Open Write Night

The teens and I had the awesome experience of hearing and speaking to Elijah Cross, local singer/songwriter for our program Open Write Night. Elijah is a truly talented person and was kind enough to come share his experiences as a sing and songwriter with the teens. He talked about what made him start writing songs, how perseverance and hard work are important, and how to always be yourself. Not only was this a great message for the teens, he was also able to provide practical information to them on how to record their own songs, write music, and go out there and get noticed.
Programs like this are good for teens who are already interested in music but maybe just need some extra direction, or for teens that are not interested in music but just need to hear something positive in their day. Music is a universal thing, and it is not always something that teens get exposed to on a firsthand level like this. Providing this can really help a teen decide if they want to pursue music to another level. Look around your community, what local musicians might be there who would be willing to share their time, talent, and experience with the next group of rising musicians? Reach out and see who you can connect with! It will be a cool event for both you and the teens.
Dawn states: Here is Elijah's Facebook page! Check it out! Listen to his songs! Super awesome! https://www.facebook.com/ElijahCrossOfficial
Email me for any questions or additional information! dstates@yorklibraries.org

Open Write Night

Open Write Night is the new writing program for the summer. It was kicked off with letter writing! Letter writing, though we may think of it in snail mail terms, has actually changed and is now mostly done through emails. Though it is in a new format, this does not mean that the importance of  how to write a letter has diminished! Letters can still be written for colleges, jobs, and recommendation, and it is important to know how to write these.
For our letter writing group, I went over why letters are still used, some common letters they may write, some letters they may need written, and why these matter. We then got to the fun part of writing a letter! The letter the teens wrote tonight was a friendly letter, which they are then going to exchange with the teen group at a sister library. These letters were really cool to see and the teens got into writing them. For this program, all you need is pens, stationary, guidelines and a permission form. And teens of course. :p
For guidelines, common letters, or a permission form template, please email me at dstates@yorklibraries.org
Dawn states: I enjoy writing to my pen pal! Do you have a pen pal?