In the fall of 2019, a select group of 4th graders with their sharpened pencils and an eagerness to learn about the art of short story writing, gathered in the Esperanza Elementary School library. The Young Writers Workshop was a pilot program I'd just created. The group would meet one hour each month for the next two years until the students graduated from Esperanza.
 
Well, that was the plan. 
 
The pandemic changed everything. Now we were all at home. We missed being with each other. Despite this––or maybe because of it––we decided to continue with The Young Writers Workshop on something called—
 
Zoom!
 
Instead of once a month, we found we wanted to meet more often. Our hour-long classes became weekly. Instead of taking time off when school let out over the summer, we continued class through June, July and August. And when the students went on winter break, we all gathered online for a Christmas Eve party. YouTube provided a crackling fire while we listened to Christmas carols, played the word-game Boggle, and opened presents. We met on New Year's Eve too, welcoming 2021 by listening to each other's New Year's Resolutions. 
 
What unfolded during these quarantine classes was not just a focus on writing, but exploring all types of creative expression. We listened to the music of John Coltrane, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and Phillip Glass. We studied the lyrics of "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman and "Under Pressure" by Queen & David Bowie. We analyzed the puppetry, movement, set design, music, and story of Cirque Du Soleil's "Luzia." We studied photography, New Orleans jazz, and ballet. One of the class favorites was taking virtual YouTube field trips to Hawaiian beaches, amusement parks, rainforests, snowy woods, and even a haunted house at Halloween. Students wrote about their experiences during these adventures in such a way that it seemed as if they had really been to these places. 
 
That's the power of the imagination! 
 
Now you get to experience this creativity right here on The Young Writers Workshop website. All of the featured work was written during the year of at-home learning from Spring 2020 until May 2021. 
 
As the volunteer teacher of this stellar group of students, I couldn't have done it without the many helpers along the way: The Esperanza homeroom teachers who reminded students to log on to Zoom every Thursday at noon. Principal Brad Rumble who coordinated with parents and sat in on every single Zoom class. The parents, siblings, and caretakers who provided each student with an environment of quiet space so they could be immersed in the experience without distraction. Kind supporters who donated items and money so the students could have an amazing Christmas gift bag filled with books, a writing journal, and their very own Boggle game. Also helping us is Stiles Fraser White, high school student (and my son), who volunteered to create this entire website on his summer break. Thank you to every single one of you!
 
But the other helpers were the students themselves. They often logged on before I arrived in the little box on the computer screen. And what patience they had as they coached "Ms. Juliet" while she struggled to figure out how to unmute the Zoom mic, write on the digital whiteboard, and screen share images. Most importantly, the students were also there for each other—offering constant support, encouragement, and giving constructive and thoughtful feedback on the work. We will be in good hands when these children become our future leaders.
 
What unfolds on this site is the work of young fourth graders who transformed into mature fifth graders over the course of this two year program. Several of the students wish to remain part of The Young Writers Workshop even into middle school, so we are now entering our third year of this pilot program. As the students keep writing, their work will continue to be added to this collection. Their stories have only just begun . . .
 
—Juliet Snowden
Esperanza Elementary School,
Creative Writing Instructor
snowdenandwhite@gmail.com