Inside Out Returns!
Build community and write with other LGBTQ+ teens. Queer teen writers and allies will share their stories and experiences while working on individual and collaborative writing projects. We will explore queer fiction, personal narrative, and poetry, and try our hand at all three of these genres, pulling from personal experience in our craft.
This program is free and meets virtually Monday nights from 6:30 – 8 PM starting October 11. Register by clicking here.
Your Instructor:
Anthony Bilancini
Creative Arts Teacher
Telling stories so we may connect
Anthony received his BS in English education from Miami University. He has taught at the junior high level and coached multiple award-winning Power of the Pen teams. As a teacher, his hope is for students to find their voices, tell their stories, and change the world. He’s a fan of the tater tot and will happily talk about music with you at length.
Stories of Suspense is Coming Up!
Saturday 10/30 | 10:30 AM – 12 PM | Masks Required | Youth of all ages | $10, scholarships available
Make Lake Erie Ink your first stop for Halloween and write a spooky story at this ALL AGES workshop featuring guest writer D.M. Pulley. This year, Stories of Suspense will be held at the Cleveland Heights Historical Center at Superior Schoolhouse, located at 14391 Superior Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118,
Before becoming a full-time writer, D.M. Pulley worked as a Professional Engineer, rehabbing historic structures and conducting forensic investigations of building failures. Pulley’s structural survey of a vacant building in Cleveland inspired her debut novel, The Dead Key, the winner of the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. The disappearance of a family member formed the basis for her second historical mystery, The Buried Book. Pulley’s forth novel, No One’s home, is a dark tale of a mansion haunted by a legacy of tragedy and a family trapped by lies. She lives in northeast Ohio with her husband and two children.
Weekend Ink programs cost $10. Learn about our scholarships by clicking here and scrolling to the financial aid section.
New Ink Spots at Lake Erie Ink!
Starting this fall, Lake Erie Ink is excited to announce new growth at Coventry Ink spot! Youth grades 3-5 can join us Tuesdays and Thursdays for the Creators Club @ LEI – older teens grades 5-8 can join us Mondays and Wednesdays for the Ink Pad. Register by clicking here – email us with questions about the Ink Pad! Creators Club and Ink Pad are located at 2843 Washington Blvd. Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118.
We are also excited to offer ink spots at Monticello Middle School and Noble Elementary School. For students attending either of those schools, please call or email us to learn how to get involved!
Mini Comic Fest September 25
Start fall off the right way with Lake Erie Ink’s first Mini Comics Fest! With two different workshops and a lunch meet and greet with local comic artists, Mini Comics Fest will get you writing, drawing, and having fun!
Our Mini Comics Fest will be September 25, open to 3rd-12th graders. Register for the morning (10:30 – 1), afternoon (12-2:30), or both. $10 for each or $15 for both. Scholarships are available: for more information on scholarships, email cbailey@lakeerieink.org!
All programs in person at Lake Erie Ink, 2843 Washington Blvd. Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Masks are required.
‘Zine Making
Grades 3-12 | 10:30 – 12 PM
Make comic book ‘zines with Od!
Meet with Local Artists Over Lunch
12-1 PM
Pizza will be available to purchase, or bring your own lunch!
Drawing Comic Faces
Grades 3-12 | 1 – 2:30 PM
Practice drawing character expressions, silly faces, new emojis, exaggerated anime and manga expressions with Michelle Littlejohn
Meet Kaylee, Lake Erie Ink Intern
Meet Kaylee Simmons, our new intern, and Crocheter extraordinaire! Kaylee is a rising senior at Baldwin Wallace double majoring in psychology and industrial psychology. As Kaylee notes, “I knew I wanted to intern at Lake Erie Ink when I interviewed with Charisse [Director of Programs] and Amy [Executive Director]. I thought it would be a fun environment and that it would challenge me creatively”. We are excited to have Kaylee join us this year!
Fresh Ink Trivia Night
Have an inkling for trivia? Join us for Fresh Ink Trivia Night in support of young writers in our community! Click here to learn more!
This trivia will feature literature-inspired questions as well as pop culture and Cleveland trivia.
Wednesday, December 1 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Grog Shop. Doors open at 7. Trivia will begin at 7:20.
Fun prizes and Ink related giveaways throughout the evening. You must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination to play and wear a mask except when eating or drinking.
The cost is $10 playing as an individual or $25 for a team up to 5 people.
Grog shop’s bar will be open to purchase drinks, and snacks will be provided.
Fresh Ink is Lake Erie Ink’s young professionals board. Lake Erie Ink is a not for profit 501(c)3 that provides creative expression opportunities and academic support to youth in the Greater Cleveland community.
Alternative Comics Virtual Evening Ink
Make reproducible one page comics and comic strips using a variety of atypical comic making techniques.. Students will leave with a toolbox of methods perfect for those moments when they have an idea or a creative itch but don’t know how to get started! Alternative Comics meets weekly on Tuesdays from 7-8:30 PM for students grades 6-12.
Learn more about prices and register at lakeerieink.org/fall!
Come to the Teen Book Project Information Meeting!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR OUR INFORMATION MEETING!
Come to our information meeting to learn more about how to get involved. Work with a team of teen editors (accepting grades 8+) to design, edit and publish our sixth book of Cleveland teen writing. This information meeting will give you a better sense of the responsibilities and support you can expect by joining the LEI teen editorial board. The meeting will be held September 2 from 6:00-7:00 PM through zoom. Only teens grades 8 and up are allowed to be on the board.
Growth Storefront Display and News Story
Based off of the 2021 Summer Creative Community Challenge, Lake Erie Ink received over 50 submissions from people across North East Ohio for a public art display in a local storefront. We are proud to announce that our storefront display is currently up!
Click here to see the Spectrum 1 news story on the storefront! Be sure to check out the storefront for yourself at 1830 Coventry Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118!
Community Thrives: Race to $3000 for the Teen Book Project
Lake Erie Ink is excited to be a part of the Community Thrives crowdfunding campaign this year.
A Community Thrives is a grantmaking and crowdfunding program from the USA TODAY NETWORK, which includes USA TODAY and Gannett’s hundred of local media brands. The initiative is part of the Gannett Foundation and supports nonprofit organizations with projects focused on community building. If we are able to raise $3000 in support of Lake Erie Ink and our Teen Book Project over the next month, we will be eligible for both additional project grants in support of the Teen Book Project and General Operating Grants.
Beyond the eligibility for a grant for the Teen Book Project, Lake Erie Ink can leverage additional dollars through challenge grants throughout the campaign. There are top fundraiser grants of $10,000-$25,000, awarded to the top three fundraisers at the end of the challenge period as well as bonus challenge grants that are awarded weekly for most donors and most money raised within the week. The bonus challenge grants are anywhere from $3,000-$5,000.
This week, the bonus challenge is for the largest number of unique donors, so every person who donates will count towards our total and give us the opportunity to receive an additional; $5,000 of support. Also, please help us spread the word! Share on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to help us leverage this important funding to support creative youth voice in Cleveland.
Questions about the campaign? Reach out to our Development Manager, Abby Star, astar@lakeerieink.org