New Milford Kids Discover the Joy of Writing

Do you remember the places your imagination used to take you at age 8, 9 or 10? When I started Muse Squad, a non-profit creative writing program just for kids, I knew I was going to witness greatness. But I never could have imagined exactly how the journey would go. After almost a year and a half of developing curriculum, holding free workshops and participating in events in multiple communities, Muse Squad Jr officially launched in the spring of 2023. The inaugural class was established at Village Center for the Arts in New Milford, Connecticut. The enthusiasm and tenacity of my three students reinforced the sentiment that in the end it will all be worth it.

The energetic trio consisted of sister and brother, Olivia and Andrew, and their close friend, George. What began as an adventure of curiosity, excitement and laughter, ended with an impressive body of work for all three writers.

Olivia, who turned 11 during the 10-week course, mastered literary concepts that I wasn’t exposed to until graduate school. She helped me realize the importance of having adequate time for exchanging ideas. Even if it meant a shorter lesson. One of her stories involved a house with different colored rooms, each with a distinctive personality. Her short chapter book brought me back to slumber parties of my youth.

George, at only 9 years old, embarked on a lengthy endeavor concerning the captain of a ship. He got inside the mind of a dollar-bill and wrote about a family of money, complete with Grandpa Fifty and his friend, Twenty, residing within someone’s wallet. The humor took a profound turn when a hand reached into the wallet to pay for pizza, and the narrator asked, “What if you didn’t have a choice?”

My youngest student, 8-year-old Andrew, showed me his perseverance and sheer determination on the last day of class. It was an hour before the Final Reading, and as George and Olivia leafed through their materials of original poetry, passages and stand-alone pieces, Andrew came to me in a panic. His face said everything. We immediately sat down with the handbook that I teach from, and flipped back to the beginning, to a lesson on narrative voice. Then he went under the table, his favorite place to write. Lying on the ground, he set to work in a notebook, while his sister and buddy took turns rehearsing at the podium. He ended up creating two new pieces that he presented in front of family, friends, the Social Media Director and the Co-founder of Village Center for the Arts. He even recited a piece from memory.

A group of extraordinary kids taught me how to be a teacher and paved the way for other young writers. I couldn’t be prouder of them!