Programs

Writing Workshops
Our fun, innovative workshops happen after school and on evenings and weekends. [more]

Special Projects
We think young writers deserve an audience. Our special projects are designed with that simple tenet in mind. [more]

After-School Tutoring
Need homework or writing help? The Telling Room offers free after-school tutoring. [more]

Field Trips
Young writers from Maine schools spend a half-day at the Telling Room's writing center in order to imagine, write, revise, and publish their very own storybooks. [more]

Events
The Telling Room sometimes hosts special events, and sometimes plays host, too. Other times, the events are just too big for us, and we have to ask our friends for help... [more]

Living Writers Series
Our Living Writers series brings top-notch poets, fiction writers, and journalists to Maine to give round-table craft talks to young writers, as well as public readings for the community at large. [more]

School Visits
Our school visits raise the bar for education in the field of creative writing. By pairing Portland-area students with published, working writers, students gain invaluable knowledge about the craft. We’ve run workshops at Deering, Casco Bay, and Portland highs schools, as well as at Waynflete, King Middle School, and Scarborough, Freeport, Lewiston, and Yarmouth public schools. All of our programs are tied to the Maine State Learning Results for English Language Arts. If we haven't come to you yet, we will soon, or else bring your kids to us!

Support for Teachers
We do what we can to support those who are on the front lines teaching writing in classrooms across Greater Portland. We appreciate what it takes to prepare students for a barrage of standardized tests and manage maxed-out classrooms. Prior to our readings and roundtables between local students and well-known writers from away, we support teachers' with curriculum materials that will help students learn about the author's work and life. We also have done off-site faculty retreats, which offer teachers a chance to see themselves as writers and work on their own craft of writing and teaching.