Abyan Ali also contributed to this article
Sometimes, in such a busy, overwhelming school environment, it can feel like there is no opportunity to relax and get work done. Students may need a chance to slow down, for even just ten minutes, to catch up on three-page English assignments. Some work on stories themselves but rarely find time to let those creative juices flow. Thankfully, the hope to fulfill these wishes can be a reality with the existence of the Writer’s Den, located in the library.
The Writer’s Den was founded on November 8th, 2016 by both former and current English teachers at Malden High, including Sean Walsh. The idea originated from 826 Boston, a nonprofit organization that has the simple goal of encouraging more students to become writers. “We transform students into published authors, building their arsenal of literacy skills and boosting their confidence with hands-on projects,” is their tagline.
The Writer’s Den is located in the library; its purpose is to support students on their written work, whether that be school assignments or personal projects. “We thought that it would be important to have a space in the school where students can go and kind of foster their writing skills, their creativity, you know, a separate space outside of the classroom for that purpose,” English teacher and teacher leader Yahaira Marquez remarked.
A new staff member named Revely “Rev” Rothschild began staffing the Writer’s Den this year. Rothschild is a college student at Tufts University, aspiring to be a teacher. Their current role in the Writer’s Den is to “be here and to help with any writing that students need help with, so that could be essays, that could be like creative writing, anything like that.”
Rothschild is passionate about the impact of the Writer’s Den on students and considers it an amazing room. “My high school didn’t have a resource like this, so I like there’s a place where people can come and work on writing,” they mentioned. “It’s a great resource to have in a school and a great opportunity!” They also consider writing to be an important skill for communicating and a way to find creative and emotional freedom..
Rothschild has many hopes and dreams for the Writer’s Den in the future, such as having “classes here that aren’t just English classes” that come to use the room, as writing skills are needed in every subject. They also wish the Den was more well-known in the school and that “more people knew about it.”
The Writer’s Den is also not afraid to encourage student participation. On the desk near the front door is a small bucket filled with student writing prompt suggestions that other students can check out, allowing them to write their own inspired stories.
In all, the Writer’s Den is an intriguing and spectacular addition to the library, and each day, it helps more students get their creative juices flowing.
“When we started the Writer’s Den in 2016… we thought that it would be important to have a space in the school where students can go and kind of foster their writing skills, their creativity, [and] a separate space outside of the classroom for that purpose,” said Marquez.
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