Earlier this month, Malden High School English teacher Sean Walsh along with other English teachers decided to install a writing room here at Malden High.
Coming November 8th, “The Writer’s Den” will be accessible to students and faculty on the third floor in Boyle House. The program is supported by a grant from the Malden Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. In this coffee shop style area, students will be able to immerse themselves in writing creatively, tutoring, and hopefully down the line, showcase publications. The room is also an access for the school to strengthen the bond between community and academics through possible readings, programs, and partnerships.
The idea of “The Writer’s Den” came from the nonprofit group 826 Boston. The room itself will take after the “Writer’s Room” in the John D. O’Bryant School in Roxbury created by this organization. 826 Boston have various programs created for multiple schools mostly in urban areas.
In the Writer’s Room, there were storytelling programs, summer writing workshops, after school tutoring programs, and many many more. Their goal, as well as our school’s, is to inspire students to unleash their creative writing abilities.
The English department at MHS quickly caught onto what the nonprofit group had done. As a result, during June of this year, Walsh, Ryan Gallagher, Yahaira Marquez, and Jennifer Clapp went to go see if the Writer’s Room would be a good addition to Malden High.
“When we went, we loved what we saw,” stated Walsh. Soon enough, he was asking Tufts University to partner up with them. Walsh is also looking to collaborate with other community members, such as Malden Reads, and the Malden Alumni Association to help fund some projects, oversee some interns, and publish student works.
Tufts would be able to use the room to train their English major graduate and undergraduate students in tutoring. The new interns will be able to help the students with creative writing projects.
Walsh is confident that MHS will be able to have all sorts of students begin publishing stories and articles, and let their voices be heard.
“The Malden High School Writers’ Den fosters creative thinking and free expression through the written word by providing an environment that supports young writers in their development of their craft,“ explained Walsh, adding that this mission statement will be a driving force on how the Den will function.
MHS looks forward to the Writer’s Den and hopes it will give students an outlet that may not have existed for students before.
Correction: In a previous version of this article, “writers'” was written as “writer’s”.
