Spring 2012

Young Writers & Leaders Film

Join us May 24th for the premiere of the Young Writers and Leaders short films at Space Gallery in Portland. Teaching artist Sonya Tomlinson and filmmaker David Meiklejohn created the project to showcase all fifteen students from this year's program in three-minute segments. Each tackles the myths of America from the perspective of immigrant and refugee youth. More info here.

Our Kickstarter campaign to fund a big premiere event in Boston is still up and running here–any funds we receive beyond our projected goal will go towards future YWL programming and the possibility of additional screenings. Thanks for contributing!

The Telling Room Movie

Filmmaker Daniel Stephens and his crew at GoodFocus made this beautiful movie for us last spring, capturing glimpses of our space, our staff, our exceptional students and the work we do within the Greater Portland community. Enjoy!

Imagination Intensive Community Award

The Maine Alliance for Arts Education, the Maine Department of Education, and the Maine Arts Commission have named The Telling Room Maine’s 2011 Imagination Intensive Community.

 

What's Happening

NEW ANTHOLOGY
Copies of our 2011-12 anthology, Exit 13: A Maine Guidebook in Stories and Poems are now available in the TR store.

TEDxDIRIGO
Telling Room co-founder and author Susan Conley will be speaking on Saturday, May 19th at TedxDirigo's event, Engage. There are a limited number of invitations available through an application process on their website.

ANNE BEATTIE AT THE TR
Join short story author, frequent New Yorker contributer, professor and novelist, Ann Beattie,
at The Telling Room, May 31st from 3:30-4:30pm for a roundtable with aspiring young writers. Open to all middle and high school students. Click for more info and to register.

2012 SUMMER CAMPS
All the info about our summer camp sessions is available here. We have six amazing programs to choose from for all ages. Registration is open, so reserve your place soon!

WRITING CONTEST AWARDS
Congratulations to the top writers in our statewide writing contest: Noah Williams, Laura Holt and Sarah Mariski! Click for details.

WordPLAY
The TR is open to students for WordPLAY drop in hours from 1:30-4:30pm, Wednesdays throughout the school year. Bring a piece of writing you've been working on, some homework, or come to be inspired. The final WordPLAY of the year will be May 30th.

PLACES TO PUBLISH
Download and print this list of places for young adults to publish work. It's never too soon to share your stories!

VOLUNTEER INFO SESSION
All interested volunteers should join us at our next info session, Wednesday, May 9th from 10:00–11:30am. Contact Molly Haley for more information.

THE TR STORE IS OPEN!
Buy our books, a t-shirt, or other Telling Room swag at our new online store.

Who We Are

The Telling Room is a nonprofit writing center in Portland, Maine, dedicated to the idea that children and young adults are natural storytellers. Focused on young writers ages 6 to 18, we seek to build confidence, strengthen literacy skills, and provide real audiences for our students’ stories. We believe that the power of creative expression can change our communities and prepare our youth for future success. View our 2011 annual report.

Join Us!

Join our mailing list to stay informed about upcoming events and workshops.

Donate

Impact the lives of thousands of Maine youth writers:

Come see us at our Writing Center at 225 Commercial Street in downtown Portland. It is the hub for workshops, WordPLAY, and field trips. Come down anytime and check out what we're doing, and, as ever, all of our programming is free.

Links

 

Volunteer

Want to help us create an innovative and inspiring home for young writers and their stories? Click volunteer to learn how you can get involved.

Blogs

Check in with the TR's programs on Tumblr and stay current with the latest student submissions on our Widgery Wharf Blog.

Podcast

Subscribe to the Telling Room's monthly podcast on iTunes.