Fall. Crisp air, shorter days, and the growing anxiety as you realize your procrastination is catching up with you. Oh wait, that's just me? Well whether you're a procrastinator like me or get everything done early, few things inspire us to work on our writing projects like deadlines. Below is a list of publishing opportunities and contests to get your creative juices flowing. Check back in; maybe I'll update the list after procrastinating for a few hours... Vision + Voice is a project now led by Austin Community College that partners fantastic K - 12 poetry with talented ACC artists. All submitted poetry gets published on the site, but top poems from each grade level get paired with an artist from ACC who creates original artwork inspired by the poem. And then they turn it into a poster! And invite you to an awards banquet! And your English teach rejoices! Learn more by following this link. GPS, or Geek Partnership Society, not only has an awesome name, they also have a plethora of writing contests available for YOU. And you don't even have to be a geek to enter, but it probably wouldn't hurt your chances :)
There is a lot going on, so take your time and read through these directions carefully.
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Voice Print Austin (Site is undergoing renovations it seems)
Austin ISD's very own digital press. Check it out for publishing opportunities for students and staff. They also have their very own writing contest page. sites.google.com/a/austinisd.org/voiceprintaustin/ Teen Ink Teen Ink is a national magazine and website devoted to teen writing, art, photos and forums. Teen Ink offers kids ages 13-18 the opportunity to publish their creative work and opinions on issues important to them. http://www.teenink.com/submit Stone Soup Stone Soup is a literary magazine and website written and illustrated by kids through age 13. https://stonesoup.com/how-to-submit-writing-and-art-to-stone-soup/ CONTESTS Really Great Outdoors Contest CASH PRIZES! Submit your plan for improving or creating a green space in your neighborhood and win up to $750. Learn more here. Interested in getting your poetry out into the world? Here are two more options, one of which is curated by KWAME ALEXANDER! NPR Morning Edition Poetry Contest - NPR's Morning Edition co-host Rachel Martin regularly hosts award-winning poet Kwame Alexander to talk about the power of the right words. On this segment, Kwame challenges listeners to submit poems that explore what they're thankful about when it comes to our country. Sound hard? I hear ya. There's a lot of craziness in the United States right now. But some of the best poems are born of such conflict, and no one ever said that you can't be critical about something and still thankful for it. Austin International Poetry Festival Anthology - I haven't explored this contest as much, but check out the link in the title and look for the youth anthology section a little ways down the page. Check out below for tons of publishing opportunities and writing contests. This list will be updated!
Voice Print Austin Austin ISD's very own digital press. Check it out for publishing opportunities for students and staff. They also have their very own writing contest page. sites.google.com/a/austinisd.org/voiceprintaustin/ Teen Ink Teen Ink is a national magazine and website devoted to teen writing, art, photos and forums. Teen Ink offers kids ages 13-18 the opportunity to publish their creative work and opinions on issues important to them. http://www.teenink.com/submit Stone Soup Stone Soup is a literary magazine and website written and illustrated by kids through age 13. https://stonesoup.com/how-to-submit-writing-and-art-to-stone-soup/ CONTESTS Vision + Voice Poetry Contest Poetry contest by AISD and Austin Community College. Winners from each grade will be published in an anthology, filmed reading their poem and recognized at a reception. Deadline December 31, 2018 - http://k12.visionandvoice.org Stone Soup Book Writing Contest Secret Kids Contest https://stonesoup.com/how-to-submit-writing-and-art-to-stone-soup/current-contests/ Texas Teen Book Festival Fiction Writing Contest Accepts original works of fiction from Texas kids ages 11-18. Check back for 2019 contest info . https://texasteenbookfestival.org/fiction-writing-contest/ (in 2018 there was also a We Need Diverse Books essay contest) Betty X. Davis Young Writers of Merit Award Recognizes budding writing talents and to spark enthusiasm for writing among young people. Check back for 2019 contest info. https://austin.scbwi.org/betty-x-davis-young-writers-of-merit-award/ The following is an expository essay written by a 7th grader who had a unique perspective about how a classic dystopian novel compares to modern American life.
“Nobody listens anymore. I can’t talk to the walls because they’re yelling at me. I can’t talk to my wife; she listens to the walls,” (pg.84). This is Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451’s response to his frustration with the society he’s surrounded by. The community of Fahrenheit 451 is similar to today’s society because members are tuned out from reality and only focus on alternate realities. They become obsessed and are fearful of the real world. One of the major themes in Fahrenheit 451 is how everyone is so caught up in their television programs and whatever’s playing in their seashells to pay attention to what’s actually happening around them. For example, Mildred, Montag’s wife, spends most of her time tuned out. “She had both ears plugged with electronic bees that were humming the hour away,” (pg. 22). She uses the Seashells, which are like headphones, often to ignore her life and the people around her. Another way people isolate themselves is by using the walls, which are like T-Vs. “It’ll be even more fun when we can have the fourth wall installed...It’s only two thousand dollars,” (pg. 24). This shows how dependent they are on distractions, and how much they need them. All of this is very similar to today, with people, their technology, and their need to live through other people’s lives. Most people today are obsessed with their phones and television programs. Many people are only focusing on what’s going on in reality television programs, like Keeping Up With The Kardashians. They only seem to want to live through other people’s programmed lives, rather than live through their own. Because people are so isolated from reality, they often become afraid of it. “I’ve always said poetry and tears, poetry and suicide and crying and awful feelings, poetry and sickness; all that mush! Now I’ve had it proved to me. You’re nasty, Mr. Montag, you’re nasty!” (pg. 103). This was Mrs. Bowels’ reaction to Montag reading poetry to her, which was unfamiliar. Sometimes, the unfamiliar things are the scariest. The members of the society in Fahrenheit 451 also seem to be taught not to engage in books or any sort of literature. Mrs. Bowels’ response to the poetry shows obvious disgust with naming poetry among some of the worst things in the world. It wasn’t just the fear of books, though. Montag, who wanted to read more than anything, was afraid of being caught. “Montag felt his heart jump and jump again as she patted his pillow,” (pg. 59). Montag had a book hidden under his pillow and fire captain Beatty was over. If the book was to be discovered, Montag could've lost everything. Most people in Fahrenheit 451 are also afraid of being different. They were all taught to be this one way, and now every time that someone is different in their society, they immediately reject them, similar to the way we do now. It’s important for people today to be aware of what’s happened in Montag’s community because it may happen to us. Wouldn’t you rather be present and enjoy what life has to offer, rather than spend all your time plugged in? The Fiction Writing Contest is back, and we are now accepting submissions! Our annual contest is generously sponsored by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s books, and it is FREE to enter for Texas teens ages 12 to 18-years old. Three winners will be selected by our contest judges, and each winner will receive a prize of $150, as well as a full editorial review by an editor from Delacorte Press! Winners will be notified on September 1st and will be invited to participate in the 2018 Texas Teen Book Festival on October 6, 2018 at St. Edward’s University. Take a look at past contest winners and read the full eligibility and submission requirements, including formatting and document guidelines, on our website. Submit your writing by 11:59 PM on Saturday, July 1, 2018! 2018 Texas Teen Book Festival The Festival will be double digits this year - 10! Make plans to spend a full day with your favorite authors and other YA lit fans talking about some amazing books. We'll see you at St. Edward's University on October 6, 2018. Want to join the Texas Teen Book Festival team? Apply for one of our internships today. GET INVOLVED WITH TTBF! Want to be eligible to win some pretty amazing prizes (and maybe chat with a few authors)? Volunteer with the Texas Teen Book Festival! Copyright © 2017 Texas Teen Book Festival, All rights reserved.
Some historical figures are larger than life. 50 years ago today, we lost one of these people. Martin Luther King, Jr. was taken by an assassins bullet, and thus transformed from a Civil Rights icon to a legend of the movement. Most people focus on King's work in civil rights for African Americans, but fewer people recognize the work he did in fighting poverty and protesting the Vietnam War. In all of his work, however, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a tireless crusader against injustice. My sixth graders are currently reading a story that highlights other champions of equal rights. Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred Taylor chronicles the Logan family's fight to protect their farm against racist and bigoted forces in 1930s Mississippi. While the story is a work of fiction, there's no doubt that many oppressed peoples laid the groundwork for the movement Martin Luther King, Jr. came to embody. The truth is, though, that anybody can be a warrior for social justice. I take my inspiration for this from Mary Logan, the matriarch of the Logan family: What changes will you refuse to accept? What will you do to realize Martin Luther King's dream? Post your ideas in the comments, or better yet, go out and start changing the world.
This is a collection of poems and essays by 7th graders who took lots of time and effort to polish these writings. They are all, in some way, related to Texas History, falling mostly around the Texas Revolution. You can find them by scrolling down on this "Smore" page. Feel welcome to comment, but remember to be kind and respectful. Try using a compliment sandwich (something they did well, something they could improve, something they did well).
February 21, 2018 A week ago, a lone shooter took 17 lives from a high school in south Florida. He used an AR-15 style weapon. Just a few weeks earlier, a student was found with a gun at O. Henry Middle School. Our politicians are failing to do their job, which is to protect the people who cannot protect themselves. 75% of the people in that high school can't vote, and are supposed to hope that elected officials will protect them from gun violence. That is why, on April 20th, the 19 year anniversary of another mass shooting, students across Austin*** will leave school at 10 A.M. in a walk out protest. I am not sure as to where and how the protest will go, but I urge students at O. Henry to take part in this event in two months. We want our school to be safe, and we had a run-through with a school shooting that could have happened if X-student (I am not naming him/her for obvious reasons) had brought ammunition. Nobody should take this subject lightly, and our voices need to be heard across the city, state, and the nation.
***Editorial note: an earlier version of this post indicated that a walk out is already planned at O. Henry Middle School. No information about a protest at OHMS is currently known; if information becomes available, it will not be posted on this website. These are some of 7th grade's amazing posters of PSAs (Public Service Announcements). They worked very hard on these, and put lots of time and effort into their work. I apologize in advance to anybody I didn't include. This doesn't mean that you didn't do well on the project. There are just lots of 7th graders, and I don't want to fill up the page with too many photos of PSAs.
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AuthorThis is the O. Henry Writing Project's blog. Come back for contests, updates, random musings, etc. etc. Archives
November 2019
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Photo used under Creative Commons from stasialbean