From start to finish, teens write and publish anthology

Teen editors and contributors in June 2022, celebrating the publication of the sixth annual Teen Anthology.

Last fall, a young group of dedicated writers, the Lake Erie Ink Teen Editorial Board, opened their computers to begin creating Lake Erie Ink’s annual Teen Anthology, a project in which all creative and editing decisions are made by teen writers and editors.

The board is preparing to publish its seventh annual anthology, Keys & Locks. It invites the community to celebrate its release at Lake Erie Ink on June 7, 5:30–7:30 p.m., where the teen writers and poets will share their work.

What happened between last fall and now to turn the haphazard ideas of Northeast Ohio teens into a polished anthology, overflowing with commanding metaphors, distinguished rhymes, and dutiful punctuation?

Choosing a theme that would inspire writers without limiting creativity became the editorial board's first task. Though they wrestled with endless combinations of words and phrases, the editors landed on the theme “Keys & Locks.” The editors then created posters, flyers, and even bookmarks to spread the word to young creatives that they could become published authors and artists. By winter, the editors had received more than 200 pieces; the editing process could finally begin.

Together, the editors carefully examined each piece of submitted work to make any necessary adjustments to the prose or poetry to be published. The board wrote a 16-line poem that attempts to describe the diversity of thought and emotion represented in the anthology.

The anthology’s chapters are based on the four stanzas of the poem: “Rejection Inspires,” “Obstacles Prevent,” “Hope Perseveres,” and “Dreams Actualize.” In the final line of the poem, the editors asked the writers, “Where did you find the key?”

A response to that question came as the editors found that each piece of writing or art revealed a new layer to the collective voice of Northeast Ohio teens.

Each teen used their work to find new keys, unlock new doors, and ultimately uncover the secrets of a community of creatives. The writers felt powerful, heartbroken, hopeful, and angry—all at once—so the editors chose not to hide these beautifully contradicting emotions, but to house them in their anthology.

Keys & Locks resembles a journal for not one teen, but for all teens who may be dealing with lost keys and locked doors.