A Journey to Get Lost
Under the tree at which I sat… Where its branches touched the stars… It’s roots spreading down through the earth…
The past behind me… Friends which left me… All the times we shared… Good times that rarely happened…
Each step like a memory spacing itself behind me…
I wander like a lost dream… My tears being shed like loose feathers… Alone… That’s all I want to be…
Alone enough… To have time… To start… Myself on my life’s… Winding journey…
Zora, 2019 Coventry Ink Spot Anthology
Tree Flower
On the playground I saw a tree
Around it was a pink and purple, green yellow flowers
I heard a whole bunch of buds I smelled delicious flowers
They are soft and the grass is sharp and the dirt is gritty.
I think that they are part of the universe.
Gabriel, Coventry 2019 Ink Spot Anthology
Creative Communities Online
During this time of social distancing and staying at home, Lake Erie Ink is sustaining our identity as a writing “space” for youth by moving to online spaces!
Creative Communities Online with Lake Erie Ink will begin on April 1st with a cornucopia of spring offerings, from a National Poetry Month Challenge to DnD Campaigns.
Creative Communities Online will use Zoom Meetings to bring youth of all ages together to talk, write and create. Click on the program description below to find out more.
Space in each program is limited so please sign up only for the programs you are committed to attending. Click here to register!
Our Programs
NaPoWriMo Poetry Challenge: Write 30 poems for national poetry month!
All Ages | Weekly Mondays and Wednesdays | 1:30-2:30 PM | 4/1 – 4/29
Let’s Get Crafty: Get creative with recycled materials AND creative writing!
Grades 3-5 | Weekly Tuesdays | 1:30 – 2:30 PM | 4/7 – 4/28
In Other Worlds: Write your own escape… into sci-fi & fantasy worlds and stories.
Grades 4-9 | Weekly on Tuesdays | 3-4 PM | 4/7 – 4/28
Comic Jam Sesh: Create zany stories through collaborative comics!
Grades 5-9 | Weekly on Tuesdays | 6:30-8 PM | 4/7 – 4/28
DnD Campaign: Play Dungeons and Dragons, and build storytelling and improv skills!
Grades 7-12 | Weekly on Thursdays | 6:30-8 PM | 4/2 – 4/23
Learn to Write Funny!: Explore the many modes of writing and performing comedy.
Grades 6-12 | Weekly on Thursdays | 4-5 PM | 4/9 – 4/30
Inside OUT: Queer Creators Connect: Build community and write with other LGBTQ+ teens.
Grades 6-12 | Weekly on Thursdays | 5:30-6:30 PM | 4/9 – 4/30
*Younger kids may be accepted upon request.
Me to the World: Write, Blog, and Podcast about our lives, here and now.
Grades 8-12 | Weekly Mondays and Fridays | 4- 5 PM | 4/3 – 4/27
College Essay: Write a personal essay that really matters.
Tuesday April 7 and April 14| 6:30-8 PM | Grade 9 – 12 | 2 sessions
Cost
Lake Erie Ink programs are accessible to all youth. All Creative Communities Online programs are free to the public. However, if you are able, we suggest a donation of $30 per 4 week program.
Questions
For any general questions, contact Cynthia Larsen at clarsen@lakeerieink.org. For questions about specific programs, contact the program leaders at their email addresses.
Message from Amy
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Summer Ink has Arrived!
Summer Ink Writing Camps
At Lake Erie Ink’s week-long summer camps, youth (entering grades 2-12) explore their imaginations, develop writing skills, and collaborate with peers. Summer camps start in June and dig deep into fun writing genres, including comics, ‘zines, plays, puppets, and more, giving youth the chance to create writing and art that builds literacy skills and reminds kids of their own powers of self-expression.
PAY USING OUR DONATION BUTTON! CLICK HERE TO PAY NOW
For Kids:
Kick start a future passion with camps geared toward helping the youngest of kids find their voices.
Tiny Creatures
June 8-12 | 9am-12pm | Grades 2-5
Celebrate tiny creatures of your own making and tell their stories.
Comic Creations
June 15-19 | 1-5pm | Grades 3-6
Write and draw Spectacular comics with guest artists.
Young Novelists
June 22-29 | 1-5pm | Grades 3-6
Dedicate a week to working on your novel.
Community Connections
June 29-July 3 | 1-5pm | Grades 3-6
Discover and record unique stories in your community.
Masquerade in Nature’s Kingdom
July 6-10 | 1-5pm | Grades 3-6
Create art from nature! Make your own mask and other projects, inspired by and including the natural world around us in this camp with Robin VanLear.
Giant Creatures
July 13-17 | 9am-12pm | Grades 2-5
Craft and write about BIG creatures in a BIG way.
For Teens:
Our teen camps, starting June 15th and running through July 31st, are built to help teens find new and exciting ways to express themselves.
Writing the River
June 15-26 | 3-6pm | Free | Grades 8-12
Explore the connection between the Cuyahoga River and Cleveland’s history as we travel downtown in this creative writing workshop.
Comedy Club
July 6-10 | 1-5pm | Grades 6-8
Learn how to write a joke and deliver it! Youth learn the funny side of theater culminating with a live comedy show.
Screenwriting
July 13-17 | 1-5pm | Grades 6-8
Learn how to write a movie script and film it in this blockbuster workshop.
Comics and ‘Zines
July 20-24 | 1-5pm | Grades 6-8
Take your comic making skills to the next level through comic and ‘zine artistry.
Explore and Express
July 27-31 | 1-5pm | Grades 6-12
Travel across the city, explore landmarks and hidden treasures and write about your journey.
COST
All teen camps are $50/week
All kids camps are $150/week
Teen drop-ins are $5/session
Scholarships available upon request
DISCOUNTS:
Sibling discount: $15 off for the second child
Save 10% when you sign up one child for 3 or more camps
Payment can be made online through the Donate button on lakeerieink.org or by check mailed to our offices at 2843 Washington Boulevard, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118. Register now to reserve your spots!
PAY USING OUR DONATION BUTTON! CLICK HERE TO PAY NOW
Questions
Contact Jill Levin, Program Director at 216-320-4757 or jlevin@lakeerieink.org.
Bananagrams Raffle!
This Raffle Is Bananas!
Every year at our annual GIANT Bananagrams Fundraiser the community comes together to support youth literacy and writing skills. Many choose to do this by donating to or buying tickets for our raffle which features 12 unique baskets! Tickets to enter our raffle may be cheap ($3 for one ticket, $5 for two tickets, and $10 for three tickets) but our baskets are not-no basket is worth less then $150! Check out our baskets!
1. First (or last) date night basket
- 2 passes to Ax throwing or Zombie escape room at Cleveland Ax Throwing.
- 20$ Starbucks gift card
- 15$ Burger King gift card
- Glassblowing class for 2 at Larchmere Fireworks
- 2 show vouchers for a play at the Beck Center for the Arts
2. Family learn together basket
- 6 weeks of math enrichment or robots classes with Math Monkey
- 4 rounds of golf with the Cleveland Metroparks
- 15$ Target gift card
- 15$ Barnes and Noble gift card
- 10$ East Coast Custard vouchers
- “Illusions and reality” writing anthology by Cleveland teens
3. Italian Night out basket
- 25$ Olive Garden
- 25$ iTunes gift card
- 2 tickets to the Cleveland Opera Theatre Gala
- Cleveland Urban Winery tasting
- 1 lb Restless Coffee
4. Cleveland Culture basket
- 25$ Ninja City gift card
- 2 Moscow Mule solid copper mugs
- 15$ Barnes and Noble gift card
- 6 pack of vouches to the Cleveland Independent Film Festival
- 2 tickets to select shows at the Cleveland Orchestra tickets at Severance Hall
5. Get Glammed basket
- $200 Shawn Paul Salon gift card
- Davines OI beauty products
- Nail polish/nail polish remover
6. Little minds, big prize basket
- Kids toys
- Protein bar Cliff Kid
- Binoculars
- tree finder book
- 2 admission tickets to the Holden Arboretum
- 3 month pass at Family Connections
- Big Black Bear Kids book
- One season of Tinkergarten classes
7. Crafty basky
- Gift certificate for a StudioCat art studio special event or party
- Journal and drawing book
- Origami book
- Stained Glass art book
- “Illusions and reality” writing anthology by Cleveland teens.
- Lettering art kit
- Gift certificate to a Lake Erie Ink summer camp
8. Treat yourself basket
- $25 Panera gift card
- $15 Starbucks gift card
- Manicure and Pedicure gift card to Tres Chic
- 30 day kick-start at results fitness
9. Get weird in Cleveland basket
- 5 Cleveland Print Room passes for a dark room photography experience
- 15$ Barnes and noble gift card
- Cleveland maps calendar (Belt Magazine)
- Cleveland maps book (Belt Magazine)
- “Illusions and reality” writing anthology by Cleveland teens
- 25$ Ninja City gift card
10. Self-care tool kit
- Sketching coloring pencils
- 10$ gift card to Bruggers Bagels
- 50 minute facial at Quintanas Barber and Dream Spa
- Handmade journal from Heights Arts
- “Don’t Quote Me” board game and playing cards
11. Cleveland rocks basket
- 10$ Spotify
- 25$ Grog Shop
- 4 old grog shop posters
- $50 House of Blues
- Very cool giant guitar book from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- 2 rock climbing passes at Shaker Rocks with gear included
12. Playhouse Square Fun
- 4 Tickets in a loge to Jesus Christ Superstar and paid parking
All proceeds from ticket sales will be used to help support Lake Erie Ink programming and mission. If you want to enter the raffle, we have tickets available for purchase! Join us for Giant Bananagrams (rescheduled due to Coronavirus, date TBD) to buy tickets and be there when we announce winners! Or, if you can’t make it to Giant Bananagrams, find us at our Peace Park campus and ask about the raffle! You don’t have to be present at Giant Bananagrams to win!
NEW Weekly Programs at Lake Erie Ink!
Your Week in Ink
At Lake Erie Ink, we like to keep our weeks busy! Join us for a brand-new weekly program that helps us make our already all-inclusive programming even more welcoming. The Queer Creators Guild, led by Cordelia Eddy, starts April 1 on Wednesday nights at 6:30 and runs weekly for 6 weeks. Sessions are $5 pay as you go! This program is for youth in grades 6-12. Queer Creators Guild will join our regular line-up of weekly programming including Story Games on Monday nights and Comics & ‘Zines Tuesday nights!
Lake Erie Ink at the Movies!
LAKE ERIE INK AT CIFF
Lake Erie Ink is excited to announce we are sponsoring a film this year at the Cleveland International Film Festival – Binti! This film follows the adventures of tween blogger Binti and her friend Elias. It plays Saturday April 4th at 1:30pm or Sunday April 5th at 5:00pm! Tickets go live Friday, March 13th (or Friday, March 6th for members of CIFF), and can be bought online, by phone, or in person. Use the code “INK” when purchasing tickets for a $1 discount!
See you at the movies!
Annual Teen Poetry Slam
Join us for the Annual Teen Poetry Slam! Hosted by Heights Libraries, Lake Erie Ink, & Heights High, the slam is open to all high school students. Performers will compete for a panel of guest judges and should have three or more poems ready for the competition. Register by emailing teen@heightslibrary.org.
This year the slam will be judged by Cleveland Heights University Heights superintendent Liz Kirby and Cleveland Heights poet laureate Damien McClendon among others. Emceeing the event will be 2 long-time inkers New Genesis, a sibling hip-hop and poetry duo.
Workshops for the teen poetry slam will be held at the Lee Road branch of Cleveland Heights Public Libraries January 16 and January 23, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM. The annual poetry slam will be held January 30th from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM at the Lee Road branch of Cleveland Heights Libraries. Visit here for more details on the workshops and here for more details on the slam. Register for the slam by emailing teen@heightslibrary.org. Call us at (216)320-4757 or email us at staff@lakeerieink.org if you have any questions.
Warm up with Lake Erie Ink this winter!
Join Lake Erie Ink this winter and warm up with two great events, the Paper Arts Cafe and Creative Play Days.
Paper Arts Cafe takes place at our Coventry location on Saturday, December 14th from 10:30am-12:30pm. Creators of all ages are invited to transform good ol’ fashioned paper into fanciful paper crafts at this workshop. Attendees will create projects to give away as holiday gifts. The cost is $10 at the door, and scholarships are available.
Creative Play Days will happen on two days: Monday, December 30th & Thursday, January 2nd. Fire up your creativity over holiday break and attend a morning of activities with Lake Erie Ink! Cozy up for hot cocoa, writing, and art. Bring snow gear for outdoor play. The cost is $20 for the day. Siblings will receive a $5 discount, and scholarships are available.
Register today to reserve your spot!
