Chase The Blues Photo Contest Winners

Mon, 04/07/2025 - 12:52pm by maddiefancett

Presenting the winning entries and honorable mentions of AADL's Chase the Blues photo contest! Thanks to all who embraced the end of season blues and submitted photos!

KIDS

First Place - Harjith

Runner-Up - Charlotte

Honorable Mention - Poppy

TEEN

First Place - Ryan B

Runner-Up - Ryan M

Honorable Mention - Bee

ADULT 

First Place - Todd Marsee

Runner-Up - Delmar Tarragó

Honorable Mention - Becca

INDIVIDUAL CATEGORIES

Best Portrait - Alonzo Wilson

Best Nature/Landscape - Calvin Rye

Best Wildlife - Leigh Sprauer

Best Pet - Angel Dabozo

Best Macro - Bee

Best Nighttime - Delmar Tarragó

Best Use of Water - Jason Kahn

Elements of Design - Ida Rose Garfield

Unique Use of Blue -  David Haines

Best Use of Clouds - Lin Zhu

Best Snowy Landscape - Van Nguyen

Best Reflection - Sheila Schueller 

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YA Authors to Visit Teen Writing Festival 6/4!

Thu, 06/01/2017 - 2:37pm by krayla

We have a fantastic group of published authors ready to give their best advice on writing at the upcoming Teen Writing Festival on Sunday, June 4! All attendees are welcome to bring questions to the Writers' Workshop in the Secret Lab, hosted by former "It's All Write!" Winner Mary Gallagher, and the Q&A Author Panel in the Multi-Purpose Room. Read on to find out about our fantastic guest authors!

Leah Vernon hails from Detroit, MI and specializes in multicultural dystopian and science fiction writing. Check out her book Impure or her body-positive style blog.

David James wrote the Legend of the Dreamer series, is a former high school teacher, and lives in Michigan. He is a fan of gummy candy and likes traveling to the Upper Peninsula.

Patrick Flores-Scott, writer of the award-winning book Jumped In, taught high school in Seattle before moving to Ann Arbor. He's currently working on a second book, "American Road Trip."

Courtney Allison Moulton originally lived in Texas before moving to a farm in Michigan. Her first experience participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) actually led to her first published book, Angelfire.

K.A. Barson hails from Jackson, MI and has written 45 Pounds (More or Less) and Charlotte Cuts it Out. She often sports purple hair.

The Teen Writing Festival will also feature contestants of the "It's All Write!" Teen Writing Contest reading their work and the "It's All Write!" awards ceremony. See you there!

2017 "It's All Write!" Contest Finalists!

Fri, 05/12/2017 - 1:04pm by krayla

The finalists of the 2017 “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest are officially published! Check out the list of finalists to see who will move on to the next round. A panel of published Young Adult authors will read the finalist stories over the next several weeks to choose the contest winners. Congratulations to everyone who chose to participate this year!

All writers and aspiring writers are welcome to attend the "It's All Write!" Awards as part of AADL's first Teen Writing Festival on June 4!

Meet “It’s All Write!” 2017 Judge #10: Rafi Mittlefehldt!

Thu, 05/04/2017 - 1:11pm by BugsAndSlugs

Rafi Mittlefehldt is the tenth and final judge for this year's “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest.

In Rafi's debut novel, It Looks Like This, Mike is a high school freshman whose family moves from the midwest to Virginia. With a conservative, religious father, Mike feels he’s a disappointment because of his disinterest in sports and reluctance to join the evangelical church. Then Sean appears in French class, and Mike finds someone he can connect with. Too soon, the boys’ relationship becomes the focus of the school bully and Mike must decide what's really important.

Rafi Mittlefehldt was born in Israel but grew up in Texas where he later wrote for a small town newspaper. Today, Rafi lives in Brooklyn with his husband Damien and their dog Betty. He works in book publishing and freelances as a theater critic.

That’s it for this year’s “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest Judges! Thanks to everyone who participated in 2017!

Meet “It’s All Write!” 2017 Judge #9: Brooks Benjamin!

Thu, 04/27/2017 - 1:39pm by BugsAndSlugs

The ninth judge for this year's “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest and author of the 2016 YA novel My Seventh-Grade Life in Tights is Brooks Benjamin.

Brooks Benjamin describes himself as a reader, writer, teacher, and eater of pizza. He is also a fan of choreographed dance, which lead him to form a New Kids on the Block tribute dance crew in sixth grade. Perhaps this is why his debut novel My Seventh Grade Life in Tights is about Dillon, who wants nothing more than to be a real dancer.

Dillon's Dad wants him to play football, his friends and co-founding members of his freestyle crew think dance studios are for sell-outs, and Dillon just wants to follow his heart. "This first novel is a fun exploration of middle-school friendships and the stigmas that come with certain hobbies...a fresh and winning debut about the power of self-expression." (Booklist)

Stay tuned for more information about “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest 2017 Judges!

Meet “It’s All Write!” 2017 Judge #8: Christian McKay Heidicker!

Wed, 04/19/2017 - 12:40pm by BugsAndSlugs

The eighth judge for this year's “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest and author of the 2016 debut novel Cure for the Common Universe is Christian McKay Heidicker. In this novel recommended for teen gamers and readers of Jesse Andrews and John Green, high school senior Jaxon is sent to rehab for his video game addiction on the eve of his first real date. Jaxon must earn enough points to graduate from the program in 4 days to preserve his date with Serena, or else be forced to recognize that his inability to connect with people can’t be blamed on video games, after all.

Learn more about Christian McKay Heidicker on his website and stay tuned for more information about “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest 2017 Judges!