Students from Sacred Heart Greenwich, Brunswick School, and Greenwich Academy (GA) came together to celebrate their passion for creative writing and learn from guest writers at the fifteenth annual Writers Festival April 6.  GA hosted the Writers Festival on Saturday, allowing attendees to participate in workshops and expand their knowledge of poetry, prose, and plays.  In addition to practicing their own writing, students had the opportunity to explore different writing styles with novelist Ms. Aisha Abdel Gawad, poet Ms. Emily Luan, and memoirist, playwright, and ghost writer Ms. Elizabeth Stein. 

The Writers Festival commenced with speeches from each author, and students had the opportunity to ask questions.  Then, there was a book sale, and the guest writers brought books to sign and sell.  After the book sale, the guest writers led smaller workshop sessions, and each student attended two different sessions.  These workshops allowed students to step away from the analytical writing done at school and to engage their creative writing skills.

Ms. Lauren Delapenha, GA Upper School English Teacher and Daedalus Co-Faculty Advisor, organized the event alongside Dr. Cristina Baptista, Sacred Heart Upper School English Teacher and Perspectives Advisor, Dr. William Mottolese, Sacred Heart Upper School English Teacher and Chair of English Department, and Dr. Brian Freeman, Brunswick Upper School English and Greek Teacher and Chair of English Department.  In addition to the faculty organizers, students from each school helped plan and lead the event, including Sacred Heart seniors Samantha Sawhney and Lindsay Taylor and junior Emily Shull.

Emily reflected on the benefits of hearing from guest writers at the Writers Festival.  She explained her interest in pursuing a student organizer role and her passion for creative writing.  Additionally, she shed light on her goals for this year’s Writers Festival.

“I feel that volunteering is a way I can spread my passion for writing with other people,” Emily said.  “The guest writers and other student writers also deepen my own passion for writing because I can learn from their success and meet people with similar interests.  My hope for this year’s Writers Festival is to get more students involved and explore other topics in writing.”

Ms. Gawad, Ms. Luan, and Ms. Stein all led workshops to further develop the students’ writing skills.  Ms. Gawad is the author of Between Two Moons, a novel published in 2023.  She won the 2015 Pushcart Prize for her short story Waking Luna, according to aishaabdelgawad.com.  The Kenyon Review and American Short Fiction have also featured her writing.  Her workshop at the Writers Fest led attendees to explore creative fiction and prose.

Ms. Luan is the author of Return, a poetry book published in 2023.  She is the winner of the 2021 Nightboat Poetry Prize.  Her work has appeared in The Best American Poetry 2021, Best New Poets 2019, American Poetry Review, and Lithub, according to emilyluan.com.  At the Writers Fest, she led a workshop on poetry.  In the workshop, students analyzed concrete and abstract imagery in the poems “Eating Together” by Li-Young Lee and “Sorrow Is Not My Name” by Ross Gay.  

In Ms. Stein’s workshop, attendees discussed the importance of dialogue and how characters are revealed through their responses and dialect.  Ms. Stein worked as an editor for Free Press, Henry Holt, and Simon & Schuster before working as a ghost writer and collaborator.  She also helped write Ms. Rachel Jeff’s novel Breaking Free.  

Emily shared how the Writers Festival positively impacted her writing.  She explained that the Writers Festival gives students the time to solely practice creative writing and to experiment in different genres.

“The Writers Festival is helpful because of the diversity in guest writers,” Emily said.  “I am able to practice different writing styles and learn different techniques in the workshops.  The Writers Festival helps to get my creative juices flowing, and I get to practice new pieces without the distraction of my other school work.”

Featured Image by Michaela White ’26