In the 2024-2025 academic year, the Braille Institute Library launched the Braille Challenge Writing Workshops: a national program to create a collaborative teen literary community and cultivate the next generation of young authors.
The workshops encouraged fresh thinking and experimentation while gaining expertise at world building with words. Students from across the country participated in fall and spring cohorts in creative and academic writing.
As an experiential learning project, the Braille Institute Library created “Writing Braille With Chocolate”—a born accessible chapbook of essays, short stories, and poems by writers in the 2024-25 cohort. The chapbook celebrates youth voices while reminding us of the joy and creativity we can find in accessible libraries.
Listen to “Writing Braille With Chocolate” as an Audiobook
“Writing Braille With Chocolate” is also available as an audiobook on BARD!
Meet The Authors of
Podcast: Interview with Tamara Rorie of the NLS
Listen to Alondra, Rufaydeh, and Eleanor interview Tamara Rorie of the NLS as part of their podcast project, Braille Derailed.
More About the Program
This program was made possible with a Lista Grant from the California State Library, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Braille Challenge Writing Workshops and “Writing Braille With Chocolate” are the result of the heartfelt work and collaboration with our community, and we want to give a special thanks to:Guest Speakers
Tamara Rorie
Dr. Karen Arcos
Dr. Robert Englebretson
Dr. M Leona Godin
Dr. Judith Dixon
Anna Dresner
Dr. Simon Fischer-Baum
Dr. Alison Cook-Sather and Morgan Cook-Sather
Dr. Stacy Marie Branham
Teachers
Dr. Amy Shimson-Santo
Norman Kolpas
Vasanth Santosham
Project Coordinator: Dr. Amy Shimson-Santo, Creo Changemakers
Project Director: Lisa Lepore
Additional Thanks:
Tiffany Zhao, Project Coordination
Joey Hernandez, Cover Artist
