Young Chicago Authors was born from educator and writer Bob Boone’s realization that few resources existed in Chicago for teens serious about creative writing. In 1991, Dr. Boone began holding free workshops on Saturdays for young people looking for mentorship and the company of other student writers. Aided by the participation of working artists from Chicago’s burgeoning literary community, YCA grew steadily. In 2000, visionaries including YCA’s Artistic Director Kevin Coval launched Louder Than a Bomb, now the country’s largest team poetry festival for young writers. In the same year, YCA launched Say What, offering students opportunities in news reporting and publishing. Today, YCA directly serves more than 3,000 teens each year, letting them know that their stories are important and teaching them how to contribute their narratives to the city-wide and nation-wide conversation about youth, culture, and society. YCA works with teens from all over Chicagoland and gives them opportunities to meet other students with similar interests who come from different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Of the young people we serve, approximately 60% are African-American and 20% are Latino. More than half come from low-income households.