On February 27-28, the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference supported two teacher-librarians—Samantha Archibald Mora (WRMS) and Kari Haugen (WRHS)—in taking 37 Wood River Valley students to StoryCon, a Salt Lake City-based writers’ conference for tweens and teens.

StoryCon celebrates young authors and fosters creativity, storytelling, and self-expression through workshops, author talks, and peer collaboration. For many of the students, it was their first opportunity to attend a professional literary event designed specifically for young writers.

Experiences like StoryCon allow the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference to help nurture the next generation of storytellers while strengthening a culture of creativity, reading, and writing throughout the Wood River Valley.

Students represented several schools across the valley, including Wood River Middle School, Wood River High School, Hemingway STEAM School, The Sage School, and Silver Creek High School.

The impact of the experience is best captured in the students’ own words:

 

“This trip helped me believe that I can do something great with my writing.”

– Emma G.

 

“This trip helped me gain the confidence to share my story with the world!”

– Isabella T.

 

“This trip was so fun and inspiring, I want to go make a book now.”

– Evan S.

 

“This trip inspired me to keep writing and never give up!”

– Rosemary M.

Photo credits: courtesy Samantha Mora & Gretchen Gorham