By Sophia Wiener
RED BANK – Project Write Now (PWN) marked its 10th anniversary Nov. 20, with a commemorative show hosted at Two River Theater, one of its many community partners. The evening featured an exhibition, writer performances, an awards presentation and a celebratory toast.
The Red Bank-based writing nonprofit’s mission is to spread the art of writing to all who need it. It offers a number of classes, virtual and in-person, for children, teens and adults interested in the community and support with their writing. Fees from paid classes funnel back to the community through outreach programs that give assistance to those wanting to join without worrying about finances.
November’s community outreach included another publication of the young adult literary journal “Bridge Ink,” PWN India (which operates in India), responding to poetry with PWN’s adult journaling club, and more.
Red Bank Regional senior Maria Luisa Mejia-Tizatl first got involved with Project Write Now in sixth grade through AVID, Red Bank Middle School’s college-readiness program and one of PWN’s many community partners. Now, she’s an assistant teacher for the PWN after-school club, where she helps the fourth- and fifth-graders learn to express themselves through writing. Spanish is Mejia-Tizatl’s first language and her involvement with PWN has given her an avenue and the guidance she needed to learn to express herself better in English.
She believes the secret to PWN’s success is its flexibility. “It adapts to whatever community it’s in,” she said. “It sees what the community needs, and then it pushes forward on that need.”
Ask Jennifer Chauhan, Project Write Now’s co-founder and executive director, though, and she attributes the organization’s success to the partners it uses to interact with these communities. “Community outreach is the heart of the work we do. We can’t do any outreach without partners… without organizations opening their doors,” she said. “And so, we wanted to honor them and their willingness to embrace our programs.”
The anniversary was a “culmination and celebration of everything PWN is, has been, and the potential for what it can and will be” alongside its partners, according to Meredith Avakian, director of community outreach and engagement for PWN.
The celebration, accordingly, aimed to put the partners front and center. Dozens of Red Bank Middle School student volunteers sporting black PWN T-shirts held doors, greeted guests and swarmed the lobby. Two River Theater lent PWN the space and local supermarkets and organizations helped provide an ample spread at discounted or no cost. Over a dozen partners exhibited in the lobby, from Asbury Park Book Cooperative – which gave out books – to Shore House, a community resource and clubhouse for adults living with mental illness.
Avakian organized much of the event and had the idea to do a “community passport” that encouraged attendees to go to each table and learn about the partners. A fully ticked-off passport could be traded in for a chance to win a door prize. Kids could also take the opportunity to leave their mark by painting on a community canvas sponsored by Wild and Free Painting, a frequent PWN collaborator. Writers shared their personal reasons for writing on a large message board.
Both art pieces will eventually hang in Project Write Now’s headquarters.
After the reception, Chauhan and Avakian emceed an intimate awards ceremony where laughter bubbled between hosts and guests. Awards were distributed to honorees like Grunin Foundation, which won the Empowering Voices Nonprofit Advocacy Award for its work in “providing nonprofits holistic support to organizations who have a shared vision of an equitable, just and vibrant Central Jersey Shore.” Amy Campbell and Christine DeMarsico both received the Champion of Voices Educator Award for their work with PWN; their students and collaborators introduced them to the crowd and spoke tearfully about the power of a teacher who values expressive writing and all it can do for students and their confidence.
Students also read poems to the crowd throughout the ceremony; Meijia-Tizatl was one of them. Her piece, “Where I’m From,” is a uniquely metaphorical interpretation of the titular prompt and explains how her family, friends and environment have shaped her into the person she is.
As the community marks 10 successful years of writing and collaboration, Chauhan and her fellow writers are excited to see how much farther they can spread the power of the written word. “We’re trying to show that writing is an extension of yourself,” Chauhan said. “There’s a creative, expressive, artistic aspect to writing that everybody can tap into. And the way we do writing, which is trauma-informed, means anybody can do that work.”
That idea codifies what Project Write Now tries to be: Not an escapist shield from the world’s chaos, but a warm environment that allows its writers to name and face their fears and learn about themselves in their process.
The article originally appeared in the December 12 – 18, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
