Library - Bascom Branch

Are you looking for a unique way of sharing your original stories with the community? San José Public Library is looking for enthusiastic and creative teen writers to write short fiction. poetry, and creative nonfiction for our new Short Édition short story dispensers and online collection to share with visitors and our local community.

How You Will Make a Difference

Library volunteers play a pivotal role in encouraging San José library users of all ages to discover new stories and poems, and through them new experiences and understanding. Your main goal is to build our collection of pieces written by local authors for our Short Édition dispensers and our online collection via Biblioboard.

Instructions:

• Read the Submission Guidelines.
• Write a short story, poem, or piece of creative nonfiction that is no more than 8,000 characters long.
• Submit your piece using the Short Édition link on the sjpl.org website.
• Communicate with library staff when a piece is submitted. 
• Note: You may submit a maximum of 3 pieces per month. All writing must be your own work.

Benefits

• Develop your writing skills
• Become a published author
• Connect with your community
• Share your talent and gain experience publishing 
• Community service hours:
  • 1-minute piece (2,600 characters or fewer) = 2 hours
  • 3-minute piece (2,600-4,800 characters) = 3 hours
  • 5-minute piece (4,800-8,000 characters) = 5 hours

Commitment/Schedule

• Schedule is dependent on the availability of the volunteer.

Prospective volunteers should:

• Be able to fully commit to the activity