Room to Write is a New York City based volunteer group of book publishing professionals. Literary Agent Elizabeth Evans created the group in May 2009, in conjunction with Learning Leaders, a school volunteer program that trains and supports volunteers in over 800 schools throughout the five boroughs. Evans conceived the group as a way to use the unique resources of the publishing community to inspire local students to read and to embrace writing as a creative outlet. Fellow agents Caren Estesen, Michelle Brower, and Brandi Bowles came on shortly thereafter to help shape and implement the program. Bringing on friends and colleagues within publishing, Room to Write has quickly grown to over seventy volunteers.
Today, Room to Write works closely with three local schools: Bronx Early College Academy, MS108 in Harlem, and the Secondary School for Journalism in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Volunteers lead weekly creative writing and publishing industry workshops, and organize field trips to publishing houses. In addition to these ongoing programs, Room to Write is proud to partner with Slice Magazine in holding an annual short story contest for all Room to Write students. Contest winners will have their stories featured in the Rising Voices section of the magazine's Fall/Winter issues. Room to Write also issues its own annual journal of student work, the Room to Write Literary Review. | 