Miami, Jan. 21, 2020 – In an effort to foster the artistic, personal, and professional growth of high school students and boost literacy throughout Miami-Dade County, Miami Dade College’s (MDC) acclaimed Miami Book Fair has launched Speak Up: Teen Creative Writing and Performance program, free and open to all teens ages 13 -19.
This semester, Speak Up will offer a different creative writing workshop for teens every Monday, Feb. 3 through April 27, from 4 – 7 p.m., at MDC’s Koubek Center. Walk-ins are welcome, but seats are limited. Advance registration is highly recommended.
The workshops will cultivate the creative writing process. All kinds of writing will be encouraged, including poetry (narrative as well as spoken word and performance poetry), and fiction and nonfiction writing. From drafting and revising, to publishing to slam competitions – Speak Up will support young writers at all stages of development. Each workshop will focus on a different technique or exercise, with experienced teaching artists offering feedback and support. Teens writing in any genre are welcome! No previous experience necessary.
Speak Up is made possible with the support of Meredyth Anne Dasburg Foundation; Linda and David Frankel; Global City Development; Jerome A Yavitz Charitable Foundation; David and Beverly Feiges; Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs Department; and the Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs.
No prior experience is required to participate, and workshops are free of charge. Sign up for one, two, or all workshops at https://mdc.formstack.com/forms/2020_speak_up_spring.
For more information about Speak Up, visit https://www.miamibookfair.com/speakup/, email ipavon@mdc.edu or call 305-237-3258
For information, schedules, and tickets for Miami Book Fair, visit www.miamibookfair.com call 305-237-3528 or email wbookfair@mdc.edu.
Follow the Miami Book Fair on social media @miamibookfair: #MiamiReads, #MiamiBookFair2020 #MBF2020
About Miami Book Fair
Founded in 1984 by Miami Dade College and partners, Miami Book Fair engages the community through inclusive, accessible programs that promote reading and support writers year-round. The annual eight-day festival has grown into the largest and most comprehensive community-rooted literary gathering in the United States generating discourse on contemporary literature and current issues of international importance. Throughout the rest of the year, Miami Book Fair responds hosts an ongoing schedule of activities, including The Little Haiti Book Festival; creative writing and publishing workshops; author presentations; reading campaigns; and Read to Learn Books for Free, a partnership with The Children’s Trust that distributes more than 150,000 free books a year to children in Miami-Dade County.
Miami Book Fair programming is made possible through generous support from the State of Florida and the National Endowment for the Arts; City of Miami; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council; Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; Miami-Dade County Public Schools; Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; Miami Downtown Development Authority; and Friends of the Fair; as well as many corporate partners. Miami Book Fair: Building community, one reader at a time.
Miami Book Fair contact: Lisa Palley, Palley Promotes, 305-642-3132 lpalley@bellsouth.net.