The heart of our program is book-building. The act of the creating the book, in and of itself, is special—particularly within the context of hospitalization. Great relationship-building happens within writing sessions, and many books created through our program have become cherished family keepsakes.
Ruby collaborates with a Writers Inc. facilitator to create Ruby and Max II—the sequel to a book that she created as a four year old.
But when a child is given the opportunity to write and publish, their book can become more than a keepsake—it can also become an invitation to long-lasting and positive associations with literacy. There are so many children who are intimidated by the very mention of writing. Writing, for many children, is closely connected with the classroom—and the classroom is often connected with testing, homework, as well as the mechanics and conventions of writing.
Our program embraces a constructivist, play-based approach—and children’s books will often begin with 1:1 conversations, sketching, painting, or even playing storytelling-based games. A child can move through all the stages of making a book at his/her/their own pace, while making mistakes and edits along the way. We see so many young authors shift from I’m not a writer or I’m a really bad student to someone who proudly tacks the sign “Author” to their hospital door, or someone who will read aloud from their memoir during morning rounds with the medical team.
When children and families publish, they come to understand the power and impact of their own voices. Many local schools and libraries now carry pieces created through Writers Incorporated, and several of our young authors have used their pieces for public speaking opportunities and philanthropic fundraisers. Through book-building, and the act of returning to the page again and again, children learn that creative writing can be an adaptive coping strategy—one that they can access for a lifetime.
Many of our published pieces find their way onto the shelves of local bookstores, libraries, and schools. This photo from the Warwick Public Library highlights the work of Billy and Alma Alisch. Billy wrote a book filled with memories and photos of his late father: he dictated the book through the use of an augmentative communication device, and often spelled out his thoughts with his gaze—letter by letter.
Alma, inspired by Billy’s work, wrote her own memoir about the joys and challenges of medical complexity—and how she navigated a period of deep grief and loss. Alma spent over a year working on the piece with ongoing sessions and support from Writers Inc. staff.
Alma and Billy have sold a significant number of their books. The books’ proceeds are being used as a fundraiser for Alma’s hometown of Tambis, Palompon, Leyte within the Philippines. Alma and Billy are working to construct the town’s first-ever library.
“Writers Inc. is such a wonderful outlet and experience for patients and families. My child was instantly interested in working with the program to write a memoir. [Your facilitator] brought my child stories and articles that engaged and aided her in thinking about not only the writing process of a memoir, but also processing her deeper emotions. Through conversations and her comfort level with the facilitator, my daughter was able to talk about and process feelings she may not have otherwise.
As a parent it was so comforting and beautiful to see my otherwise disinterested and lethargic child engage in such a positive and helpful way with writing! My daughter felt proud and valued, and we both looked forward to the facilitator’s visits and their work together. As a parent of a shy and anxious child going through such a major health crisis, the only time that my child felt comfortable with me leaving the room for minutes at a time was when the facilitator was present for writing.
Months out from our hospital stay, my daughter continues to work on her memoir and think about how to edit, structure and refine a piece that she will eventually publish and share as a means of assisting, validating and comforting others who may face similar experiences in life. None of this would have happened without the writing program.
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