Eleven Years

For eleven years, I've been a part of the YWP community. I started when I was 11 years old and I went by my old name back then. I used to publish my work here all the time, but much of my publishing has now moved to my university. I'm 22 years old now and this community changed my life. You all helped me become a better writer, reader, and artist. I challenged myself and I learned what it meant to be heard. I still check back here every now and then and see a sea of new and young faces eager to share their work and I feel proud. I'm so glad to see that YWP is evolving and that more young writers are joining.

While I no longer live in Vermont, I will always support young writers and artists. I grew up with YWP and it provided me so many amazing opportunities to share my work, become a better writer, and be a part of a supportive community full of such creative minds! I wouldn't give up that experience for anything. If you are a young writer reading this, keep doing what you're doing. I had so many doubts about my writing in my early teenage years. Every time I published, it was a chance to prove to myself that my work was worth sharing. YWP helped me feel more confident in my work and in myself. I remember reading through the comments and feeling like I was surrounded by people who genuinely loved my work and wanted me to keep going. Even when I made the odd grammar or punctuation mistake, I kept going. 

I am now writing essays for university while working on several writing projects on the side and I couldn't help but visit where my love for writing really blossomed for the first time. I will keep checking back here to read through some amazing work and if anyone has any questions about professional writing, ask away!

And last but not least, thank you YWP, for all the work you do and for all of the support over the last 11 years. Keep going!