On the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail’s Springtown Road Bridge!

City writers and country scribes, take note! Two worthwhile events beg for your attendance on Saturday, May 18. Bridging the Gap, organized by Scholastic Award Gold Key-winning poet Elijah Santner, is an interactive poetry event on a beautiful bridge just outside New Paltz, NY. At 3 PM, poets will gather to converse, write verse, and more—all to benefit the Hudson Valley Writing Project’s Young Writers Program! Nature Poetry Workshops will be led by Rich Parisio, NYS River of Words Coordinator, and at 5 there’s an open mic for all!

And at 5 PM in Brooklyn, One Teen Story, a literary magazine of young adult fiction, kicks off its teen short story contest! Julie Buntin, author of “Phenomenon,” a future issue of One Teen Story, will read an excerpt from her story. Local teen writers will also be reading from their work. One Teen Story editors will be giving away copies of “Night Swimming,” last year’s contest-winning story along with a handout of short story writing tips.

We recently had the chance to catch up with Scholastic Awards alum Ned Vizzini and talk to him about his upcoming book, House of Secrets, (coming out April 23) which he wrote together with director Chris Columbus who began the Harry Potter film series! It’s the first novel in their exciting fantasy trilogy. Check out what he had to say about it below and take a peek at the artwork inside the book! You’ll also find some helpful advice for young writers at the end of our interview.

SA: What is House of Secrets about? And, what makes this story epic?
NV: House of Secrets is about three kids – the Walkers – who move to a creepy old house in San Francisco that used to be owned by an even creepier writer: Denver Kristoff. Kristoff is like an H. P. Lovecraft cult figure who wrote pulp tales of pirates and warriors and dark magic. When the Walkers anger the wrong person in their new home, they get banished into the world of Kristoff’s books, where all his mad creations come to life!
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Urim Apocalypse. Lincoln. Grade 8, Age 12. 2011 Gold Key, Drawing.

It’s often difficult to fully grasp the substantial impact of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Every year, as thousands upon thousands of middle and high school students enter the competition, amazing stories of personal journeys, creativity, and recognition emerge. This is one of those stories.

Urim Apocalypse is an unusually talented student with an unusual name. He came to the United States in 2010 after fleeing Africa as a refugee. He was born and grew up in Congo, and moved to Ethiopia for four years before coming to America. It was in Ethiopia that he began to learn English. But when he moved to Aurora, Colorado in the fall of 2010, the then 12-year-old was still learning the language. Read More

Red Grooms has always found inspiration in the circus

Guest post by Katie Brickner, Senior Editor of Scholastic Art Magazine

Red Grooms received a Scholastic Art & Writing Award in 1952, when he was a freshman in high school, for a colored pencil drawing of the circus. In October, I had the privilege of interviewing Grooms in his studio in New York City for Scholastic Art.

Red Grooms is one of those artists whose name appears in the history books. His legendary installation, Ruckus Manhattan, now packed away in storage, lives on in the hearts and memories of those who experienced it in person. Grooms called the work, which he constructed with a team of more than 20 artists, “a journey through a sculpture.” In 1976 more than 150,000 people experienced that journey. Now at 75, the art Grooms is making is on a smaller scale, but he is still working and regularly shows his art.

­­Grooms still works in the same studio he found when he moved to New York City in the 1950s. Visiting the space where Grooms conceived of Ruckus Manhattan, and other iconic works, was surreal. The walls of the outer sitting room display Groom’s personal art collection in salon style, with art of all shapes and sizes hanging from floor to ceiling. It is fascinating to see the artists who influence and inspire him. Read More

From South High School’s 1951 yearbook

Today is Stan Brakhage’s birthday! You may know him for his experimental films like the Dog Star Man series and 23rd Psalm Branch, but did you know that he won three Scholastic Awards in high school for writing?

In 1951, Brakhage received First Award and a $50 cash prize for his short story Three Deaths and The Child, which you can read here!

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Figure + Square by Joseph Parra. Screen print and digital print. 29 x 40.

Scholastic Awards alum Joseph Parra knew at an early age that he wanted to be involved in the art world. In 2007, Joseph won the American Visions Medal. A few months after receiving a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art, he was chosen as 1 of 3 alums to participate in the Alliance’s 2012 Atelier Artists-in-Residency program – and the youngest one of them too! If that’s not enough, his work will be featured in two shows this month: at the Adah Rose Gallery on January 12 and the Current Space Gallery on January 18. Here’s his backstory!

When did you first become interested in art? I went to an art middle school and  high school, so I’ve always been making art. I decided in high school that I wanted to become an artist, so going to an art college was the only answer for me. Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It was there that I started to focus more on the importance of process, and to choose one that best fulfills the concept of a piece. Read More