by Bryan Voell
Johnson County (Kansas) Library’s elementia publication showcases the artistic and poetic talents of local teens. Published annually since the fall of 2005, it was born from the original visions of Teen Librarian Angel Dew in conjunction with Johnson County Library’s Young Adult Advisory Council (YAAC), Teen Poetry Café and other teen writing programs. The question at the heart of its inception was simple: How can we meaningfully engage with young adults within the overall mission of the library?
Angel: Our Central Resource Library had always offered writing programs for teens. Before I was hired, a group (Poetry Café) met once a month. I added a second meeting to each month and changed the meeting to a workshop café. I wanted writers to not only share their writing but give and receive feedback as well. A year went by with record attendance and it became clear that we needed to celebrate the teen writers, their talent and the community they’d built. I figured publishing the writing as an anthology would be an ideal way to showcase and celebrate the group.
Publishing a printed magazine in 2004 was met with a bit of resistance. Online writing/publishing had not quite peaked but the trend was growing. Our initial plan was to publish the writing online. My gut told me an online publication wouldn’t be nearly as impactful as a tangible (in your hands, on your coffee table or in your backpack) publication. Luckily, a veteran colleague did some research on my behalf and found an article published in VOYA about the power & impact of publishing a printed anthology of teen writing.
Over the years, elementia has helped 260 young writers produce and showcase great work. This work has come from students in traditional schools, incarcerated teen writers, and 38 teen artists and photographers. And while most of these writers and artists have come from the Kansas City area, many have also come from other states and as far away as London and Zambia, Africa.
Angel Dew and Kate McNair.
The latest issue (#12) features artwork, poetry and short stories by nearly 60 middle and high school students culled from an extraordinary 430 submissions. This number was due in large part to the efforts made by Angel and her cohort, fellow Young Adult Librarian Kate McNair, to connect with students via their schools and teachers.
“Elementia” issue 12.
Angel: Kate adds a tremendous amount of passion and value to elementia. She took something I loved doing and made it something everyone loves to be a part of.
Kate: Angel is the one at the podium talking about elementia. I am the one with the clipboard in the back making sure everything runs on time. I am the keeper of the spreadsheets, the to-do lists, and the one who makes sure we leave every meeting with action items. I think we have both rubbed off on each other. I have seen Angel become more task-driven, and I know she has taught me to think big picture when I would rather focus on accomplishable tasks.
While the ongoing success of elementia has mainly been a result of Dew’s consistent involvement, it is not at all a project that can exist without the hard work of other colleagues, volunteers and community members. The outreach efforts alone demand much time and energy in the months leading up to publication. Funding, of course, is always an issue. Financial support for elementia comes from the Joan Berkley Writers Fund via the Johnson County Library Foundation, which allows Johnson County Library to support local writers through library space, resources and programs. In 2014, Angel and Kate applied for a grant to bring Walter Dean Myers to the library to celebrate the publication of Issue #11.
Angel: Kate and I worked together to develop a proposal that made his mantra (“Reading is not Optional”) that year’s theme & included a dedication to Mr. Myers. We proposed visits to Headstart, a high school book club and the Juvenile Detention center. We won the visit and together we haven’t looked back.
Issue #12 is the culmination of ten years of dedication to the young artists of Johnson County and we’re extremely proud of it. This year’s reception, held in April and organized as a partnership with Johnson County Community College, reflected the high level of support and enthusiasm felt by staff, contributors and the community for the project. Renowned poet Naomi Shihab Nye, to whom the latest issue is dedicated, was the featured speaker at the reception and at related visits to local schools. While Nye’s involvement was indeed special, it was the teens themselves who really made the reception their own. The audience was treated to nearly twenty teens who either individually or as part of a group performed their own works, most of whom were coached beforehand by Kansas City performance artist Jessica Borusky.
Reception for “Elementia” issue 12.
Reception for “Elementia” issue 12.
Reception for “Elementia” issue 12.
Angel: Being strategic has been the biggest challenge. elementia is a project that never rests. Building in down time is important. We are very fortunate to be at the point we’re at. We are doing what matters, what counts and what inspires. What we do next, how we plan, what we build – that will be the true legacy.
Kate: I think the biggest challenge we face right now is probably growing sustainably. The more people you meet through elementia, the more ways you see to improve the publication or increase the impact. But we need to grow in a way that we can handle, that is manageable and attainable. I am all for failure, but I also want to mitigate risk where we can and sometimes the lure of a new relationship or new opportunity can be too much. Angel has built an award winning publication that has the respect of Kansas City teens, teachers, poets and readers. We want to continue to improve and innovate without losing their respect. More and more I realize how important elementia is as a voice of our community. We could solve a lot of the problems in our community with increased empathy and understanding. What better way to humanize each other than to recognize each other’s’ stories?
Johnson County Library’s elementia page:
Elementia 2015 video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEkkw4Akijg&feature=youtu.be
Bryan Voell is currently the Local Arts Librarian for the Johnson County (KS) Library. He received his MLIS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2007 and has worked for public, academic and research libraries in various capacities since 1997. He is also a collage artist and you can see more of his art here<http://ift.tt/1dM5VDC>.
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