{"id":311191,"date":"2026-06-18T00:59:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T00:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/311191\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T00:59:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T00:59:10","slug":"young-writers-festival-ignite-the-next-generation-free-press-of-jacksonville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/311191\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Writers Festival Ignite the Next Generation \u2013 Free Press of Jacksonville"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Event co-chair Dr. Johnnetta Cole inspires some of the attendees.<\/p>\n

The Friends of the Brentwood Public Library, Inc. celebrated the 2026 James Weldon Johnson Young Writers Festival, a four-day literary and arts experience that empowered students in grades 3\u201312 through creative expression, cultural education and leadership development.<\/p>\n

Held June 10\u201313 at Jacksonville\u2019s Main Library, the festival concluded with the Young Authors Showcase, Awards and Scholarship Production where students presented original works inspired by the theme, \u201cOur Voices Matter: What Peace Looks Like to Me.\u201d Awards were presented in poetry, monologue and creative art illustration across elementary, middle and senior divisions. The creative students performed original poetry, monologues, spoken word presentations, choral selections and artistic interpretations reflecting their visions of peace, justice, unity and hope.<\/p>\n

A highlight of the event was an engaging workshop led by Honorary Chairperson Dr. Johnetta Cole who encouraged students to explore storytelling, creativity, and self-expression through writing. She defined an author as \u201csomeone brave enough to place their thoughts, dreams, pain, joy, and imagination onto paper so others can feel, learn, heal, and grow.\u201d
Dr. Cole answered questions on why she became an author and encouraged students to recognize the value of their own stories, reminding them that their neighborhoods, family histories, struggles, and dreams all carry meaning and importance that deserve to be told.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned that writing gave me a voice even when the world was not listening,\u201d said Cole.<\/p>\n

The workshop underscored the idea that every student has a story worth sharing\u2014and that writing can be a tool for confidence, healing, and personal growth.
Participants who were not selected for awards or scholarships each received $25. Participants also had an opportunity to win an Apple iPad and earbuds.
The festival honored the legacy of Jacksonville native James Weldon Johnson, an author, educator, diplomat, civil rights leader and co-creator of \u201cLift Every Voice and Sing.\u201d Through writing workshops, spoken word, poetry, art illustration, dance, music and historical exploration, students learned how their voices can inspire positive change in their communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis festival is about more than writing,\u201d said Sharon Coon, founder and artistic director of the James Weldon Johnson Young Writers Festival.
\u201cIt is about helping young people find their voice, develop confidence, embrace their creativity and understand that their stories matter. We are investing in future authors, leaders, artists, educators and changemakers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The festival concluded with a special screening of excerpts from \u201cEchoes of Freedom: 125 Years of Lift Every Voice and Sing,\u201d the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists\u2019 2025 award-winning feature on the history and legacy of the Black National Anthem.
The festival was presented by the Friends of the Brentwood Public Library in partnership with other organizations and a host of volunteers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Event co-chair Dr. Johnnetta Cole inspires some of the attendees. The Friends of the Brentwood Public Library, Inc.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":311192,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-311191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=311191"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311191\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/311192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=311191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}