Newtown Youth Share Their Writing Talents

By Nancy K. Crevier

It is hard enough for adults experienced in public speaking to get up before an audience to present information gleaned from experience and noted sources. So for the 11 young people who stood before an audience of more than two dozen friends and families in the meeting room of C.H. Booth Library on December 10 to share their original poetry and prose with not a trace of trepidation, it was an impressive feat.

The writers were part of the fourth annual Young Writer’s Salon sponsored by the library’sw Young Adult Council. The salon is designed to showcase the original writings of Newtown students, some of whom are involved in the library’s ongoing creative writing programs, and others who find time on their own or in school to express themselves through a variety of writing genres. Margaret Brown, young adult librarian, said she was pleased at the response to the communitywide invitation for young writers to share their works.

Low lighting, cozy tables, cool refreshments and a background of jazz music created a serene, coffeehouse atmosphere for the audience. They listened raptly, with the appreciative snapping of fingers replacing clapping, a coffeehouse tradition.

Inspiration for the pieces came from a variety of sources, according to student emcees Gretchen Streett and Sara Risko. Some of the writers drew from their own experiences, others from their imaginations, nature, film or other writers. Fear, friendship and love were all subjects bravely explored and crafted into words that reached deep into each writer’s emotions.

“Poets should be able to see the beauty behind everything,” commented tenth grade student Tori Mead.

For the listeners at Sunday’s reading, the young writers made it easy to see the beauty behind each word they had written and shared, leaving the audience with plenty of food for thought.