Project Write Now

Shhhhhh, let’s party … 🤫

The North to Shore Silent Reading & Writing Party in The Carousel House is hosted by your nerdy friends: Asbury Book Cooperative, Project Write Now, and Asbury Park Public Library.

You are in for some literary fun!

📍 The Carousel House, 104-108 Asbury Ave, Asbury Park, NJ
🗓️ Thursday, June 18
⏰ 4 to 7 p.m.

The Carousel House will be filled with new and used books and bookish merchandise for browsing and shopping. 📚

At 5 p.m., THE PARTY STARTS! This party is BOYB (Bring Your Own [note]Book). …

•󠁏󠁏 Dedicate one hour to your book or your own writing. We at PWN provide prompts and quotes to inspire your work and aid your progress.
•󠁏󠁏 Asbury Park Public Library provides a silent kids’ corner featuring children’s books, sensory toys to aid concentration, and Asbury Park inspired coloring sheets.

Everyone is invited, but an RSVP is essential!

🔗 RSVP: https://pwnwriters.org/course/n2s-silent-reading-writing-party-in-the-carousel-art-house

When you RSVP, you will be asked about your desired level of social interaction, whether you would like to rent noise-canceling headphones, and if you will have a little reader accompanying you. The Carousel House is technically an outdoor venue so the sounds of ocean waves and excited beachgoers are unavoidable.

THIS IS ONE PARTY YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS! 🥳

Calling all teen poets! 📣

Are you looking for connection, inspiration, and community? In Poetry with Alina & Skyla, we offer the resources needed to foster your poetic life through guided workshops about craft, eras, and distinguished poets.

With writing prompts and plenty of time to get creative, we support and encourage each other as we share our work and writing processes.

📍 Virtual: On Zoom
🗓️ Thursday, June 4
⏰ 4:30 to 6 p.m. ET
💰 FREE!

This last session on June 4 is focused on Pride Poetry. 🏳️‍🌈

You don’t have to be a poet to appreciate poetry and unlock the poet within you.

🔗 Join us: https://pwnwriters.org/course/poetry-with-alina-skyla

Our Red Bank Middle School students were in for a surprise this week when we got a response video from our friends in Uganda! Thanks so much to Heather from Women & Girls Education International - WAGE for forging this beautiful connection.

As our last day together before our Writers Celebration, we relaxed into art journaling, exploring new ways of creative expression. We cannot wait until we get our anthologies in our hands to celebrate our words next week!

➮ Spaces like this—where stories are shared, voices are heard, and healing happens—are so important, especially right now. Your support keeps our expressive writing programs thriving.

🔗 Donate today: https://projectwritenow.org/donate

We are so grateful for your support! 🙏

We had such a good time celebrating the chapbooks of Liz deBeer, Jenny Morelli, and Eileen Toomey last night! 🎉📚

Three incredible writers, three beautiful books, and one room full of people who showed up to cheer them on. This is what community looks like.

Congratulations, friends—you did the work, you finished the book, and you made it real. 🙌✨

These writers are also PWN instructors. Check out what they're teaching this summer at https://pwnwriters.org/

Celebrating Asbury Park Youth Voices 🎤📝 🙌🏽💜💫

Yesterday we hosted our 6th Annual Writers Celebration with students from Asbury Park High School who participated in our Spoken Word Project, culminating the 2025-2026 academic year.

Held in the APHS Media Center, copies of the "Voices Unheard" anthology booklet were revealed and distributed to the students, which includes copies of their original poetry, artwork and other writings. All of the students were invited to read their work at the celebration.

As was noted in the remarks and acknowledgements section of the anthology, one of the things that made this year so special was all of the opportunities students had to share their writing outside of the classroom, including notable venues like Monmouth University, Two River Theater, Grounds For Sculpture, and The Art of the Bean and Leaf.

Thank you to all of the students who poured their hearts and souls out on those pages of the "Voices Unheard" anthology. Thanks Meredith Z. Avakian & Christine Demarsico for leading and championing this important initiative.

Special appreciation also to Asbury Park Schools as well as the generous donors for supporting our APHS Spoken Word Project.

We are so grateful and already look forward to next year! 💜

Can we get a drum roll please? … 🥁 …

OUR TRUE COLORS FEATURED READERS ARE OUT!

🏳️‍🌈 Justin Javier (he/him) is a gay Nuyorican currently living in Asbury Park. He would say that moving to Asbury Park was the best decision he ever made because it has everything he needs—music, the ocean, and a diverse community of q***r people. Professionally, he is a Ryan White Case Manager and a Co-Chair of the New Jersey HIV Planning Group’s Priority Setting Committee, where he advocates for our community to help end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. He is a son, a brother, and—for everyone at True Colors—a new friend.

🏳️‍🌈 Kate Feeney (she/her) is a recent graduate with high honors from Brookdale Community College residing in Long Branch, New Jersey. Multiple poems of hers were recently published in COLLAGE Vol. 55, the 2026 issue of Brookdale’s art magazine. Twice she has shared stories at PWN’s Firefly: Stories On Stage storytelling series, including her journey with her gender identity. She will be a featured poet for the June edition of the River Read Reading Series hosted at Red Bank Public Library. Kate can be contacted .

🏳️‍🌈 Nyla Winning (they/them) is 23 years old and is a current student of social work at Rutgers University. They are deeply passionate about social justice, politics, and philosophy. Nyla began taking classes at PWN when they were just 11 years old. After many years of writing academically and politically, they have decided to re-enter the sphere of creative writing with this very event. When they are not studying or getting involved in the struggle, Nyla loves painting nails, playing with their dog, and listening to rap and R&B tunes.

Join us for True Colors in collaboration with Monmouth Arts—an inspiring evening of storytelling and creative expression that honors love, resilience, and pride.

📍 ArtSpace, 99 Monmouth St, Red Bank
📆 Wednesday, June 10
⏰ 7 to 8:30 p.m.
💰 FREE!

This is your space to shine. ✨ Come share your truth, listen deeply, and connect with a vibrant community of creatives.

🔗 Read more and register today: https://projectwritenow.org/true-colors

Are you ready to see where your imagination can take you? 🤔💭

In Ink It Up, we combine writing and art, using stencils, colors, and freewriting to explore the ideas that spark our curiosity. Your journal becomes a space to capture big thoughts, emotions, and exciting stories.

From playful poetry to imaginative short stories, we help you turn your ideas into powerful pieces of writing. You also experiment with visual storytelling, using sketches, collage, and mixed media to bring your words to life. Through fun activities and creative challenges, you build confidence in your voice, share your work in a supportive space, and discover the joy of self-expression.

⭐ AGES 10-12
📍 252 Maple Ave, Red Bank
🗓️ August 3 – 6
⏰ 3 to 6 p.m.

Whether you love to write, draw, or just want to explore your creativity, this camp is the perfect place to let your imagination shine!

🔗 Register today: https://pwnwriters.org/course/ink-it-up/

We had a busy Tuesday at Red Bank Middle School this week! We put our final touches on our anthology pieces to send off to the printer. 📖 We welcomed back Heather from Women & Girls Education International - WAGE and recorded a video for our friends in Uganda. 👋 And we got back the letters we wrote to our future selves in September. ✉️ We can't believe the end of the year is right around the corner!

➮ Spaces like this—where stories are shared, voices are heard, and healing happens—are so important, especially right now. Your support keeps our expressive writing programs thriving.

🔗 Donate today: https://projectwritenow.org/donate

We are so grateful for your support! 🙏