Salem State Beverly, Peabody Students Help Plan Writers' Festival

SALEM, MA — Salem State students from Beverly and Peabody are among those taking leading roles in helping organize and conduct a statewide virtual youth writing festival in New Hampshire next weekend.

Master's in English students Brooke Delp, of Beverly, and Miranda Hughes, of Peabody, are conducting workshops in screenwriting and flash fiction, while undergraduate English major Jennifer Puzzo, of Peabody, will host a book discussion and undergraduate English major Mae Fraser, of Hampton Beach, N.H., will conduct a workshop on processing COVID-19 through poetry.

The North County Young Writers' Festival will be held virtually May 14-15 for students grades 7 through 12 in partnership with White Mountains Community College. The festival is open to students who write creatively as a hobby, college major or planned career path under the direction of Granite State poet laureate and Salem State professor Alexandra Peary.

Most of the discussions are free and open to the public, and can be found here.

"My hope is that after expressing themselves through writing with these workshops, we're creating a lasting space that students can return to on their own," Hughes said. "When I was younger, I thought there was a correct way to write. Going to college has shown me what a variety of voices there are in the literary world, and that all you need to get started are your life experiences.

"I want students to be empowered with the idea that they belong in the writing realm."

Peary said the mission is to give young people — especially in the more rural, northern part of the state — free access to writing tips and tutelage, and provide the students insight and experience on how to put together a festival.

"It's amazing to see the gears turning on such a large-scale event and see Professor Peary work in her role as poet laureate," Delp said. "I've also gotten to network with other professionals in the literary world, including speaking with a professional screenwriter for the workshop I'm running."

Puzzo will host a discussion about New York Times bestseller "A Curse So Dark and Lonely" — which will include a reading from author Brigid Kemmerer.

"You don't always get this opportunity," Puzzo said. "By meeting published authors and talking about their work, students may be inspired to write their own book."

Fraser said her workshop will focus on ways for young writers to express themselves — including emotional difficulties — amid the coronavirus health crisis.

"We've been going through the COVID-19 pandemic for over a year, and many of us are still going through a lot," said Fraser. "I know people who have lost family members, and I see poetry as an outlet for processing thoughts and feelings. You don't have to be fully invested to write poetry; it can be a tool for anyone to find relief during difficult times."

The festival is made possible through the support of the Academy of American Poets, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund, and the New Hampshire Humanities Collaborative.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)