Wilbraham & Monson Academy's Erika Convery '19 and Celina Rivernider '19 aren't just gifted at writing – writing is part of who they are. Both award winners already this year, Erika and Celina put pen to paper to express thoughts, feelings and beliefs well beyond their years.
Erika and Celina will join fellow high school wordsmiths at the prestigious 2017 New England Young Writers' Conference. The invitation-only group will meet May 18-21 at the Bread Loaf campus of Middlebury College in Vermont.
"I'm thrilled that Erika and Celina will be spending time developing their craft at this conference," said Ms. Heidi Ostendarp, who teaches both students in Honors English 10. "At the New England Young Writers' Conference at Bread Loaf, they will be in workshops taught by writers and surrounded by peers who are also excited about engaging in and sharing their writing.
"Most of the time, writing is a solitary activity, but that changes at Bread Loaf. There's nothing quite so nurturing, inspiring or energizing for a writer as becoming part of a community of writers."
Celina was accepted into the poetry genre, while Erika was chosen for her fictional writing.
"With poetry, you can take something that other people wouldn't understand or something that isn't considered beautiful and you can make it beautiful and accessible to people," Celina said. "It makes people understand each other more, which is important."
"I'm really excited because I wasn't expecting to be selected. I didn't feel like it was my best work that I applied with, but I guess it was good enough. It's a cool opportunity I didn't think I would have."
Celina won the WMA Poetry Loud Contest in February, which earned her the right to compete at the regional competition in Springfield in March. Erika, meanwhile, won a Silver Key and Honorable Mention for her two submissions to the statewide Boston Globe Scholastic Writing Awards in January.
"I'm glad it will give me the opportunity to work with other people who have a similar interest as me," Erika added. "I don't know too many people who have a vigorous interest in writing, so being able to be surrounded by other people my age who understand my passion for it will be an enlightening experience.
"Writing is a way for me to express myself in a different way. I express myself through music and poetry as well, but writing fiction is a different way of expressing different worlds ... is how I think of it. I like creating stories to express things I've never been able to experience."