Every Spring, after weeks and months of preparation, middle and high school students across Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania converge on the campus of Youngstown State University for a lot of fun and a little competition.
When most people think about fun and competition in regard to middle and high school students, thoughts immediately trend toward sports, year end activities, drama programs (thank you Glee) and maybe even a few academic clubs. But students attending the YSU English Festival are looking for a unique type of fun geared specifically toward readers and writers.
How about that? Literary related fun and activities for young readers and writers. An opportunity to read great YA books, exercise creative writing skills and win prizes…That’s “write” up our alley!
What It Is:
The YSU English Festival is an annual program that promotes and cultivates reading and writing, reaching out to about 3,000 students from Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. – YSU English Festival
The YSU English Festival is an annual event that originated in 1978 due to the efforts of Professor Thomas Gay and Dr. Carol Gay, in memory of their daughter, Candace McIntyre Gay, who died at age 13 of cancer. The idea was to build relationships between area schools and the University while rewarding “distinctive writing based on careful reading.”
The Festival has grown from a one day event to three days and still some students are turned away due to its popularity. Each Fall reading lists are announced for the following Spring’s Festival, including 7 books for grades 7-9 and 10-12. Students are required to read those books in preparation for Festival events that include games, essay and writing contests, art projects, guest authors and performances.
How It’s Done:
This year’s English Festival will be held April 6-8, but planning and pulling off the English Festival is an ongoing, year-round process. According to Dr. Jeffrey Buchanan, English Festival co-chair and Associate Professor of English at YSU, “There is an English Festival Committee made up of about 12 full and part time faculty; there is also an advisory board of about 10 community members and local teachers.” The event also has many volunteers and the assistance of teachers and librarians from the schools represented by attending students.
First and foremost, books must be selected. The selection committee tries to choose appropriate for the audience, that represent “a variety of genres, characters, and authors…style, narrator gender, age, etc.,” according to Buchanan. The committee makes an effort to select books they think the participants will like and authors that young people will find engaging. Once books are selected, the lists are given to area schools and planning gets into full swing. Games, activities and contests are planned, scheduling is done, volunteers are recruited, programs are made, teachers and librarians are trained.
The result: thousands of young people coming together to share a passion for reading and writing, to have fun, hear an author speak and maybe win a prize or two. Sound like fun? As a former participant, I can guarantee you- absolutely!
Look for more on the YSU English Festival throughout this week, including information on this year’s featured author, Megan Whalen Turner, 2011 reading list profiles, (you might just learn about another great book), and a run-down of games and contests.
Novel Novice 
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