“The ATLAS 18” Magazine Two-Part Release Party and Reading -- August 17.
Part One: Thursday, August 17, 5 p.m.
Rock Island Public Library – Downtown Branch, 401 19th Street, Rock Island IL
Part Two: Thursday, August 17, 8 p.m.
Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
Two venues in downtown Rock Island will co-host one exciting literary event when the Midwest Writing Center presents readings and a release party for the annual literary magazine The ATLAS, the latest volume of which will, on August 17, be showcased in a late-afternoon event at the Rock Island Public Library and an evening celebration at the neighboring Rozz-Tox.
The ATLAS is composed of literary entries by participants in the Midwest Writing Center's Young Emerging Writers (YEW) Summer Internship Program, which is currently celebrating its 18th year and the 18th release of its magazine. The YEW Summer Internship Program is composed of students ages 15-19 who applied and were interviewed for the privilege of participating in this selective paid internship program. This summer, 24 interns from around the Quad City area and beyond participated in YEW, the most interns ever hired. YEW provides writing instruction in a variety of writing styles and processes, and develops professional skills in areas such as editing, collaborative project management, and magazine design. In 50 hours of meetings over seven weeks, the interns went from meet-and-greet to producing a high-quality literary magazine.
The event will start at 5 p.m. (doors at 4:30 p.m.) with a Family and Friends Reception at the Rock Island Public Library Community Room, where YEW interns will give brief readings of their work. Then, at 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), the party will move down the street to Rozz-Tox, where the YEW interns, and perhaps some special guests, will read different selections from the magazine, giving audiences an opportunity to hear more work from the magazine brought to life in a different venue. Copies of new and back issues will be available for purchase at both locations, with THE ATLAS 18 available for $10 at the launch, and all back issues of THE ATLAS only $5.
Funding and material support for the Young Emerging Writers Summer Internship Program and The ATLAS generously provided by the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the Hubbell-Waterman Foundation, the Scott County Regional Authority, Modern Woodmen of America, Illinois Humanities, the CD Wiman Memorial Trust, the Melvin McKay Charitable Trust, the Rock Island Public Library, and Rozz-Tox.
Admission to both ATLAS events on August 17 is free with donations encouraged, and more information is available by contacting the Midwest Writing Center at (309)732-7330 or visiting MWCQC.org.
