Speak Up: Creative Writing + Performance (Fall 2025)
Saturdays, September 6-October 18, 2025
3 p.m.-4 p.m. EST
Join us online for Speak Up, a teen creative writing program supporting the artistic and professional growth of teens.
In this FREE virtual creative writing workshop mini-series, teens will partner with experienced teaching artists to empower the creative writing process, from drafting to performance to publishing, to boost literacy and empower youth in Miami through community-based writing activities.
The program is open to all teens (ages 13-19) and is as free of charge as it is free of homework. No previous experience necessary!
October 11:
Instructor: Camille Gomera-Tavarez
Theme: Family Magic in Vignettes
Intergenerational storytelling has been a tool for preserving culture, magic, and imagination since the dawn of time. Learn how threading together short stories and family memories can create a beautifully unforgettable quilt – using Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street and Gomera-Tavarez’s High Spirits as case studies. This workshop will help you understand how to write impactful short vignettes, the value of non-linear alternative forms of storytelling, and writing accessible family histories.
Camille Gomera-Tavarez is an Afro-Dominican authoress, designer, and creative from Clifton, New Jersey. She has a BFA in Graphic Design & Creative Writing from the Maryland Institute College of Art and is currently based in Philadelphia, PA. Her debut short story collection, High Spirits, was a 2023 Pura Belpré Honor winner. Her sophomore YA novel, The Girl, the Ring, & the Baseball Bat was released February 2024, earning starred reviews from Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly. Camille is also the founder of Plantin Magazine, an online platform for Black Immigrant writers.
Presented as part of the 2025 NEA Big Read Miami.