Young Writers of Color Festival

Co-produced by Z Space and Lorraine Hansberry Theatre

Saturday, June 18th, 2pm on Z Space’s Steindler Stage
Program will be followed by a post-show reception

The Young Writers of Color Festival (YWCF) encourages and fosters aspiring school-aged BIPOC writers by providing mentorship through a development process leading to a new work showcase. For this pilot program, writers will be encouraged to submit projects and pieces that they have been developing since the beginning of the pandemic, as a reaction to the changes in their lives.

The festival will help youth of color come together after a period of isolation, meet new friends, unite behind their shared experiences, learn about the unique experiences of others, and use theatrical performance as an outlet for personal expression. The project is important because young BIPOC writers deserve mentorship and in-person opportunities to share their experiences and reflections. Topics of interest may include their responses to George Floyd, Black Lives Matter movement, and Stop Asian Hate, or any experiences or perspectives primed for artistic expression or production. The YWCF encourages artists to explore projects about joy, happiness and resilience responding to their current moment.

The winners of the festival will perform their works on the Steindler Stage, receive a $250 Visa gift card, special recognition and other fun surprises!

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Featured Writers

Daniel Z.(he/him), 7th grade
Daniel is in 7th grade and enjoys competitive math and programming, but reading and writing trail not far behind.

Juno D. (she/they), 12th grade
Juno is a Filipina writer from the Bay Area. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have experienced a great amount of anxiety and turmoil surrounding the anti-Asian sentiment flooding the nation. She normally expresses these feelings through writing as a sort of catalyst. They love writing, theatre, film, and nearly all types of storytelling out there.

Click here to download a digital copy (pdf) of the Festival’s program.

For more information or questions about the festival, please contact YWCFManager@zspace.org

Graphic Design by Ann Liu.

YWCF is grateful for the generosity of our community partners: