StudioSTL : a literary arts center for students and community

StudioSTL WINS WashU Business Plan Competition!

2008-04-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

After eight months of workshops and "deliverables," we're pleased to report that StudioSTL took top honors at the Social Entrepreneurship Innovation Competition hosted by Washington University's Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. In collaboration with the area's best business thinkers, TEAM StudioSTL developed, debated and polished a 5-year plan to create a one-of-a-kind literary arts center for the St. Louis community.

We are immensely proud to receive a $35,000.000 award from the YouthBridge Association, an organization that is wholly dedicated to significantly improving the lives of St. Louis youth. And if the cash prize was not enough? St. Louis's top accounting and consulting firm awarded StudioSTL in-kind services, while team member Bijal Desai grabbed the $5000.00 student prize! We are indebted to Ken Harrington, the Skandalaris staff, the SEIC partners and the St. Louis community participants for their dedication to promoting excellence among non-profits, for their hard work, and for welcoming us with smiles and unending professionalism.

Here's the lowdown:

Who: Washington University's Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies (http://www.sces.wustl.edu/)
What: Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition (http://www.sces.wustl.edu/SEIC/)
When: Since September, 24 teams entered, participated in fabulous workshops and rather nerve-wracking stages of the competition, eventually resulting in 7 finalist teams.
Where: Washington University, Knight Center
Why: To create a 5-year plan and to explore and discuss ideas about "social entrepreneurship" and "social enterprise." In StudioSTL's words? To find the very best ways to develop a community writing center that will offer free writing services to youth, with partial funding of the free services derived from a for-profit student publishing enterprise!

For the full story, see the press release here.

Trivial Pursuit for chEATERS!

2008-03-03T12:41:00.000-08:00

Celebrate Pi Day!!
Eat some pie, get some pie - a Trivial Pursuit pie piece that is! Get ahead of your opponents in this not-so-ordinary game night on this oh-so-nerdy holiday (3.14.08), featuring pizza & pie eating contests to chow your way to victory!

Shaw ’s Coffee, LTD.
5147 Shaw on The Hill
7 - 9 pm (ish)
$10 = pizza, pie and potential glory!
Extra pizza slices are $1!

Gather your own opponents or feel free to show up & join a table! You can bring your own version of Trivial Pursuit & we’ll have some backups. This event is being thrown and giggled about by StudioSTL, a writer’s studio for St. Louis youth.

Call Emma today to reserve your table! 217.649.4695

Away With Words!

2008-02-11T06:56:00.000-08:00

Greetings fair people of the StudioSTL community! You deserve an update on the organization, and an update you shall receive. Read on, wordlovers, for there is much to tell!

- Our 2nd Annual Trivia Night, Away With Words, was a smashing success. Not only did more than 250 word wizards enjoy 8 riveting rounds of trivia, we collected several hundred fabulous items for live and silent auctions. Thousands of thanks to our sponsors and donors, our priceless volunteers, and to our wonderful guests. The level of energy and pure sense of fun was astonishing. Hats off to all involved! Full post coming soon with specific thankyous to our local businesses and sponsors for their contributions.

- Our next book project, working with Wellston 7th graders, is off and running! If you haven't seen the first book, contact us at once to get your copy, or see local bookstores like Left Bank Books in the CWE. Stay tuned for updates from this next round of young brilliant writers.

- We have progressed, as the previous post details, to the final round of the SEIC competition at WashU! The final awards will not be decided until April, but our team is busy as always developing a comprehensive business plan.

- Get Involved! We have developed an incredible community of volunteers and interns to help us accomplish a myriad of goals. From accountants to graphic designers, from volunteer t-shirts to databases, we're getting stuff done! If you are interested in volunteering for StudioSTL, in any capacity, please contact us at info@studiostl.org. We promise to provide hilariously fun events, an incredible network of people, and rock solid experience in a non-profit organization that is bustling with activity on all levels. Join us :)

That's all for now folks, stay tuned, stay warm, stay wordy.

- Emma O'Brien, volunteer

Best Words of the Week

2008-01-18T06:03:00.000-08:00

"...and I really like this concept," Ken Harrington, Wash U, Director, Skandalaris Center. And that concept? StudioSTL! Yes, my friends, Team StudioSTL is ecstatic to report that we have advanced to the finals of the grueling and rather wonderful, SEIC (Social Entrepreneurship Innovation Competition). After a two-minute "pitch" privately and publicly, Mr. Harrington announced StudioSTL (did I mention he really LIKES our concept?) will advance with 7 other teams to the finals, which as our esteemed team member, Dave Ramirez, pointed out means: we won the chance to write a business plan.

We're even more giddy than usual and grateful for our Team (we're buying t-shirts today) for: Wendy Lee, Leslie Evans, Bijal Desai, Dave Ramirez, Katie Birge, and Larry Levin.

Last lines of our pitch? "We're ready to write the next chapter. We invite you to share in our success story." Ah, so true.

Go Team!
Beth Ketcher, Director

Away With Words

2008-01-09T09:32:00.001-08:00

Happy 2008! We're downright giddy about our second annual Trivia Night, Friday, January 25^th at 6:30 PM at the Heights. Think words and letters and past participles (nah!). Proceeds benefit Studio STL's new book project in Wellston and our literally thousands of books, magazines, and newspapers. Door prizes, balloons and general merriment guaranteed.

Have fun and do-good in one night? Be there!

Only three tables left -- to reserve, send a note: info@studiostl.org.

Readings this Thursday

2007-12-11T10:34:00.000-08:00

Join Observable Readings and StudioSTL at 8 pm on Thursday, December 13th, for a unique literary experience. Student writers from the StudioSTL anthology and poets from the Vivaldi symphony performances will read from their original works. Come help us support these young artists and future literary superstars.

We invite all supporters of the StudioSTL community to come out and raise your glasses for a toast to this wonderful year of writing, publishing, reading and growing. Hope to see you there!

Vivaldi & Poetry Like Never Before

2007-11-27T07:30:00.000-08:00

We are completely thrilled to announce two rousing readings of original poetry by five U.City High students -- Alex, Kendra (aka, Red), Cameron, Laurence, and Sonja -- who gathered every Sunday in October and November to pen poetic interpretations of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons." Performed by Paul Huppert and the Noteworthy Chamber Players in acoustically brilliant, intimate settings, the music and poetry will get Scrooge in the mood to celebrate.

We're proud and you're invited!

Friday, November 30, 7:00 p.m., Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union Blvd.
Sun., Dec 2, 2:00 p.m., Evangelical United Church of Christ, 204 E. Lockwood, Webster Groves

ANTHOLOGY SIGNING - LEFT BANK BOOKS

2007-10-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

Save the date. Tuesday, November 6, 7:00 p.m. at Left Bank Books. We'll journey to the Central West End (399 Euclid)for readings and signings by student authors of StudioSTL No. 1: self-portraits from the students of College Bound. All the writers will be on hand to sign personal copies of their anthology, while sharing stories from their year-long writing project. And while we feast our eyes on these triumphant high schoolers, we'll tip our hat to three outstanding educators who make us proud to say we're from St. Louis. Special Left Bank awards to: Ms. Lillian Curlett, St. Louis Freedom School and the 21st Century after-school program, Ms. Linda Souder, Partners in Education, Rockwood School District, and Ms. Phyllis Ramsey, Reading Specialist, St. Louis City Schools. Join us. Many, many reasons to feel good guaranteed.

Elie's Magic

2007-10-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

A must see...Elie Gardner at the Post captured the anthology writers from College Bound and our year together. This link is to Elie's June slide show that accompanied the front page Post story. The photos are the brilliant work of Cindy Lappin.

WE'RE BACK AT THE STUDIO

2007-10-27T13:34:00.000-07:00

SATURDAYS @ THE STUDIO We're back! Last spring, the prospect of glazed donuts drew young writers to Saint Louis University for Saturday morning writing sessions. This year, well, we think it's the WRITING, but it might be the chance to work with college mentors from the Saint Louis University English Club to pen and publish a one-of-a-kind magazine.

JOIN US! We work with 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th graders, every Saturday, 10:00 - 11:30, on the SLU campus, Humanities Bldg., 3200 Lindell Blvd. Best of all, it's tons of fun and free. Call Beth, 314.662.1464 for more information.

StudioSTL Anthology Writers Share Stories at Adams School Workshop

2007-10-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

Writing superstars, Lauren Walker and Chris Williams, of recent StudioSTL anthology fame, recently shared writing tips with brilliant 4th, 5th and 6th graders at Adams Elementary School in the Forest Park East neighborhood. The result? Pure joy. The Adams School workshop is part of a program developed by our new friends at the WashU American Cultural Studies Department. The WU folks work with Adams school students at weekly reading and writing workshops, and invited Lauren and Chris to meet the students and share their stories. Amid a roomful of fluttering eyebrows and heartwarming adoration, Chris and Lauren read and smiled and answered and giggled and hugged and smiled more. And, at the end of the session? Autographs, of course.

St. Louis Post Dispatch Article

2007-06-20T09:19:00.001-07:00

We are so so so proud to announce that the St. Louis Post Dispatch features a front-page feature about our student anthology! The article, "On wings of hope," showcases our beautiful writers and their work, telling the story of their writing and editing process. Please see www.stltoday.com for the online version, including slide show and readings by the student authors. We are so happy! (Permanent link)

Books are available for purchase at Left Bank Books and the Webster Groves Book Shop. The books will also be available soon at area Borders and Barnes & Noble stores.

For more information, please contact info@studiostl.org.

Ghosts of StudioSTL Past, Present and Future

2007-06-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

Past
Okay, so it's not so very long in the past, but...
Last Wednesday evening, StudioSTL and College Bound presented a Book Launch party at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis to celebrate the publication of StudioSTL Anthology 1: Self-portraits Written by the Students of College Bound.

In the afternoon, StudioSTL volunteers and staff met up at the Contemporary to set up our event. We put out tables and set up the chairs, but it still felt like just a museum. After 5pm, though, our student writers started to arrive - and the place felt alive. Almost every one of our newly published writers were able to attend, bringing proud family, friends and congregations along with them.

The writers gathered onstage to take a well-earned bow, and the crowd went nuts and more than a few tears popped out. The excited guests were able to hear readings and to meet the authors for book signings. Writers, families, StudioSTL and College Bound staff and boards, reporters, friends, volunteers - all of these people came out to celebrate our anthology and we were so excited to see them!

We sold many copies of their book, but more will be available soon (see Future).

Present
Yesterday, StudioSTL's premiere summer program "Hot Off the Press" convened for the first time. This group of top-secret young investigative reporters began last year, meeting in covert operations to uncover and reveal the truths about news, fashion, ice cream and all things tall-tale worthy. They're back now and better than ever, with many returning members of the press corps and some welcome new additions in the mix.

They're hard at work already, prepping for the researching, interviewing, writing, editing and publishing of their very own newspaper!

We were also glad to welcome, for the first time, new volunteers and one of our summer interns!

Future
Next week, we hope to have the rest of the copies of StudioSTL Anthology 1: Self-portraits Written by the Students of College Bound. Until now, limited copies have been available, but now they should be in abundant supply. More information will be posted soon about getting copies of this book for $18.95.

As always, thanks for reading and for all the volunteers and members of our writing community!

StudioSTL Anthology Number 1: Self-portraits from the Students of College Bound

2007-06-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday marks the release of our first book-length student project.

We'll celebrate with a Launch Party!

Wednesday, June 6, 2007
6pm - 8pm
Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis

This party will honor the high school juniors of College Bound, whose hard work and dedication has paid off - a full-length anthology of their self-portraits with a forward by Isaac Bruce!

We will have informal readings by the student writers, book signings, and lots of laughter. We hope to see you there!

Anthology Publication

2007-05-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

We're full steam ahead with this year's biggest project - StudioSTL Anthology Number 1. The student writers and our community of volunteer writer/mentors have worked so long and hard to get this anthology ready for publication.

We are tickled pink to announce that mid-June will see the release of our first book-length publication. The student writers will get their copies of the book first at their early June reception, but by mid-June the book will be available for $18.95 at placed TBD around the St. Louis area.

We are so so so proud of our student writers for all their hard work and we can't wait to celebrate with them as they see their words in print!

StudioScope Published!

2007-05-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

Hello dear friends! This blog has been a long time in the making! As you probably know already, this semester saw a collaborative effort with SLU's English Club that resulted in a program called Saturdays at the Studio. The student writers in this program created such inspiring pieces - stories, columns, opinions, artwork - that we couldn't help but print it.

We are proud to announce the publication of StudioScope, a StudioSTL production featuring the work of the Saturdays at the Studio participants. We are forever grateful to Ellen Crowell and the entire SLU undergrad English Club for their inspired help on those cold Saturday mornings, getting the students and their work ready for publication.

If you would like copies of StudioScope, please contact Leslie Evans at LeslieStudioSTL@gmail.com.

Happy Birthday, Beth!

2007-04-25T09:08:00.001-07:00

Heartfelt Happy Birthday wishes today to Beth Ketcher, the heart and soul of StudioSTL!

New Book to Check Out!

2007-03-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

We are so pleased to announce that Aaron Belz - literacy extraordinaire of Observable Readings and StudioSTL - has published a book! You can buy THE BIRD HOVERER here or you can buy it in a couple of weeks from Left Bank Books. This collection of poems has been called "Just what American poetry needs: lots of fresh poems that are weirdly conventional one minute, satisfyingly strange the next."

Late February News

2007-02-21T08:22:00.000-08:00

Greetings! Does anyone else find it this difficult to believe that February is coming to a close and March will soon be upon us? The time seems to be absolutely flying past us. Here in the studio, we've been very busy bringing some projects to a close and starting new ventures alike. Here are updates on what we've been up to:

***The Anthology Project***

The Editorial Board has been meeting weekly (except, notably, Super Bowl Sunday) to turn our dream project into reality. Each week, students and mentors edit student writing and prepare it for publication. The board is also hard at work creating a theme, title and cover design to tie the project together. There's really nothing more at the crux of our purpose than this board - the sharing of work, the shared learning about writing and about each other, the sense of community. We are very excited to see this venture come to a head and proud of our students as their work pays off.

***Saturdays at the Studio***

Our next program is Saturdays at the Studio, a collaborative effort with St. Louis University and their undergraduate English club. This starts this Saturday at SLU!

Sunday, February 11

2007-02-07T08:32:00.000-08:00

We're so so so excited that five of our Anthology student writers (2 from University City HS and 3 from Career Academy) will perform poetry readings this Sunday. They have been in charge of selecting pieces to read, practicing, and performing with wonderful ease in front of an audience. This event is sure to be a union of words and spirit and we'd be delighted if you could attend:

Sunday, February 11th, 3:00 pm
Spectrum Music Series
Choirs of Evangelical United Church of Christ and StudioSTL

January and February 2007 Newsletter

2007-02-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

This post is word-for-word our January/February 2007 newsletter. It'll get you up to date if you haven't been checking up on our blog lately. Thanks for reading!

Happy New Year, Happy MLK Day, Happy Valentines Day to the StudioSTL community! It seems like all these holidays fly by so fast we can’t even recognize them. Well, the creativity and productivity around our writing community certainly hasn’t stopped or even slowed down for these holidays.

In this newsletter, read about:

* Anthology Project and Isaac Bruce

* StudioSTL in the news

* Brooke Foster, new Board member

* February event

* Our summer programs in development

* Developing partnership with SLU undergraduate English club

* Follow-up to 826 application

* Washington University’s Social Entrepreneurship program

* Daily life at StudioSTL

* * * Anthology Project and Isaac Bruce * * *

The month of January saw a change in pace for the U City and Career Academy College Bound students working on the Anthology project. In the fall, they focused on working one-on-one with volunteer mentors to create word “portraits,” the collection of which will compose our anthology. We are excited to announce that the project has moved into the next phase of the writing process. With the creation of a still-growing editorial board of both students and mentors, we hope to facilitate the revising, editing and compiling elements of our project.

Even past those stages in the writing process is the one that we’ve all been waiting for: publication. We are extremely excited and proud for our students that our very first anthology project will include an introduction by St. Louis Rams player Isaac Bruce! A hometown hero in a sports-crazy town, Bruce also illuminates the kind of success story that brings hope to both our anthology students and the writers in our community. The 13^th of 15 children, Bruce beat the odds by leaving home, attending college, finding a fulfilling career and showing his appreciation by always giving back to the community. The St. Louis Ram web page cites him as having “great hands and tremendous overall threat” – and if he holds a pen as well as he grasps a football, we should all look forward to this collaborative process.

* * * StudioSTL in the News * * *

Seems like word’s getting around about StudioSTL! The January 2007 issue of St. Louis Magazine includes the article “Word Power!” by poet (and StudioSTL volunteer) Julie Dill. The article outlines our founding, our purpose, our current programming and our hopes for the future. A photo of our Half-Baked Bakery booth from this fall’s Big Read festival in Clayton sits next to the article. She closes the article like this: “The volunteers at StudioSTL are content to help St. Louis–area children achieve lofty feats of literary fancy, write their way to a brighter future and find their voices through the power of the written word.” To say that we are merely content to empower children is a huge understatement – excited, ecstatic, exhilarated would be better words – but Julie has here hit on the empowerment that follows the development of a voice in a child. And that’s why we’re here.

* * * Brooke Foster, new Board member * * *

The StudioSTL Executive Board is pleased to announce a new board member – Miss Brooke Foster! A writer and editor for the Riverfront Times, Brooke is already an established volunteer with a heart of gold and a brain of impressive creative power. She heads up the Young Friends and was the creative and driving strength behind their Trivia Night at Schlafly Bottleworks this fall. She also worked one-on-one with students in the Press Corps last summer. We’re very lucky to have her on our board and in our community, where she brings a fresh perspective to our programming and fundraising efforts, and always inspires us with her calm energy.

* * * February event * * *

The Spectrum Music Series will host an event this month called A Concert of Music and Poetry. The mission of the Spectrum Music Series is to provide music programming that spans from the traditional to lesser known works and composers. This event will feature Linda Twine’s “Changed My Name,” inspired by spirituals and the lives of Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman and performed by the Evangelical United Church of Christ Choir as well as poetry readings presented by StudioSTL. Please join us for this event on Sunday, February 11 at 3:00 pm at Evangelical United Church of Christ (204 East Lockwood Ave, Webster Grover, MO 63119, 314-968-1727). Donations are appreciated and families are welcome.

* * * Our summer programs in development * * *

Throughout the spring, we’ll be gearing up for our Summer 2007 programming. This year we’ll have new programs and we’ll revisit an enormously successful program from the past. Here’s what we’ve been planning so far:

1. A new partnership with the Freedom School, where we will work with three groups of middle-school aged students to produce newspapers for their school and neighborhood communities.

2. A second session of Summer 2006’s amazing Hot off the Press session, where we will produce a second edition of their newspaper The Tall-Tale Truth.

3. Internships with Rockwood School District students. Last year we were lucky to have a high school student from Rockwood to help with Hot off the Press, and we look forward to more in the future!

4. Writing workshops for students of all ages.

* * * SLU undergraduate English Club * * *

StudioSTL is in the beginning stages of a collaborative effort with the undergraduate English Club at St. Louis University. We hope that through this effort, we can create workshops and programs run by university student volunteers and located conveniently near their campus. SLU has already shown their support for our writing community and the students involved are eager to start volunteering.

* * * Follow-Up to 826 Application * * *

For the last 2 years, StudioSTL has been part of the application process to affiliate with 826 National. The application process has brought together St. Louis’ best and brightest to create a community 100% dedicated to creating a one-of-a-kind writing center. Although 826 will not expand to St. Louis in 2007, we’re continually impressed by their mission and will continue a working relationship with this wonderful organization. We extend a heartfelt thanks to those who supported our application and who continue to work to give kids a voice.

* * * Washington University’s Social Entrepreneurship Program * * *

StudioSTL is lucky to be housed in such a wonderful city! One of St. Louis’ best qualities is the number of universities that compose our scholarly community. Of these, Washington University is among the best. Their Olin School of Business is on the cutting edge of nonprofit business studies, and last year they launched a Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition. This competition is sponsored by their Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. We’re delighted that we’ll be competing this year! Last year’s winners included St. Louis Artworks and Meds and Foods for Kids.

* * * Daily Life at StudioSTL * * *

All of the wonderful news reported in this newsletter is a testament to the tremendous amount of growth StudioSTL is going through – in programming, volunteer numbers and involvement, board members, community presence and more. Our little office in Webster Groves is growing as well! The month of January saw a growth spurt for our home. New desks, new computers and printer, new lamps, new filing cabinets – while these may not seem to be the most important part of our mission, a strong administrative backbone means strength among the rest of the organization. You can check out our progress, as well as up-to-date news on all things in our writing community, in our blog.

Award Winners

2007-02-05T11:29:00.000-08:00

The American Library Association announced in late January the winners of these wonderful awards. It's hardly breaking news anymore - we've just been so busy around here - but we wanted to include these winners in our blog. Check out these books for children.

Newbery Medal
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, illustrated by Matt Phelan (Simon & Schuster/Richard Jackson)

Newbery Honor Books
Penny From Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm (Random House)
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson (Delacorte)
Rules by Cynthia Lord (Scholastic)

Caldecott Medal
Flotsam by David Wiesner (Clarion)

Caldecott Honor Books
Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet by David McLimans (Walker)
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Carole Boston Weatherford (Hyperion/Jump at the Sun)

2008 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecturer
David Macaulay

Batchelder Award
Delacorte Press, publisher of The Pull of the Ocean, by Jean-Claude Mourlevat, translated from the French by Y. Maudet

Batchelder Honor Books
Delacorte Press, publisher of The Killer's Tears, by Anne-Laure Bondoux, translated from the French by Y. Maudet
Hyperion/Miramax, publisher of The Last Dragon, by Silvana De Mari, translated from the Italian by Shaun Whiteside

Carnegie Medal
Mo Willems, author/illustrator, and Weston Woods Studios, producers of Knuffle Bunny

Coretta Scott King Awards
Copper Sun by Sharon Draper (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum Books for Young Readers)
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children)

King Author Honor Book
The Road to Paris by Nikki Grimes (G.P. Putnam's Sons, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group)

King Illustrator Honor Books
Jazz, illustrated by Christopher Myers, written by Walter Dean Myers (Holiday House) Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes, illustrated by Benny Andrews, edited by David Roessel and Arnold Rampersad (Sterling Publishing)

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award
Traci L. Jones, author of Standing Against the Wind (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Geisel Medal
Zelda and Ivy: The Runaways, by Laura McGee Kvasnosky (Candlewick)

Geisel Honor Books
Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride, written by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen (Candlewick)
Move Over, Rover!, written by Karen Beaumont and illustrated by Jane Dyer (Harcourt)
Not a Box, by Antoinette Portis (HarperCollins)

Sibert Medal
Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh (Houghton)

Sibert Honor Book
Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement by Ann Bausum (National Geographic)
Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea, written by Sy Montgomery, photos by Nic Bishop (Houghton)
To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel, written by Siena Cherson Siegel, illustrated by Mark Siegel (Simon & Schuster/Richard Jackson and Simon & Schuster/Aladdin)

Wilder Medal
James Marshall

Anthology Updates!

2007-01-30T14:22:00.000-08:00

Our clever volunteers have been working closely with the students involved in the as-yet-unnamed Anthology project. This weekend was the second meeting of the editorial board, and we actually outgrew the room where we met last week. Three times as many students, twice as many mentors, and one thousand times as many ideas made this a productive week. We're revising, editing, and compiling out the wazoo, and we can't wait until we have a book in our hands to show for the work.

Many many thanks to all of our students and volunteers for all their hard work!

Board Member Cherlyn Michaels!

2007-01-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

Good morning! So many wonderful things are happening to the members of the StudioSTL community!

We're especially proud right now of board member Cherlyn Michaels, whose new book First Fridays has just been published. She's been out doing events like crazy, including book signings, interviews, and discussions - and she deserves every second of her success. She's a source of inspiration for us because she never gave up her desire to write, even though her career path intially started her off in other directions. Bravo!

New Board Member!

2007-01-23T09:55:00.000-08:00

As StudioSTL programming and plans have grown and expanded throughout St. Louis, so too has our need for support from community writers. The StudioSTL Board is extremely excited and proud to announce a new member will join our board.

We welcome one Miss Brooke Foster, a writer and editor for The Riverfront Times. Her relationship with StudioSTL is already one of commitment, creativity and strength. As the coordinator for the Young Friends, Brooke organized this fall's successful Trivia Night and remains a valuable fresh perspective on programming and fundraising. Although she maintains an extremely busy schedule, juggling her own writing career, wedding plans and volunteer efforts, she's agreed to take on this important role in our writing community. Welcome to the board, Brooke!