On April 21, 2007 all Staten Islanders are invited to attend a reading of Staten Island Stories, a series of short stories written by local teenagers.

These stories are the product of a series of workshops lead by Susan Amessé and financed by a Premier Grant from the Council on the Arts & Humanities for Staten Island, with public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

“There’s a scarcity of literature that shows life on Staten Island,” says Ms. Amessé. “I’ve always been an avid reader and when I was a teenager at Port Richmond High School, I was in awe of Paul Zindel. Not only had he gone to the same school I had and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, but he had written about the town I lived in, the streets I walked on. I was so excited by this idea that I vowed someday I too would write about my home — And I did.”

“My novel for young adults, Kissing Brendan Callahan, published by Roaring Brook Press, takes place entirely on Staten Island in the St. George and South Beach neighborhoods. Recently, I searched for other fictional accounts of Staten Island, but I found very few, which is surprising since we live in such a diverse and burgeoning community. An idea was born. It was time to stimulate and encourage young writers to use this wonderful island as a backdrop.”

Ten participants were selected from middle and high schools to participate in the workshops. Students learned the elements of short story writing and received critique from Ms. Amessé and from their fellow writers. “Revision is 99% of writing,” says Ms. Amessé. Participants revised their stories several times before they were ready for publication in Staten Island Stories. Copies of this publication will be available on April 21st.

Come and listen to these fascinating young writers as they express their home town experiences through fiction. The presentation begins at 11:00am, upstairs in the Courthouse of Historic Richmond Town. No admission will be charged.

For more information call 718-448-1624.

Staten Island Stories Participants from left to right:
Susan Amessé (author and workshop leader), Aleksandra Gorenbury (I.S. 2), Lukshmi Asirwatham (Trinity Lutheran), Amanda Romano (Tottenville High School), Lisa Maltese (St. John Villa Academy), Rachel Anthony
(Trinity Lutheran), Adrianne Vivas (Eltingville Lutheran), Joseph Bochichio (I.S. 24), James Marlow (Genesis at Xaverian HS), Kathleen Gorman
(St. Ann School) and Allison Triglianos (St. Ann School)

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