Stories Told: A Community Project Empowering Students to Discover Their Voices
March 13 – May 10, 2025

Stories Told: A Community Project Empowering Students to Discover Their Voices is a uniquely collaborative literacy project involving the creative programming of Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Harbor Springs Festival of the Book, and Petoskey District Library.

Designed for middle school students but inclusive of all readers, storytellers, families, and communities across our region, Stories Told highlights three fictional works (a novel, a novel in verse, and a graphic novel) that all speak to courage, self-confidence, and empathy and share the common theme, “Finding Your Voice.”

Experience one or more of the “Stories Told” books through reading… and then “find your voice” through visual art, music, performing art, writing, conversations, music, and visual storytelling, March 13 – May 10, 2025. “Stories Told” is multi-modal learning at community scale, and we cannot wait to share this learning adventure with you! 

Schedule of Events:

Description of Events by Organization:

Crooked Tree Arts Center’s Young Writers' Exposition offers two special “Stories Told" writing awards for students, ages 12-18  (one for middle school; one for high school). Award recipients will be recognized at the Youth Art Show Awards Night in April. They will have the opportunity to “guest direct” their work with Little Traverse Civic Theater actors during rehearsal at Great Lakes Center for the Arts and have their work performed during the SPRighT Showcase in May. See the event page for details. 

Crooked Tree Arts Center offers guided school tours of the 2025 Guild Members Exhibition featuring work by Artist Guild members, and the Youth Art Show featuring artwork created by students in the Char-Em ISD and homeschool students in Charlevoix and Emmet Counties. Both Gilbert and Bonfield Galleries will be filled, floor to ceiling, with artworks in all media. Tours and hands-on activities highlight narrative themes and visual storytelling in the expression of perspective or voice. March - April, Crooked Tree Arts Center.

Crooked Tree Arts Center’s free, drop-in Open Studio program, offered every Saturday morning, is devoting two Open Studio days to the art of visual storytelling as part of Stories Told. Activities are designed to engage youth and adults of all ages. No experience necessary! Saturday, April 5, and Saturday, April 19, 10:00AM - 1:00PM, Crooked Tree Arts Center.

Crooked Tree Arts Center is excited to host its annual Youth Art Show Awards Night (Including Visual Art, Young Writers and Ballet Awards). This year, the event includes “Stories Told” awards for one middle school and one high school student. Winning writers will have their work read at the SPRighT Showcase. Awards Night: Wednesday, April 17, 7:00PM - 8:30PM, Crooked Tree Arts Center.

The Harbor Springs Festival of the Book hosts a virtual event featuring award-winning Middle Grade author, Jasmine Warga. Jasmine will discuss her Newbery Honor book, Other Words for Home. Written in free verse, this is a lyrical, life-affirming story about losing and finding home, and most importantly, finding yourself. Thursday, March 13, 1:00PM - 2:00PM, webinar from Harbor Springs Festival of the Book.

The Petoskey District Library welcomes colorist and comic artist, Aaron Polk. Aaron has worked on beloved graphic novels such as Dog Man and Wings of Fire. Join us for this free and fun mini-comics workshop to learn about short story telling and how to make your own comics. Tuesday, March 18, 4:00PM, Petoskey District Library.

The Petoskey District Library and Crooked Tree Arts Center collaborate on a special “Stories Told” program for youth, grades 5 to 8, featuring an interactive tour of the Youth Art Show followed by an “Exquisite Corpse” collaborative writing and drawing project at the Library. Thursday, March 20, 4:00PM, Crooked Tree Arts Center then Petoskey District Library. 

The Dorothy Gerber Youth Orchestra performs “Music as Language: Stories Told Through Self Expression” at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts. Narration connects the audience to the music and guides listening. The concert includes works from symphonic movements and samples of  music that span time and genres. This concert is free and open to the public. Monday, March 17, 7:00PM, Great Lakes Center for the Arts.

Next Gen is proud to present the Kennedy Center’s production of Jason Reynolds’ book, Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks. Two school-day matinee performances are open to educators and students from districts and homeschools across Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, and Otsego counties. This show weaves tales that collectively speak to all of us about the power of “finding our voices.” Friday, April 11, at 10:00AM and 12:30PM, Great Lakes Center for the Arts.

Great Lakes Center for the Arts takes its 2025 Artists in Residence, the Mayhem Poets (three talented poet-performers from across the country), to two schools to work with middle and high school students. The Mayhem Poets work with students in their own spaces, helping students learn to express themselves through poetry as they explore and write about finding their own voices. Third week of April, Petoskey Middle School and Vanderbilt Area School.

Next Gen is proud to present the Mayhem Poets for two, hour-long, school-day matinee performances. This event is open to school groups from districts and homeschools across Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, and Otsego counties. Mayhem Poets tell powerful stories and creative tales that challenge our thinking and share fresh perspectives using original poetry, rap, and humor. Friday, April 25, 10:00AM and 12:30PM, Great Lakes Center for the Arts.

SPRighT (Student Playwright Reader’s Theater) is a new and exciting Next Gen opportunity for high school students who love theater, writing, and directing. All high school students from Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, and Otsego counties are invited to write an original, 3- 6 minute play addressing the theme ‘Finding Your Voice.’ March - April; submissions due April 14. Great Lakes Center for the Arts.

The SPRighT Showcase presents the winning work of regional, high school playwrights and the winners of the 2025 Young Writers Exposition awards from Crooked Tree Arts Center. Little Traverse Civic Theater actors, guest directed by the winning playwrights, will perform the winning works in Reader’s Theater style. Saturday, May 10, 2:00PM - 3:00PM, Crooked Tree Arts Center.