MightyFest Literary Festival Returns to Benjamin Franklin Parkway
The Denizen Recommends: MightyFest
Bring together Mighty Writers, the nonprofit that empowers youth to be heard through writing, for their 2nd annual fall commemoration
Sep. 27, 2019
Philadelphia is …weird. Just this calendar week, a selfless citizen went viral for dissing Nelson Agholor on Goggle box—after, quite literally, saving babies' lives. Nosotros are a metropolis with countless stories to tell, stories our youth would exist well-served to jot downward and unpack.
That's what Tim Whitaker set out to do when he founded the youth writing program Mighty Writers in 2009: encourage young people throughout our city to take note of the world around them, and explore and expand it through writing.
Since its inception, the organisation has worked with thousands of students. It has 7 locations throughout the city, and Whitaker is defended to opening up more.
"We could open up a Mighty Writers on every block in Philly and we would get kids to fill up the classroom," Whitaker says of its continued popularity. Mighty Writers has four-day-a-calendar week writing academies, four-session writing workshops, toddler classes, mentorships, Teen Scholar programs, and college essay writing nights. They are especially known effectually the metropolis for their gratuitous volume distribution events and their support of literacy initiatives.
"Philly is a weird city and these kids see weird stuff on the playground and at the rec centers, so they have this sharp sense of humor," Whitaker says. "They are natural storytellers."
This weekend yous can join Mighty Writers at their second-almanac MightyFest:
- Friday at 4pm there will be an Anti-Violence Tiptop, where Mighty Writers' Teen Scholars will talk over initiatives to combat violence in Philly with elected officials.
- On Saturday from 10am to 4pm in that location will exist a Literacy Carnival with 65 booths, music, games and books both for auction and as raffle prizes.
- Sat dark, Michael Barbara of The New York Times' podcastThe Daily will be talking with Mighty Writers; this result is $75 and will include the talk, drinks, and hors d'oeuvres.
- And on Lord's day at 11am you lot can bring together WURD's Solomon Jones and the Girard College Choir for a Gospel Breakfast; tickets for this are $60 and include the talk, concert, and a classic southern-way breakfast.
The idea of the Anti-Violence Summit came out of a staff meeting following a particularly violent weekend in Philly. "So many of these shootings are in the neighborhoods we serve. These kids are familiar with violence. We idea, let's have them talking directly to politicians and get a real dialogue going," says Whitaker.
Whitaker, a big fan of both gospel music and WURD'due south Solomon Jones, is particularly excited nigh the gospel breakfast on Sun morning; he believes Jones has a unique talent for talking near bug in ways that will connect with the kids in attendance.
"Philly is a weird city and these kids run into weird stuff on the playground and at the rec centers, so they have this sharp sense of humor," Whitaker says. "[They] have so many neat stories to tell and are natural storytellers."
Friday, September 27, 4pm – Sunday, September 29, xi am, tickets from gratuitous to $75, various locations.
Photo courtesy Mighty Writers 
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Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/mightyfest-2019/
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