online as well as opportunities for live workshops on storytelling, arts criticism, public speaking, and journalism basics through YWP's Writing on the Roof and Voices for Change series. Watch the site for updates.

• Generally, journalism is non-fiction prose rather than poetry, although you'll always find exceptions to the rule. In fact, you'll see many examples of poetry as hard-hitting commentary on youngwritersproject.org, such as the poem, I Wonder, about gun violence. Feel free to choose whatever genre works best for you in conveying your message.

• Written pieces do not need to be long, but they should be more than a few words. The "sweet spot" is probably somewhere between four and 10 paragraphs, if you're writing prose, so that the piece has some structure and moves from its beginning through the middle to the end.

• Personal experiences are a great source of inspiration and storytelling. When you link these personal experiences to a larger issue you can create a powerful connection that touches the reader.

Over the years, Enosburg Falls has been like a ball of yarn that just keeps unraveling despite its deceptively small size and surprising me with different colors and textures. Its unique stories, fascinating people and beautiful views knit together to create a quintessential image of a Vermont home-town.

THE PHOTOS:
1) View of the falls from the Bridge of Flowers of Light
2) The Enosburg Historical Museum and the Orange Caboose 
3) The Enosburg Opera House
4) A section of Main Street
5) The Enosburg Community Center sign
6) The historic Diesel Electric Plant
7) Enosburg Public Library
8) A beautiful farm just outside of town