Read the full article by Donna Apidone at Sacramento News & Review
The large, framed sign just inside the front door tells a story: “A writer is someone who writes.” At the 916 Ink Imaginarium, that is a fact.
Thousands of young people have experienced 916 Ink since the Sacramento nonprofit opened in 2011. They have all been writers — and almost all were under 18 years old. The organization encourages young writers to express themselves through stories and helps them to put those stories on paper.
916 Ink has contracts with the Sacramento City Unified School District and several other educational institutions in the region. In addition to leading the many writing sessions in the Imaginarium, the team deploys to regional schools for after-school sessions and serves students in English classes at youth detention facilities, reaching more than 5,000 writers in grades 3 through 12.
Every year, some of these students see their work in print. 916 Ink has published 300 anthologies to showcase their talent, allowing Sacramento to boast 5,000 published young authors; most under the age of 18. Those numbers beg the question: How can creativity shape our community?