Established in 2013, Word As Bond, Inc. (Word) is a 501(c)(3) organization that offers creative writing programs that provide forums for self-expression and community empowerment to Indianapolis area writers, especially youth writers, from all walks of life. We believe that by sharing their stories and making meaningful connections with one another these writers will come together to transform their lives, our community, and the world.
Word partners with local schools, community centers, and organizations to deliver programs where young Hoosiers, regardless of their backgrounds, come together to create beautiful literature and listen to, and learn from, each other. Through interacting with other young people from all over our metro area (from Hamilton County to Haughville and from Lawrence to Lebanon) our students learn to dispel prejudices about themselves and others and come to see that their prospects in life are only as limited as their imaginations.
Each spring and summer, from April until August, Word offers Young Writers Workshops, a series of ten free creative writing classes for Indianapolis-area teens. In conjunction with these classes, Word also travels with our Young Writers Workshop participants to the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival (BNV), the premier youth poetry event in the world, which celebrates young writers from all over the United States and abroad. Since 2014, our students have represented the Hoosier state at the BNV festivals in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Houston, and Las Vegas.
Above, you can check out excerpts from work developed in Word’s 2019 Young Writers Workshops.