Author: Wyoming Middle School alum Jasmine Warga won a 2020 Newbery Honor for her third novel, Other Words for Home, about a young girl who must move from Syria to Cincinnati, Ohio. Jasmine is also the author of My Heart and Other Black Holes and Here We Are Now. The Shape of Thunder is coming out in spring 2021.

Jasmine says that Power of the Pen provided a supportive environment that formed her work ethic as a writer. "Power of the Pen taught me that writing is all about practice," she says. "The more hours you put into your craft, the more you will get out of it."  You can follow Jasmine on Twitter @jasminewarga. Read more ...

Author: No matter what you are writing, if it is high quality and makes an emotional connection, the work will find an audience, author and Power of the Pen alum Justin A. Reynolds told the Solon Middle School Power of the Pen team. He says that the most effective authors explore questions about life’s meaning: “Why are we here? What are we doing? What is the best way to live?”

His best advice to young authors is to trust themselves: “Your voice is unique, special, necessary, and urgent. We will all write a different story even if we live the same circumstances at the same time. No one can tell a story like you do.”

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