Children in school have so few opportunities to write creatively, and to really discover their own personal creative voice and ambition.
However, since 2014, Uptown Stories has published nearly 13,000 pages of creative writing from thousands of students. Every semester, every single student in the Uptown Stories program gets to say that they're a published author. And all of this student work is available for sale in bookshops across Washington Heights and online.
Personally, I have always used creative writing as an emotional outlet, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic when those outlets were limited. Uptown Stories is able to give that opportunity to children while they’re still young and discovering who they are. This is an amazing opportunity for these students, their families, and their communities.
Did you know there are more than 37,000 children in Washington Heights and Inwood, and nearly 23% of families live at or below the Federal Poverty Line? This is nearly 10% higher than the rest of Manhattan. To ensure that our doors remain open to every single child in the neighborhood, regardless of their family's financial situation, all of our workshops are Pay-What-You-Can.
That's why we need your help.
Can you help us raise $15,000 to continue to keep our Pay-What-You-Can promise to this community? If you're not able to make a contribution today, there are other things you can do to support Uptown Stories! Visit us at https://www.uptownstories.org/ to learn more.
