Workshops for Writers-Dec. 4: Guild honors young writers at holiday gathering

Join a celebration honoring award-winning young writers at the St. Louis Writers Guild’s annual holiday gathering from 10 a.m. to noon, Dec. 4. This free event will be held at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, Mo. 63131.

Learn how fourth- through eighth-graders created stories that all began with the words: “When the Door Opened…” Winners of the Young Writers Awards (High School Edition) for ninth- to twelfth-grade students will also be invited to read their stories centered on the 2021 theme: When the Door Opened.

MASKS ARE MANDATORY regardless of vaccination or current health status for the duration of the workshop. If you do not have a mask, one will be provided to you. Staff will monitor attendees to ensure they wear their masks for the entire event and that they wear their masks correctly over their mouth and nose. We will provide hand sanitizer stations throughout the room. We will also be social distancing the chairs and tables as well as asking everyone to participate in contact tracing (meaning we will require your contact information so we can keep you informed if there is new information available about the status of attendees’ health). No food or drinks are allowed.

Contest judging was based on originality, cohesiveness, spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Award-winning author Jody Feldman judged entries in the fourth and fifth grades and award-winning author Meredith Tate judged the sixth- to eighth-grade entries; both judged contest entries for the Young Writers Awards (High School Edition).

The Young Writers Collection 2021, an anthology of winning entries in both contests, is available on Amazon.

SLWG offers an associate membership is for young writers who are currently enrolled in middle school, high school, or an equivalent alternative. As members of the Apprentice Club, associate members have access to special areas on the website and special events hosted by St. Louis Writers Guild. Associate members are welcome to attend age-appropriate SLWG Events. Associate membership is $5 per year, which is applied to the young writers programming. Go to the Apprentice Club tab on the Guild’s website, www.stlwritersguild.org.