By Dhananji Rathnayake
“So many stories are being sidelined and erased, it’s very important that we have books like this and that we elevate youth writers and artists to use their platform. No matter how difficult the topics are they’re talking about, they always bring this sense of hope and that’s something we need now more than ever. To the youth writers out there, please keep writing, please bring your pen to the page and talk about these issues that you care about and you can help write a future for a better planet and for our people as well.”
– Leela Marie Hidier, award-winning author, 2023 “Girls Leading Change” honoree
On May 22, Mechanics Hall in Portland shimmered with energy at the launch event of The Telling Room’s latest anthology of young writers’ works. It Rains Diamonds on Neptune was unveiled in celebration of The Telling Room’s 20th anniversary.
The anthology pairs the voices of 20 emerging youth writers with 20 established Maine authors. The collection includes poems, short stories, essays, fiction, and nonfiction by contributors who have collaborated with The Telling Room over the past 10 years. Many of the pieces in this book are appearing in print for the first time. The anthology was edited by Rylan Hynes, illustrated by Otto Wolyniec, and features a foreword by co-founders Susan Conley, Sara Corbett, and Michael Paterniti.
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Founded in 2004 as a small, after-school writing program, The Telling Room now helps more than 2,500 students annually, ages 6-18, to develop confidence and improve literary skills. The focus is on writers from many different backgrounds.
The launch event featured readings from youth-mentor pairs, including Jules Vázquez with Mira Ptacin, Leela Marie Hidier with Nick Fuller Googins, Brooks Miller with Maya Williams, and Noor Sager with Arisa White. Vázquez, The Telling Room’s grand prize winner for their poem “Older Sister to Younger Brother,” offered advice for aspiring writers: “Just keep writing and keep going. It’s not always going to turn out exactly how you want it to, but you really have to persevere.”
Coco McCracken, an adult writer, reflected on the importance of the evening:
“When it feels like speech and writing and the arts are so in danger, evenings like this are empowering. I just feel very hopeful for the future again, after a really hard year of confusion. It was a really dark winter.”
The event atmosphere was as dreamy and elevated as the book’s title. Nearly 30 book lovers attended, many bringing their children and sharing the joy of storytelling across generations.
“Seeing the goalposts continuously moving and doors keep opening is really amazing,” said Telling Room alumnus Antonio Tela. “And supporting that, even as someone who doesn’t work here, is really important to me.”
According to It Rains Diamonds on Neptune editor Rylan Hynes, the anthology is a reminder of young people’s extraordinary ability to see the world with stunning clarity, “turning even the smallest rays of light into infinite prisms of color.”
Hynes highlighted the organization’s commitment to supporting immigrant and vulnerable youth during stressful times: “We are educating our staff to help students share their stories safely and with care. We know that these voices need to be heard.”
Older Sister to Younger Brother
Recently my younger brother smells unfamiliar
He leaves with little to no warning
And returns with the lingering scent of grass stains, sweat,
And someone else’s living room on his sweater
He walks out quickly and clean
Returning with a mature, teenage kind of mud on his knees
In the beds of his fingernails rests paint and dirt
I can feel him tearing away from our mother
Ready to take on the vastness of his future
Without me or our cozy loft beds to return to
I wish I had missed him this much when he was small and moldable
As foolish as it sounds maybe he’d want to stay
Where blood was stronger than any friendship
And our whole world was our messy bedroom floor
–Jules Vázque
