The Education Partnership Group (EPG), a division of Steward House publishers, specializes in the publishing of anthologies of student writing for public and private high schools nationwide.
The following are responses from EPG partners, the teachers and students, about their experience publishing through EPG.
David Sheppard (Professional Writer, Publisher)
With regard to Words Only I Can Speak, a title published through EPG:
This amazing little book contains the writing of fifteen young people. They have all been a part of Katherine Grace Bond's Young Writers Workshop. In this anthology they share with us their stories, poetry and reflections on life. The amazing thing about their writing is that, without exception, they come across as mature writers with something important to say, or maybe that's not so amazing at all. If you would like to step into the future and have a glimpse of the writers who will be lining the bookshelves of tomorrow, here they are.
Katherine Grace Bond is to be commended for the work she has done with these young people, and so are the publishers who have seen fit to get their work into print. So many students have difficulty relating to the artificial classroom experience, but what these students experienced was the real deal. How better to show a student that they can be a successful writer than to teach them how to write, to let them do, and then get it published for them. My hat is off to all involved.
Katherine Grace Bond (Writing Teacher)
What a positive experience for my students! The project gave them the opportunity to go through a submission process, treating their writing as professionals would. Once Steward House had published the anthology, my students read their work at a local bookstore to a packed audience. A local paper covered the event, bringing attention to our writing program. A win-win for all involved!
Sarah's Story (Student Author)
I submitted my work to this anthology because I thought it would be fun to try. You know, as kind of a dare to myself. That and the fact that it's absolutely awesome to see my name in print. That's one of the coolest feelings in the world, but that might just be me. It was really easy working with Steward House. You guys made it really easy to figure out what I needed to do to meet the requirements.
The fact that my work was included in the book was something indescribable. I think I walked around on a cloud of air for about three days after I got the confirmation e-mail. I mean, I'd been published before, but this was like an actual book. A book that was actually going to be published and people were actually going to read. People that I might know. And that psyched me up so much it wasn't even funny. I told everyone I knew that I was going to be published, 'cause that's just how I roll, and I was way too hyper for words. It was awesome.
This experience encourages me to keep writing. The whole reason I started to write was because of my 8th grade teacher. He gave me an 'A' on our first creative writing piece of the year, and he never gives out 'A's at the beginning of the year. Never. So that made me feel special. And that's why I tried my hand at writing. Though I've gotten a lot better at writing since 8th grade (a lot better -- my first stuff sucked), I'd kind of started to lose faith that I was a good writer around 9th grade. Because it's one thing to get an A on an essay if you're not a good writer. When you are a good writer, it's expected that you get an A, so getting that good grade loses its meaning. But getting published? Not everyone can do that. So, long story short, getting published is what keeps me going. It keeps my faith in myself as a writer strong enough to keep typing away at the keys. And to do NaNoWriMo this year. Again.
Okay, so yeah! Those would be some of my feelings about this anthology. I really loved the fact that you guys did this and let little unknowns like me get known. It's a fantastic thing.
Rita's Story (Student Author)
To be honest, when you asked for submissions for Words Only I Can Speak, I was unsure if I should even submit an entry. But this was my first real opportunity to be published. Not in a goody-goody-two-shoe magazine for 8-12 year olds, or a mediocre school competition. It was a chance to get a taste of being published, and I have to admit, the thought was too tempting so I caved and wrote an entry.
I was so excited when I got that confirmation email. It was hard not to run up to everyone at school and gleefully tell them of my gargantuan step in writing. Being in the anthology has given me more self-confidence about my writing, and helped me believe that maybe this is a craft I can actually take seriously later in life. The possibilities of literature are endless! All of my friends and many of my fellow classmates and numerous teachers have told me I have a gift for writing, but this anthology is real proof that maybe I can possibly be a writer for real. Maybe even join the big-guys up there racking up Newberry, National Book, and Nobel Prize awards.
This is just the start of what I hope will be something big. I might one day be a great, well-known writer: the others in this anthology might be too. Thank you again, for giving me this chance to shine in what I love to do. Thanks so much for the opportunity!
For additional information or to register for an EPG account, please call 360-519-7747 to speak to an EPG representative or send an email to support@stewardhouse.com.
Words Only I Can Speak is an anthology of poetry, short stories, and autobiographical reflections written by teenagers living in the Puget Sound region. These diverse authors are united by the fact that all of them have learned from and been influenced by author Katherine Grace Bond who teaches a variety of writing classes and workshops. The following teenagers are contributing authors to this anthology: Sarah Austin, Zachary Brockman, Annika Browne, Eric Cheuk, Sarah Eberhardt, Maya Ganesan, Kayleen Gill, George Leickly, Lexi Menth, Sarah Merry, Rita Olson, Sarah Ray, Chloe Richardson, Bailey Ross, Kyrie Scarce.
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