2022 Reflections

Happy 2023! Instead of creating a list of resolutions or setting new goals, we at Project Write Now thought it would be nice to take a moment to look back.

So much happened in 2022 that we are so grateful for. We not only expanded our team and expanded our reach outside of New Jersey (and even the United States), but we also were able to get back in person with workshops and events in our local community.

No matter where we were or whom we connected with, one thing remained the same: our commitment to build communities of hope and empathy through storytelling.

Here is a list of our 2022 accomplishments!

– PWN went GLOBAL! To India! We launched three PWN India writing clubs: Children (ages 10-12); Adults; and Teachers (of children ages 3-6).

– We brought on 10 new instructors and introduced a handful of new classes—including fiction, memoir, spoken word, and personal essay.

– We helped two PWN writers launch their debut books at events at Asbury Book Cooperative and River Road Books.

– We celebrated the publication of two PWN instructors’ books.

– We held 56 adult classes, 12 youth classes, 62 virtual one-day workshops, and 16 in-person workshops.

– Eleven adult writers had their works published in literary magazines or other publications. One was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

– We provided in-school multi-session writing programs for grades 3 through 8 at Sickles and Knollwood schools in Fair Haven.

– We published three anthologies with students in Red Bank Middle School and Asbury Park High School.

– We provided 10 after-school writing clubs.

– We provided 9 weeklong summer programs.

– We partnered with 21 organizations/schools to deliver our community outreach programs. Among our new partnerships are Asbury Book Cooperative, Positive Youth Development Hub, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Parker House, and Kula Farms.

– We brought back CringeFest with lots of laughs and lots of funds raised!

– As part of the Two River Theater Crossing Borders Festival, four of our young adult writers read and performed pieces on stage.

– More than 50 teens/teachers participated in our annual PWN Teen Lit Fest.

– Thirty teens participated in our summer internship program.

– We took PWN on the road to Vermont, where we held a writing workshop in a plant nursery.

– Our executive director, Jennifer Chauhan, was recognized by Monmouth Arts as one of 50 individuals in Monmouth County “moving our county toward a more inspired, inclusive, and creative arts community.”

– PWN won the 2022 Monmouth County Education Association Friends of Education Award.

– We published six issues of our online young adult literary journal Bridge Ink with writers from California, Colorado, Iowa, Florida, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Wisconsin, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, India, and Israel.

– Twenty-two writers completed full-draft manuscripts (50,000+ words) through book inc’s novel and memoir incubator program.

– Twenty awards were won for screenplays in the PWN Screen Academy.

– We released Seasons Two, Three, and Four of PWN’s Debut Review podcast (23 episodes)!

– We hosted our end-of-year Writers Showcase & Open Mic with 23 adult writers performing!

– Overall, we impacted nearly 1,500 youth, children, and teens through our community outreach programs.

– We gave 74 scholarship seats totaling $15,150 for our fee-based programs.

We could not do any of this without all of YOU! We are so grateful to our amazing staff, our incredible community partners, and all who participated in our classes, workshops, and events.

Together, we are changing lives through writing.

You can see more of our 2022 programs here.