Young Emerging Writers 20th Anniversary/THE ATLAS 20 Release Party

Name: Young Emerging Writers 20th Anniversary/THE ATLAS 20 Release Party
Start: 2025-08-14T17:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-08-14T23:30:00-05:00
Location: Rozz-Tox

Schedule

Thu Aug 14 2025 at 05:00 pm to 11:30 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Rozz-Tox | Rock Island, IL

The Young Emerging Writers Program Celebrates 20 Years with the Release of THE ATLAS Literary Magazine at a Two-Part Event 8/14
What: THE ATLAS 20 Reading and Release / YEW 20th Anniversary Party
Where: Part One: Green space outside of Rozz-Tox (2108 3rd Ave., Rock Island, IL); Part Two: inside Rozz-Tox
When: Thursday, August 14; Part One – doors at 5:00 p.m., readings at 5:30 p.m.; Part Two – YEW Alumni & Staff Open Mic at 8:00 p.m., DJ set starts at 9:30 p.m.
Cost: Both parts of the event are free and open to the public ($5 suggested donation to support MWC youth writing programs); copies of THE ATLAS 20 will be available for purchase at both events
The Young Emerging Writers (YEW) Summer Internship Program will host a two-part party to celebrate their 20th anniversary and the release of the latest issue of THE ATLAS, the Program’s literary magazine, on Thursday, August 14 at Rozz-Tox.
The event will start at 5:00 p.m. outside of Rozz-Tox with the release of THE ATLAS 20, where the 2025 YEW interns will give a brief reading of their work from the newly-released magazine. Copies will be available for $10, along with other local literary artists selling their work. Bring blankets or lawn chairs (blankets in front chairs in back please), and do not bring your own food or drink; the service window will be open.
Then, at 8:00 p.m., the party will move inside Rozz-Tox, featuring an open mic for YEW alumni and staff, followed by a DJ set from David Otten.
Both events will be archived to MWC's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/midwestwritingcenter
About Young Emerging Writers:
The YEW Summer Internship Program is composed of students ages 15-19 who applied and were interviewed for the privilege of participating in this selective paid internship program. This summer, 23 interns from around Quad City area participated in YEW with the help of 14 staff members. YEW provides writing instruction in a variety of writing styles and processes, and develops professional skills in areas such as editing, collaborative project management, and magazine design. In 50 hours of meetings over seven weeks, the interns went from meet-and-greet to producing a high-quality literary magazine. This summer, the YEW program celebrates its 20th year with the release of THE ATLAS 20.
Copies of new and back issues will be available for purchase at both locations. THE ATLAS 20 will be available for $10 at the launch, and all back issues of THE ATLAS for only $5/pay what you can. You can pre-order a copy of THE ATLAS 20 today: https://www.mwcqc.org/events/pre-order-the-atlas-20/
Please contact Ryan Collins for more information about the YEW Summer Internship Program, THE ATLAS, or this event: [email protected], (309) 732-7330.
Funding and material support for the 2025 Young Emerging Writers Summer Internship Program generously provided by the Illinois Arts Council, Modern Woodmen of America, the Regional Development Authority, the Scott County Regional Authority, the Tim Curry Endowment for Youth Writing Programs at the Quad City Community Foundation, the CD Wiman Memorial Trust, Carlisle Ryan Digital Printing Solutions, the Rock Island Public Library, and Rozz-Tox.