Writing contest is looking for G.R. contestants

Photo Courtesy of Amanda Staab
Amanda Staab is again sponsoring a summer writing contest for children.

GLEN RIDGE, NJ — The second annual Folkwise Summer Writing Contest is accepting entries until July 21.
The contest, which last year was open to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders residing in Glen Ridge, has been expanded to include students in those same grades, but also residing in Bloomfield, Verona and Montclair.

Amanda Staab, the founder of Folkwise Communications, of Glen Ridge, which is sponsoring the contest, said essays, poetry and works of fiction will be considered.

“The contest is free and meant to be a fun and productive summer event to encourage aspiring storytellers to explore their love of writing and strengthen their skills,” Staab said. “During this ‘twilight’ age, between childhood and being a teenager, I had no one encouraging me. This contest is to encourage children. There’s a small monetary prize, but meeting the judges is the real reward.”

A dozen judges have signed-on. They include Eda Uzuncakara, author and editor of Sparks in Shadows, international online magazine; Emily Klein, founder of Live a Joyful Life Coaching and life-long poetry enthusiast; Lisa Hodorovych, author and founder of Quote the Writer, a publication production company; Ken Schlager, former editor of New Jersey Monthly and Smita Ganatra, Glen Ridge High School Club advisor.

Uzuncakara said the most important aspect in a child’s writing is self expression.
“Style or vocabulary is not that important as long as their writing is understood,” she said. “I believe that everybody has a unique perspective and is creative, but we forget that as we grow up. If children are aware of their uniqueness and express that in their writing, they will acknowledge and hold their creativity tightly which will be an anchor when needed.”

To encourage a child to write, Uzuncakara said she would offer “relay writing.”
“Write with them in a sequential order while developing the story together verbally before writing,” she said. “When the story is complete, I would ask them to read out loud and ask how they feel about the story.”

Hodorovych said it is important to let children understand that it is okay to write.
“So many young people are afraid to pursue what they love because they’re afraid they’ll be made fun of, or their parents will disapprove, or someone will look at their work and tell them it’s horrible.”

Children, she said, need to understand that none of that matters.
“What matters is doing what you love, especially writing a story or writing poems,” she said. “I am now living my dream because I decided to do what I love, I decided to publish my stories. Not everyone is going to agree that that was a smart move. Some may even think I should be doing more with my life, which is okay. There will be naysayers. I say, do what feels right. Everybody has a story to tell in their own way.”

Schlager said writing should be approached as if it were a game and not a chore. “That means it should be challenging and fun,” he said. Young writers should ask themselves how can they put words and sentences together that concisely convey their thoughts? Like a game, they have to leap hurdles and find direct paths to their goals.”

He said that the ability to write with simplicity and clarity will help children succeed in school and later, the workplace.
Ganatra said for most young people, writing begins in the classroom.
“Students write because they are expected to,” she said. “But, by giving students a choice, making an enjoyable environment for writing, with music in the background and the opportunity to collaborate with peers, they will not view writing as a chore. Once they see that writing can be beneficial, even cathartic, I believe young people will write recreationally. In a fast-paced world, writing allows us to press the pause button and reflect.”

Klein said the importance of young people writing, now more than ever, is going beyond the emojis, abbreviations, short cuts, snap chat and truly engaging their minds
“I wrote as a kid,” she said, “and I remember the time I wrote a short story in Mrs. Short’s sixth-grade class. I forgot to put my name on it and so she read it in front of the whole class. I was horrified until I realized they liked it.”

Klein said the first line in that story was, “The old man sighed as he looked at the damage that was done by the storm. They had paid for their mistakes. Ah, yes, they had paid.”
“It’s funny the things that stay with you when things are written,” Klein said. “They’re real.”
Staab said winners will be announced in late August and, as last year, there will be a ceremony, with the judges, at Freeman Gardens.

“Parents were surprised last year at what the judges had to say about pursuing writing as a profession,” she said. “It was an opportunity to meet real writers.”
For Folkwise Summer Writing Contest information: www.folkwise.co/contest .