Meet Lisa Zou of Quartz Young Writers’ Workshop

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Zou.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Lisa. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always been interested in creative writing and journalism; communication is the most important aspect of living a fulfilling life and I saw writing as the best way to express how I felt about issues locally and globally. I was involved in lots of writing competitions through organizations like the National Youngarts Foundation and The Poetry Society of UK. I met my friend, Rona, through Sierra Nevada College’s annual writing contest.

As high school students, we were friends even though we lived in different states. Eventually, we wanted to be more involved with writing by not only submitting our works to programs and publications but reaching out to high school students who wanted to be mentored in creative writing and journalism–Quartz Young Writer’s Program began with five mentors total (including Rona and I).

We selected 30 mentees out of the applications we received; the mentees came from a wide range of backgrounds with international students in the mix as well. This past year we continued the summer program and opened Quartz Young Writer’s Program up to college students; in fact, most of the mentees I mentored this summer were college students (from schools in California to New York). I hope to continue Quartz Young Writer’s Program in the future, or at least mentoring in some aspect. I have had professors and established writers as mentors and I truly can attest to the importance of mentorship, not only in writing–but in life. Having peers or experienced advisers is integral to succeeding and understanding how to explore a field.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Relatively smooth road. Deciding whether to expand the numbers of mentees or more carefully select the mentees is one issue. I definitely think quality over quantity in this case. The point of mentorship programs and writing programs is not to find who are the “best” writers, but who has the most potential to grow. There have also been issues related to plagiarism and misunderstandings but I would prefer not to talk about that.

Please tell us about Quartz Young Writers’ Workshop.
At Quartz Young Writers’ Workshop, we provide writing mentorship to high school and college students for the summer. All connections and exchanges are virtual so anyone who wants to be mentored who is in college or high school can apply, regardless of location. With so many expensive summer writing programs at college campuses, we offer something that is completely free and not location-based. This sets us apart; lots of people are not able to attend these summer programs because of either cost or not residing in the U.S. or other resource limitations. Friendship is also a part of Quartz that helps set it apart–I am still in weekly contact with some of my mentees.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory was probably reading classic literature books during recess. I was a book addict growing up; I read at dinner, in the shower, on the bus, etc. I even read during recess outside in the hot Arizona summers. Unfortunately, I never got into Harry Potter or popular books kids my age read. Instead, I was always reading classics like Jane Eyre or Little Women (my parents bought me a huge classic lit collection for Christmas). Of course, I wasn’t reading for theme or anything at this point. I was reading because Jo March and Jane Eyre were like “my best friends.” They were witty, intelligent, and bratty at times. At the time, I thought I was reading some niche set of books–I didn’t even know they were considered some of the most prominent literature of the 19th century. We don’t usually categorize works like Pygmalion as “chick lit,” but they very much are when you’re a nine-year-old girl. Maybe that’s what also draws me to writing–there’s a certain immortality you reach from it, a certain inability to be erased.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://quartzonline.tumblr.com/
• Email: quartzonline@yahoo.com

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