\u201cThat really stuck with me,\u201d she said. \u201cI was like, I need to write something down about this.\u201d<\/p>\n
What followed was a lengthy process of refining ideas about faith, capitalism, labor and resistance into a piece designed not simply to criticize, but to motivate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal is to shift awareness, point at the harm that\u2019s being done to people and empower them to get angry about it, to do something,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
That commitment to advocacy extends beyond her writing. McLaughlin has participated in efforts supporting LGBTQ students and educators and has spoken with lawmakers at the state Capitol.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always made it a point to speak up on the things that are on my mind,\u201d she said. \u201cWhether it be through putting on events, working with communities, doing poetry or writing, it\u2019s always going to be a part of who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her work arrives at a moment when literary organizations are emphasizing the importance of young voices and new perspectives.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe importance of young, diverse voices is critically important right now,\u201d Caroline Richmond, executive director of We Need Diverse Books, said in a statement announcing this year\u2019s winners. \u201cWe need to hear from these fresh perspectives that can offer valuable insights on the world today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire von Schilling, executive vice president and director of corporate communications and social responsibility for Penguin Random House, said the awards are intended to support the next generation of storytellers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Penguin Random House, we believe deeply in investing in the future of storytelling, and that begins with supporting young writers,\u201d von Schilling said. \u201cThrough our continued partnership with We Need Diverse Books, we are thrilled to honor this year\u2019s Creative Writing Award recipients and ensure their impactful voices are heard and celebrated.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThat really stuck with me,\u201d she said. \u201cI was like, I need to write something down about this.\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373140,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[2690,121,123,122,7164],"class_list":["post-373139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-poetry","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news","tag-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373139\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}