2015 Maine Literary Awards Winner, Anthology Category

Description

The Story I Want to Tell pairs the work of 20 aspiring young writers ranging in age from 13 to 18 with original stories, essays, and poems from Richard Blanco, Richard Russo, Elizabeth Gilbert, Dave Eggers, Lily King, Jonathan Lethem, Bill Roorbach, Monica Wood, and other top writers in a call-and-response anthology.

The book’s supplemental materials make it a perfect tool for writers’ groups and writing teachers. View the book trailer here.

Praise For…

“I had a blast working on this book. Where do I sign up for the next one?”
— Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls and Nobody’s Fool

”I’ve had such joy working with The Telling Room—they are such a wonderful resource for talented young readers and writers from all over the world. It was a delight to be part of this project.”
— Elizabeth Gilbert, bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love and The Signature of All Things

”Connecting with a young fellow writer made me obey the single most important rule of creativity: always begin again.”
— Jaed Coffin, author of A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants and Roughhouse Friday

”The Story I Want to Tell is a powerful and riveting anthology. The student stories and poems—some by young immigrants from places as diverse and far away as Iraq and Sudan, and others by kids from around the block—are intensely moving, original, and beautiful, and they all share a raw urgency whose power is augmented by the apt, personal, sensitive responses of the older, more acclaimed writers they’re paired with. These twinnings of younger and older writers, a call and response, accrue a mesmerizing storytelling rhythm that made me wish the book were twice as long.”
— Kate Christensen, author of The Epicure’s Lament and The Great Man (PEN/Faulkner Award)

For Teachers:

There are many tools for teachers in this book, including a special "Note to Writing Instructors." This book can be used as a core text in a writing classroom, a literary anthology for outside reading, or as a book club selection.  Following the paired writings is a section of candid interviews with the contributors about their writing lives, the writing process, and the publishing process.

Also included are writing prompts for each pair of writings. These prompts may be useful as topics for classroom discussion and for out-of-classroom discussion as well.

ANTHOLOGY | Paperback | 192 Pages | 2014 | ISBN: 978-0-88448-415-8