29 Mar “Girls” by Fiona Stewart
"Families hide their ghosts." In this short story by 2020 Just Buffalo Writing Center Youth Fellow Fiona Stewart, a family's unspoken truths come to haunt teenager Jesse Kim as she hides a truth of her own.
08 Mar Youth Ambassador Emma reads at Women’s History Month kickoff event
Posted at 13:34h
in Young Writers
JBWC Youth Ambassador Emma DeRose was invited to share her poem "a letter to sensitive girls" at Erie County's Women's History Month kickoff celebration on March 3, hosted by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library.
01 Feb Call for Young Writers: Water in the Desert
Call for Young Writers Calling all young poets, storytellers, songwriters, and citizens (ages 12-19)! What brings you relief—if even for a moment—during these difficult times? Whether in the form of a poem, spoken word piece, speech, essay, or original song, Ujima Company, Just Buffalo Writing Center, and Squeaky Wheel invite you to take part in Water in the Desert, a multimedia exploration of the concept of “hope in a time of despair.”
10 Dec Our America by Zanaya Hussain
"Buffalo is often called the 'City of Good Neighbors' because it is a city that's home to a large refugee and immigrant population. As Buffalonians we pride ourselves on this flourishing diversity. But with xenophobia and hate crimes on the rise, sometimes the message behind being a 'City of Good Neighbors' is forgotten. Through this summer fellowship at the Just Buffalo Writing Center I interviewed three different immigrants who call America home, and offer readers a snapshot of their lives. My hope is that by sharing these narratives, we can learn how each of our experiences intertwine and that human empathy ties people from all varying backgrounds together. These profiles act as a response to the question, 'What makes being the “City of Good Neighbors” so wonderful?'"
14 Aug 5 QUESTIONS WITH POET HANNAH NATHANSON
Posted at 09:00h
in Young Writers
We were thrilled to spend time catching up with poet & JBWC alum Hannah Nathanson, who recently released her first chapbook, Alternative Universes, with Bone & Ink Press. (Hooray, Hannah!) Hannah graduated from City Honors in 2018; she now studies English, global culture, and creative writing at Binghamton University. She will also be leading a workshop at as a teaching artist at JBWC—later this month, on geography and ghosts.
31 Jul “Where better than a dinosaur graveyard to read poems about exes?”: Q&A with poet Rachelle Toarmino
Posted at 08:30h
in Young Writers
Poet, founding editor-in-chief of Peach Mag, and Just Buffalo teaching artist Rachelle Toarmino is author of the poetry collection That Ex, recently published by Big Lucks Books. Rachelle took the time to chat with us about That Ex, the experience of releasing a book during a pandemic, and the creative ways she’s connecting with readers despite it all—like hosting Buffalo’s first-ever drive-in poetry reading to launch That Ex on Friday, Aug. 7.
27 Jul JBWC SHOWCASE Chapbook
Posted at 09:00h
in Young Writers
Check out this digital chapbook made to commemorate the 2020 Just Buffalo Writing Center SHOWCASE featuring Angel Barber, Bushraa Choudhury, Taylor Yarns, and Zanaya Hussain.
12 Jan 5 Questions with poet & artist Sage Enderton
Posted at 17:09h
in Young Writers
Sage Enderton began attending the Just Buffalo Writing Center (JBWC) in 2014, right when the center opened. As a matter of fact, Sage was one of the very first youth participants.
15 Sep Trinity Ridout Youth Fellowship
[caption id="attachment_32952" align="alignleft" width="700"] photo credit: Brendan Bannon[/caption] During the fellowship, I explored songwriting in unconventional way. I used the cut-up method of David Bowie, which yielded interesting results for my own work. I wrote about 12 songs in total. The overarching theme of my project was inspired by the relationship between myself and nature, which helped me explore a lot of interpretations of that relationship. Some pieces express the natural instinct to love, and some reflecting the beauty of chaos in the natural world. The performance below features many of the songs that Trinity wrote during her fellowship. Trinity Ridout is a young writer and musician. She attends City Honors High School, the Just Buffalo Writing Center, and Community Music School. Her work is inspired by her strong feelings toward environmental activism, and focuses on the relationship between humanity and nature. Check out her soundcloud. [audio mp3="https://www.justbuffalo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Trinity-Ridout-08282018.mp3"][/audio] live musical performance by Trinity at Mohawk Place on August 29, 2018
24 Aug “Dramatic Irony” by Maya Simmons
"Do I approve of violence? / Oh is that the question?" read this poem by 2018 Just Buffalo Writing Center Youth Fellow Maya Simmons inspired by an interview with Angela Davis.