New Jersey

The Power of the Youthful Pen – Princeton Writing Academy Grand Writing Contest

Yes, this Younger Generation will amaze you.  On Thursday, Bart had the privilege to announce the winners of the Princeton Writing Academy’s Grand Writing Contest, sponsored by Prometheus Publishing.   Academy Director Janine Edwards and her instructors have taught their students remarkably well. Before an audience at the Princeton Community Television Station, 5 and 6^th grader semi-finalists read their own notably insightful, finely crafted tales.  These authors addressed homelessness, struggling under the competitive spotlight, fickle popularity, and an imaginative depiction of a young Chinese girl’s experience of encountering Chairman Mao Zedong.  Meanwhile, the 7-8^th grade authors read impressively thoughtful offerings as an allegory of destructive greed, inventively mystical self-discovery, and a probing story about facing the final moments of our world.

Janine had given me the honor of acting as judge for the finalists.  As I read through their stories, I couldn’t help but be struck by the honesty and perceptive scrutiny of these young authors.  Then I looked at what I was writing when I was their age, and all I can say is that we have no cause to despair of today’s youth.  A new generation of idealists is blooming.