YWP FAQ

What is this project?

Young Writers Project Inc. is an independent non-profit that aims to help students write better. It provides best practice ideas from professional writers and teachers for the classroom and publishes the best student writing -- and visual art. YWP publishes on this site and on Tuesdays in four Vermont newspapers: The Burlington Free Press, Barre-Montpelier Times Argus, Brattleboro Reformer and The Rutland Herald.

Who can participate in the project?
The Project is open to all students in Vermont and select school systems in greater Lebanon, N.H. The Project focuses on grades 7 through 12, but students in the lower grades are welcome to participate -- and do.

How can students participate in YWP?
The primary way students take part in Young Writers Project is to submit their writing for review and potential publication in our member newspapers or on Vermont Public Radio or on Public Broadcasting System's Web site. Students can send in general work they've done at home or in class and/or they can respond to the weekly writing prompts YWP has set for the year. These prompts have been chosen by other students and teachers throughout the region.

How can students submit writing for publication?
Students and/or teachers should have an electronic version of the submission handy. Then click on the "submit writing" button on the top of the Web page, read the Legal Agreement, click submit and fill out the boxes in the submit form. Then electronically paste a copy of the submission in the box. Click submit.

How does a student or teacher know a YWP submission has been received?
After you submit, a page appears that says "Thank you for submitting your work." This means the work has been received and put into our database.

How is the student work selected for publication?
We have a rotating team of student judges who vote on which student pieces should be published. These students are extremely hard-working and careful and do an excellent job. If you are a student and wish to become a judge, click here to send an e-mail to YWP's editor, Geoffrey Gevalt.

How can teachers participate in YWP?
Teachers can use the YWP prompts in their classroom and submit their students' best work by clicking on "submit writing" or "submit art" on this Web site. They can invite the YWP writers and editors into their classrooms. (For more, e-mail Geoffrey Gevalt, YWP Editor. They also can register on this site, participate in a new forum for teachers and (eventually) take advantage of additional services and resources that will be available.

What can students do on this Web site if they register? They can write a blog, join the forum (additional registration and login required, sorry), comment on content and vote on content. Registered students can also "blog" their reactions to the news stories in right sidebar (just click the little "b"s)

How does a student or teacher register for this site?
A student must be 13 years or over -- or have parental consent -- to participate on the Web site. (If you are under 13, please have your parents fill out and send in the permissions form which can be found by clicking here. In the upper left hand corner is a box called "User login" which has a link: "Create New Account." Click that, fill out the form, submit and verify through a link sent to your e-mail account.

What happens to my personal information?
Personal information will NOT be shared and is NOT visible to any other user. YWP will use a student's e-mail to verify, to contact the student if his or her Web work is to be used additionally or to update students and teachers on YWP activities.

How do I change my password?
When you login with the numerical password given to you by this site, go to "My Account" and click "edit" and change "account settings." Choose a password you can remember, but if you ever forget or need help, send an e-mail to Geoffrey Gevalt, YWP's editor and webmaster.

If I am under 13 and want to participate on the Web site what does he or she do?
Write to the Young Writers Project editor to obtain a parental consent form by clicking here

What else can students do?
Judge student work. If interested, click here. Register and participate on this writing site. More features will be coming on this Web site.

Can I have a greater role on the Web?
We are looking for YWP Lead Writers. These students would lead discussions and writing on this site, commenting, writing their own blogs or responding to discussions on the forum. Because this is a new site, students are sometimes hesitant about joining in. We need bold, articulate students who want to sign up to actively write, comment and discuss on this site. INTERESTED? Send an e-mail to Geoffrey Gevalt, YWP Editor.

What do the Terms & Conditions mean?
In order for YWP to publish student work, it must assure the newspapers (and other publications) that it has the rights to authorize publication of the student work. Therefore, YWP "owns" the copyrights to the work. However, any student can retain the commercial rights to all his or her work forever simply by writing the YWP editor, Geoffrey Gevalt, and requesting those rights. The commercial rights allow a student to do whatever he or she wants with that work forever.

Who is Geoffrey Gevalt?
Geoffrey Gevalt is an award winning writer and editor with 33 years experience in newspapers and magazines. He formerly was managing editor of The Burlington Free Press; assistant managing editor for local news at The Beacon Journal of Akron, Ohio; and business editor of The Patriot Ledger of Quincy, Mass. He also worked at a variety of newspapers in the northeast and at the Associated Press. For two years he was a juror of the Pulitzer Prize in Beat Reporting.

How can a student, teacher, parent or reader reach the Young Writers Project?
The mailing address: Young Writers Project Inc., 69 Swift St., Suite 300, South Burlington, VT, 05403.
Telephone: 802.860-0570
Fax: 802.865-0662
E-mail: ggevalt@youngwritersproject.org
The Web site: www.youngwritersproject.org