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Meet 2016 “It’s All Write!” Guest Speaker: Patrick Flores-Scott!

by BugsAndSlugs

Patrick Flores-Scott is the guest speaker at this year's "It’s All Write!” Teen Short Story Contest Final Celebration and the author of the award winning novel, Jumped In. In Mr Flores-Scott's debut novel, the protagonist, Sam, is intent on slacking his way through high school until a love of music and poetry spark an unlikely friendship with Luis - the undisputed scariest kid in school. Jumped In was named to the 2014 YALSA best fiction for young adults list and was a finalist in the Michigan Great Lakes - Great Books competition for 2016.

For more about Patrick Flores-Scott, check out his blog, watch for his new novel American Road Trip coming in January, 2017, and celebrate all the “It’s All Write!” contestants while the top nine finalists are announced on Sunday June 12, 2016 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm in the Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room!

Stay tuned to find out the winners of the 2016 “It’s All Write!” Teen Short Story Contest!

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Meet 2016 “It’s All Write!” Judge #8 - Adi Alsaid!

by BugsAndSlugs

The final judge for this year's “It’s All Write!” Teen Short Story Contest is Adi Alsaid! Adi was born and raised in Mexico. He currently lives in Mexico City, where he writes and coaches basketball.

Adi Alsaid is the author of two YA novels Let's Get Lost, the story of a 17 yr old girl who travels cross-country and touches the lives of four strangers, and Never Always Sometimes, about teenage friends Dave and Julia, and their discovery that avoiding all the clichés can mean missing out on some of the best parts of high school.

Adi Alsaid is also working on a third and still untitled YA novel, due to be released in 2017!

Up Next: Patrick Flores-Scott, this year’s guest speaker for the “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest final celebration on June 12th!

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2016 "It's All Write!" Contest Finalists!

by krayla

The finalists of the 2016 “It’s All Write!” Teen Short Story 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.

If you wrote a story for the contest this year, give yourself a pat on the back! Everyone worked very hard, as evidenced by the high-quality writing that was entered. The judges have loved reading your stories so far and noted how difficult it was to choose just a few finalists. If you have been chosen to move on, congratulations! All writers, friends, family, and supporters are welcome to join us at the Final Celebration on June 12!

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Meet 2016 “It’s All Write!” Judge #7: Kashmira Sheth!

by BugsAndSlugs

Kashmira Sheth is the author of two award winning teen novels Keeping Corner and Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet.

Before she began writing, Kashmira Sheth had many jobs, including working in a bakery, catching corn flea beetles, using microbiology to test food for bacterial counts and pathogens, choreographing and performing Indian dances and running a dance school. When asked what she would tell someone that wishes to become a writer, Ms. Sheth gave three pieces of advice:

  • Read, read and read some more.
  • Learn another language or two.
  • Write something every day - even if it's just your thoughts.

For more about Kashmira Sheth, visit her webpage, and stay tuned for updates about the “It’s All Write!” Teen Short Story Contest Judges!

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Meet 2016 “It’s All Write!” Judge #6: Tracy Bilen!

by BugsAndSlugs

Tracy Bilen is the YA author of What She Left Behind, the story of sixteen-year-old Sara, whose mother goes missing before they can move to a new town to escape Sara's physically abusive father. Ms. Bilen is a high school French and Spanish teacher in Michigan, where she lives with her husband and children. Tracy studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and taught Spanish at a high school ski academy. She loves biking, traveling, and red velvet cake. When asked about her favorite word, Tracy declared, “Plethora. Because it’s the first fancy word I ever learned. I don’t ever say it out loud, but I THINK it a lot.”

Want to learn more about Tracy Bilen's favorite things and get some advice on starting out as a writer? Check out her blog and stay tuned for more information about the “It’s All Write!” Teen Short Story Contest Judges!

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2016 "Write On!" 3rd-5th Grade Short Story Contest Winners!

by krayla

Congratulations to the 2016 “Write On!” 3rd-5th Grade Short Story Contest Winners!

After an astounding 104 entries, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place stories were chosen from each grade, and the 2016 winners were announced at the Awards Celebration held on April 17th!

Come back soon to read this year’s short story submissions on the contest website!

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Meet “It’s All Write!” 2016 Judge #5: Kevin Emerson!

by BugsAndSlugs

Kevin Emerson is the author of twelve novels, including the Exile series books: Exile, Encore to an Empty Room and the series conclusion, coming in August 2016, Finding Abby Road.

School Library Journal declared that Emerson's Atlanteans series, "...reads like a combination of Star Trek, Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief, and Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games... The plot twists around like a vine, blending mythology, technology, pandemics, violence, and excitement."

Kevin Emerson is a singer, drummer, and guitarist and has played in bands since high school. He has toured across the country and in Europe and the UK and now lives in Seattle, one of the best music cities in the world. Learn more about Kevin on his blog and stay tuned for more information about the 2016 “It’s All Write!” Teen Short Story Contest Judges!

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Meet “It’s All Write!” 2016 Judge #4: Todd Strasser!

by BugsAndSlugs

Todd Strasser is the author of more than 140 books for teens and middle graders including the best-selling Help! I’m Trapped In series, and numerous award-winning YA novels including The Wave, Give A Boy A Gun, Wish You Were Dead, Blood on my Hands, Kill You Last, No Place, , Boot Camp, If I Grow Up and Fallout .

Several of Todd's books have been adapted for television, and his novels The Wave and How I Created My Perfect Prom Date became feature films. His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and he has also written for television, newspapers such as The New York Times, and magazines such as The New Yorker and Esquire .

Learn more about Todd Strasser by reading his blog and don't forget to stay tuned for more information about the 2016 “It’s All Write!” Teen Short Story Contest Judges!

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Meet “It’s All Write!” 2016 Judge #3: Caroline Bock!

by BugsAndSlugs

The third judge for this year’s “It’s All Write!” Teen Short Story Contest is Caroline Bock! Prior to focusing on writing, Caroline led the marketing and public relations departments at Bravo, IFC cable networks and IFC Films. In 2011, she received an MFA in Fiction with honors from The City College of New York and she has recently moved to Maryland after living her entire life in the State of New York.

Caroline’s work includes the YA novels Lie and Before My Eyes , as well as her award winning short story Gargoyles and Stars .

Recently, Caroline Bock was nominated for a 2016 Pushcart literary award in poetry! To learn more about Caroline and her writing, visit her webpage or follow her on Twitter @cabockwrites.

Stay tuned for more information about the “It’s All Write!” Teen Short Story Contest of 2016 Judges

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Learn to Write Fantastic Fiction!

by anthonyd

Whether you're thinking of an idea or just improving a story already written, Writing Fantastic Fiction has several tips to help you along the way.

In six chapters you will learn how to find story ideas, create characters and how to create a writing map! There's also really cool sidebars of information throughout the book. "Writers on Writing" offers inspirational quotes from well-known writers and "Learn from the Masters" shares tips from acclaimed authors on how they created their famous stories. In addition to famous writers giving their tips, there's also fun writing exercises to try!