The Teen-Centered Writing Club: Bringing Teens and Words Together »

CONSTANCE HARDESTY is a YA programming and book club specialist with more than 20 years' experience working with teens and adults in educational and recreational settings. From writing workshops for middle schoolers to CE courses for educators, she focuses on connecting people with ideas through the written word. She is the co-author of The Teen-Centered Book Club (Libraries Unlimited, 2006). Her writing has received several awards from the American Booksellers Association, National Parenting Publications Awards, Associated Press, and others.

Build your teen community with a program that's irresistible--a teen writing club. Teens have primal urges to create and to connect. Now you can tap into those urges with the help of this comprehensive, step-by-step guide to creating a teen writing club in the school or public library. Featuring creative writing activities, with detailed planning advice, coaching tips, and culminating in performance/publishing ideas, this book makes it easy for you to create a place where teen writers connect with one another through words--written, spoken, sung, or even howled. Grades 6-12

School Library Journal

Hardesty encourages librarians to listen to teens and assist them in their search for identity through the written word. Instead of focusing on improving skills, the clubs she suggests are about letting young people have control over the direction of the program. From starting a club and the writing activities to share, to grand finales and how to evaluate the program's effectiveness, the author details all the information needed to create such a club. Particularly useful are chapters on the four roles of facilitators, creating a nonfiction writing club, and how to take your efforts online. Many handouts are included, a boon to any busy librarian. An appendix includes resources for publishing. All this information is laid out in a straightforward, positive manner. An essential resource for planning or presenting writing clubs.-Melissa Rabey, Frederick County Public Libraries, Frederick, MD

Ch. 1 What's a Teen-Centered Writing Club? 1

Ch. 2 Nothing to It: Getting Started 9

Ch. 3 The Four Roles of the Facilitator 19

Ch. 4 Core Elements of the Writing Club 31

Ch. 5 Writing Clubs for All 49

Ch. 6 The "You Are What You Write" Nonfiction Club 57

Ch. 7 Getting Crafty with Fiction 83

Ch. 8 Online Joins the Mix 111

Ch. 9 Grand Finales and Finishing Touches 123

Ch. 10 Measure Up! Evaluating the Program 141

Appendix Resources for Facilitators and Teen Writers, Publishing Opportunities, Festivals, and More 153

Index 165