Diverse Voices
Voces Diversas

Youth Literacy and Published Authors Program

ABOUT THE PROGAM

Diverse Voices is a young authors program working with fifth graders at local elementary schools to enhance literacy skills through creative writing. The students are encouraged to write in the variety of languages they may use and to use illustrations as a way to further communicate. The program emphasizes the importance of creativity, reading and writing skills, self-expression, and acceptance of themselves and one another. The grand finale of the program is the publication of an anthology of the students' writing and book launch event, during which the students read their pieces for the public.

Purchase your own copy today and enjoy the quirky and profound perspective in the writings of fifth graders from the Emporia, KS community. A portion of book sales is donated to the schools we serve!

Get Your Copy!

Writing Workshop Facilitator

LINZI GARCIA

Linzi Garcia lives in Emporia, where she serves as the publicist and poetry editor for Meadowlark Press and as a board member for House of Morrow. While earning her MA in creative writing from Emporia State University, she worked as the graduate assistant to Poet Laureate Emeritus of Kansas Kevin Rabas and as an editorial assistant with Bluestem Press and Flint Hills Review. During that time, she also worked as a composition professor at the university and a reporter for The Emporia Gazette. Linzi has facilitated over 50 community writing workshops and poetry readings. She is the author of Thank You (Spartan Press, 2018) and Cravings (Meadowlark Press, 2025) and the co-author of Live a Great Story (Analog Submission Press, 2019) and While Away: Travel Poems (Spartan Press, 2022). Linzi is a recipient of a 2023 NextGen Under 30 Kansas Award.

DIVERSE VOICES IS MADE POSSIBLE BY OUR INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

CLICK PLAY ➡️

On our 2025 Diverse Voices Book Launch Recap Video!

This video was produced by Danny Stayton, founder of Prospero's Productions. We cannot thank Danny enough for sharing his time and talents with House of Morrow to capture the magic of our 2025 Diverse Voices/Voces Diversas Book Launch Event for the fifth graders at Walnut Elementary School, their families, and their community.

CHECK OUT MORE OF DANNY'S WORK