Don't just dream
of a whole new world.
WRITE ONE.
Writing nurtures self expression.
Writing supports individual voices.
Writing makes the world feel limitless.
Writing nurtures self expression.
OUR MISSION
Kids With Pens is a creative writing organization for kids aged 8-16. While pop culture and peer pressure are telling tweens and teenagers to be like everyone else, Kids With Pens celebrates individual voices and offbeat imaginations.
OUR NAME
While our organization began as "Girls with Pens" we came to understand that this name was limiting. We welcome children of all genders and identities and firmly support the LGBTQI+ community.
About the Founder: Kids With Pens founder Carolyn Cohagan began her writing career as a stand-up comic, performing in comedy clubs all over the world, including New York, Chicago, London, and Amsterdam. After studying theater in Paris, she began to write and perform one-woman shows, traveling to theater festivals from Edinburgh to Adelaide. In Los Angeles, Carolyn wrote and directed short films, worked for Slamdance and the LA Film Festival and was a red carpet host for the Independent Spirit Awards.
Carolyn has published five novels and two activity books for children. She writes a serial graphic novel series which examines our future living with AI. Her first book, The Lost Children, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2010 and became part of the Scholastic Book Club in 2011. The second book in the series, Ida and the Unfinished City, was released in December of 2020.
Carolyn's Time Zero YA trilogy has won over ten literary honors, including the 2017 Readers' Favorite Award and 2017 International Book Award. The entire Time Zero trilogy is a feminist dystopian series set in a future Manhattan.
In 2020, Carolyn and her mother, painter Lynn Cohagan, published a writing workbook full of writing prompts for kids. It is free for teachers.
Testimonials
"It was like writing in school except more creative and interesting. It helped build my writing skills while also keeping me entertained!"
-Ames Jewart (grade 8)
“I liked the sharing of our writing because I liked hearing everyone else's crazy ideas for stories.”
-Elena Konradi (grade 5)
“My two favorite things about the class were the poetry writing and the way Carolyn used props to get our creative juices flowing.”
-Rebecca Konradi (grade 8)
"English isn't my first language, so for me it was really interesting to learn about writing tricks that apply to any language. I also learned lots of new vocabulary!"
-Alyssa Yushin (grade 7)
"My son was very resistant to writing when he began the summer writing course led by Ms. Cohagan. To be blunt, he absolutely hated writing. The activities Ms. Cohagan led the writing group through helped my son to enjoy writing, and the three week writing course turned into a genuine pleasure for him rather than a torture. My son is on the autism spectrum and has dysgraphia, but Ms. Cohagan was always willing and able to make adjustments when needed to meet his special needs. I'm very glad that my son had a chance to work with Ms. Cohagan–it gave him the opportunity to improve his outlook on the craft of writing.”
-Elizabeth Schuster (parent)
"Writing camp was the last thing my 11 year old boy wanted to do in the middle of the summer, but in the end he admitted that he actually loved it and was sorry it was over!"
-Jennifer Newman (parent)
