Accepting Submissions: January 14th - March 14th
Showcase: May 10 | 2:00PM - 3:00PM
Crooked Tree Arts Center

Crooked Tree Arts Center’s Young Writers' Exposition offers two special Stories Told writing awards for students ages 12-18 (one for middle school and 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.

Thursday, March 13 | 1:00PM - 2:00PM

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.

Register

Monday, March 17 | 7:00PM
Great Lakes Center for the Arts

The Dorothy Gerber Youth Orchestra presents Music as Language: Stories Told Through Self-Expression at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts. This full symphony orchestra performance explores how music and composition tell stories without words, transporting audiences from barnyards to countrysides, from romance to conflict, from sports to film. The program features iconic musical storytelling, including:

Prokofiev – Romeo and Juliet
Humperdinck – Hansel and Gretel
Stravinsky – Pulcinella
Offenbach – Orpheus in the Underworld
Mendelssohn – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Copland – Hoedown from Rodeo
Bennett – One Shining Moment (famous from the NCAA tournament)
Elgar – Enigma Variations
Williams – Star Wars

Join us for an unforgettable evening as the voices of the symphony bring these stories to life!

Tuesday, March 18 | 4:00PM
Petoskey District Library

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 fun mini-comics workshop to learn about short storytelling and how to make your own comics.

March - April
Crooked Tree Arts Center

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.

Thursday, March 20 | 4:00PM
Crooked Tree Arts Center and Petoskey Library

A collaborative writing game where everybody adds to the story.

The Petoskey District Library and Crooked Tree Arts Center collaborate on a special Stories Told offering for youth, grades 5 to 8, featuring an interactive tour of the Youth Art Show followed by an “Exquisite Corpse” collaborative writing project at the Library.

Saturday, April 5 | 10:00AM - 1:00PM
Crooked Tree Arts Center

Free arts and crafts for the whole family!

Today, special guest teacher, Arlo Krino, is offering a visual storytelling workshop, in connection to Stories Told, a collection of programs supported by CTAC, the PDL, Great Lakes Center for he Arts, and The Harbor Springs Festival of the Book, designed to support reading and storytelling.

Arlo will introduce students to the basics of character design and visual storytelling.  

Saturday, April 19 | 10:00AM - 1:00PM
Crooked Tree Arts Center

Free arts and crafts for the whole family!

Today, special guest teacher, Arlo Krino, is offering a visual storytelling workshop, in connection to Stories Told, a collection of programs supported by CTAC, the PDL, Great Lakes Center for he Arts, and The Harbor Springs Festival of the Book, designed to support reading and storytelling. 

Arlo will introduce students to the basics of character design and visual storytelling.  

Friday, April 11 | 10:00AM & 12:30PM - SOLD OUT
Great Lakes Center for the Arts

Next Gen is proud to present the Kennedy Center’s production of Stories Told title, Jason Reynolds’ 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."

Wednesday, April 17 | 7:00PM - 8:30PM
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 in May.

Friday, April 25 | 10:00AM, 12:30PM
Great Lakes Center for the Arts

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.

March - April | Submissions Due: April 7
Great Lakes Center for the Arts

Student Playwright Reader’s Theater (SPRighT) 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." Winning playwrights' work will be featured in a showcase in early May, and winners will receive a $50 award.

Call for Submissions

Saturday, May 10 | 2:00PM - 3:00PM
Crooked Tree Arts Center

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.

Reach out to GLCFA Director of Education and Community Engagement, Rachel Sytsma-Reed, at rachel@greatlakescfa.org or 231.439.2604.