Empowering young people through writing
Don’t dream it — write it
Welcome to Write to Success — a celebration of the transformative power of writing and literacy curated and created for parents, engaged adults, educators and parent-educators who are passionate about empowering young people to succeed.
The Right to Success
Over the course of my 20-plus years as a writer and educator, the stakes of success have risen in inverse proportion to its accessibility.
A decade ago, an undergraduate lamented to me that her 16-year-old brother spent too much time playing guitar.
‘How will he get into university and get a good job?’ she fretted.
Since then, barriers to educational attainment, financial security and career satisfaction are higher — more anxiety provoking — than ever.
I am launching Write to Success to help young people conquer those barriers.
Writing is the most potent communicative, constructive, cognitive-developmental tool humans have ever devised. It changes cultures, societies and the course of history.
In 1996, I was teenager with unruly hair and teeth, working at an outlet mall in rural Oregon. Neither of my parents had completed college. My father was unemployed; my mother worked sporadically as a cleaner, child-minder, dental assistant.
The mall was as much as I had a right to expect. But I could write.
Between slinging shoes and studying, I wrote essays, SATs, applications, articles for the student newspaper.
I wrote my way into the Ivy League, across the Atlantic and into a rewarding career.
Writing transforms lives.
Everyone can become a better writer. And in the process a better thinker.
Success will always be a brass ring (slipperier for some) but creative, astute, subtle thinkers will always have an advantage: they can imagine more modes of success, and more ways to access those visions.
A Supportive, Success-Focused Community
Write to Success is for parents, engaged adults, educators and parent-educators supporting young people on their success journeys.
It is a space to learn about the transformative power of writing, discuss challenges, seek solutions and share successes.
What to Expect
The free Write to Success newsletter will wing its way to the world every Tuesday at 9AM Central European Time with articles on education, learning styles, holistic student development, writing practice, study strategies and more; plus interviews with writer-educators and the occasional offbeat gem.
WTS Recommends — also free! — delivers a book review Fridays at 9AM CET.
