Each year, James River Writers partners with schools and other organizations to build the knowledge, skills, and practice of young writers.
Writing Contests
JRW partnered with the Library of Virginia and the Richmond Times-Dispatch to sponsor the African American Trailblazers Student Essay Contest for elementary, middle, and high-school students.
Read the winning essays, which were published in the Times-Dispatch in February 2011.
In 2010, JRW worked with the Richmond Area Reading Council to offer a creative writing contest for students in grades 3 to 8.
Read the prose and poetry of the first place winners and honorable mentions.
Community-Based Programs
JRW piloted a program at Carver Middle School in Chesterfield County to develop writing skills and encourage reading. We provided one-on-one time with published authors for 20 students and a professional development session for 20 language arts teachers.
Find out more about the Power of the Pen writing club at Carver on the school library’s website.
In past years, JRW has sent local authors to the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for their writer’s festival and The Steward School to work with Richmond-area Latino students in their summer Latino Education and Advancement Program (LEAP). In addition, we partnered with St. Catherine’s School and the Steward School for the last two years to bring nationally-known writers to their schools and the annual conference.
Each summer, JRW recruits volunteers to work on creative writing projects with youth at the Peter Paul Development Center in Church Hill. And every fall, we invite high-school and college students to attend the annual conference for free in exchange for volunteering at the event.
Find out what St. Catherine’s students got out of attending the 2011 conference on the school’s website.