Hi friends and family,

Many of you have donated each year for the Write-A-Thon, and supported NYWC in so many ways.  It's that time again, and I am thrilled to share our amazing work with you all!  

Among the fabulous things that have happened over the last year or so:  

• We've served more than 1,000 people in our workshops in one year!  That just blows my mind that from one workshop in 2001 with 6 people in it, we have grown to bring the power of writing and being heard to so many people!
• Our young writers have had their work performed in Carnegie Hall, their poems emailed to 100,000 people, have read countless times before large audiences, and been published by us and others!
• We've branched out into prisons and programs for war veterans, the severely disabled, and teens with incarcerated parents, launched bilingual workshops (and made a bilingual chapbook), and published the work of LGBT homeless youth.  

Every day of the week, Sunday through Saturday, someone writes in one of our workshops!  And in each workshop, every time, some sort of magic happens.  Our work is often about the small moments that are hard to define -- someone shares a poem and cries while reading; a group finds ways to laugh in the midst of difficult lives; someone finds the courage to apply to school or submit a poem, or see themselves as a writer.  

All too often the people in our workshops are told what they can't do.  Our workshops are about the infinite possibilities that occur in a quiet moment, with pen, paper and imagination.   Every day, we see again and again that not only does everyone have a story to tell, but that having those stories heard and appreciated can change everything.  

So i hope you will continue to join me in making this all possible, and contribute whatever you can to keep our vital work going.  Your support of me writing my a** off on June 12 will make it possible for our 1,000+ workshop members to write their hearts out all year long.  

Yours,

Aaron

 

P.S. Yes, that is Nancy Weber, our Youth Program Director, and me, circa 1988 or so.  It's gotta be worth a donation just to see my hair and shirt in that picture!