Criteria for publication

• The piece must be produced by a child attending a high school in an urban setting partnered with New Jersey City University
• The writing should be a piece of fiction, creative non-fiction (autobiographical/ memoiristic essay), or poetry.
• The piece should be written entirely by the student, though commentary by an adult may have helped enhance the piece.

• Students who attend public schools in urban areas are just as likely to create quality pieces of literary merit as their peers in other settings, especially when this is nurtured and valued;
• Teachers in urban public high schools respect and nurture creative writing;
• Creative writing, though stemming from an individual’s imagination, is nurtured or enhanced through exposure to quality literary texts;
• Quality writing is developed over time under the guidance of knowledgeable others, including teachers, parents, and peers;
• Students can and will develop written pieces when writing tasks are meaningful to them;
• Standardized assessments do not demonstrate, to the public, the scope of writing children can produce when writings tasks are meaningful;

• The communities supporting students' schooling should have access to the scope of writing students can produce, thereby demonstrating the value of their investments; and,
• All teachers need networks with other professionals to help promote, develop, and encourage their students’ written pieces.