Greater Cleveland teens reflect on the meaning of home in Lake Erie Ink’s first published book, slated for release 6/2
Lake Erie Ink: a writing space for youth launched a new project this year with one goal: to publish a book of local teen writing. The book, which is the final product after months of hard work by Lake Erie Ink’s teen editorial board, is called Home / Away from Home and will be available June 2.
The teen editorial board started meeting last fall and consisted of eight local teens from public, private, online and homeschooled backgrounds. Throughout the 2016-2017 school year, this diverse and passionate group of teen editors met regularly to plan the book from start to finish. Working together under the guidance of Lake Erie Ink’s Teen Coordinator, Cordelia Eddy, they devised everything from submission guidelines and theme to design plans, chapter sequence and organization. They also carefully read and discussed every submission, and in some cases hand-edited them.
“Over the course of the year, the teen editors formed a real community,” said Eddy. “They bonded over the many pieces they read together and treated every aspect of the editing process thoughtfully and with care. The editors learned firsthand about the editing and publishing process, from putting out a call for submissions to turning dozens of separate pieces into an organic whole. Their dedication to the project is visible throughout book.”
The creative work of 48 teens is featured in the publication, which was produced by Belt Magazine and includes an introduction by Dan Moulthrop. Lake Erie Ink’s young professional board, Fresh Ink, worked hard over the past several years to raise the money to make this project possible.
Lake Erie Ink would like to invite the community to celebrate youth voice and this book at a book release party on June 2 at B-Side Lounge in Cleveland Heights. There will be a reception at 6pm and reading at 7pm followed by an open mic. For more information, visit lakeerieink.org or call 216-320-4757.