The power of the pen was on full display May 19 at the Cleveland Public Library’s Martin Luther King, Jr. branch in Fairfax, when Lake Erie Ink launched its 10^th annual Teen Book Project, “Lights, Camera, Action.”

The 2026 LEI Teen Anthology, 'Lights, Camera, Action.'Students in grades six through 12, representing 24 schools throughout Ohio, celebrated the launch and met renowned young adult author Justin A. Reynolds, who wrote the foreword to this year’s anthology and spoke briefly at the event.

Reynolds is the author of numerous titles including “Opposite Always,” Early Departures, and the Marvel graphic novel Miles Morales: Shock Waves.

He is also the cofounder of the CLE Reads Book Festival.

“I’m truly appreciative of the imagination of our young people, and I say please never let that go,” Reynolds says. “Never limit yourself—allow yourself the space in the room and the freedom to grow, and to be the voice that you’re meant to be.”

This year’s theme is “Lights, Camera, Action.” No, it’s not a reference to Hollywood, as LEI Teen Editor Aamina Edwards explains.

“Regarding this year’s collection, ‘Lights’ refers to showing attention—shedding light, per se—on the subject matter of each piece. ‘Camera’ refers to focusing on the matter, and ‘Action’ refers to putting forth what needs to be done to spread the word.”

Edwards is one of eight Teen Editors this year, along with Victoria Adobamen, Olivia Cavallo, Alba Cristina Del Rio Ochoa, Madee Heston, Elizabeth Kikel, Tate Polatz and Alma Saltzman.

“Every year, we throw a launch party as a way to gather as many of the kids as possible who submitted entries,” explains LEI executive director Amy Rosenbluth. “They all receive a free copy of the book, and [they] have the opportunity to read their submission in front of an audience—that is one of the most powerful parts of the event.”

Each year, the Teen anthology is produced by a group of Teen Editors, who work with one of the Lake Erie Ink teachers. This year’s facilitator is Amy Hughes, who meets weekly with the editors, beginning in August.

“That group handles everything,” Rosenbluth explains. “The teens come up with the theme, the prompts, the marketing plan, and the submission guidelines. Once the entries come in, the teens learn how to edit and work on layout, and then, at the book launch, the editors get to meet the writers.”

Rosenbluth says 72 Northeast Ohio teens submitted more than 90 entries for this year’s anthology—featuring a vibrant mix of fiction, poetry, comics, visual art, and photography.

The 'Lights, Camera, Action' Teen Editors at work.There is no fee to participate in the anthology and all entries are accepted.

For many participants, the project offers a first publishing experience.

Alex Karshner, a freshman at Oberlin High School whose parents are also writers, is a first-time participant. She was referred to the Teen Book Project by her eighth grade English teacher.

“I like writing poetry and I submitted really close to the deadline,” says Karshner. “But it was a pretty smooth process. I plan to participate more in the future.”

The idea for the book series came after a 2016 trip to Columbus, Ohio for a conference. Rosenbluth and a colleague stopped by the Thurber House Literary Center.

“We noticed they had a teen book project, and when we saw that it was an actual book—not paper-bound or spiral-bound—we thought this would be a great idea to bring to Cleveland,”

Rosenbluth explains. “One of Lake Erie Ink’s goals has always been to put kids’ writings in the public eye.”

Elena Pitts, a former participant who contributed writings to six volumes of the anthology and now works for Lake Erie Ink as a program assistant and teacher assistant, served as one of this year’s greeters.

Lake Erie Ink executive director Amy Rosenbluth.Pitts, who was interested in writing before becoming involved with the project, says the experience helped strengthen her writing skills.

“I realized that a lot more people wanted to hear my voice, when I was told for a long time to be quiet,” Pitts recalls. “This project gave me more of an avenue to express myself safely, while also telling people, ‘hey, I’m a teenager and I’m a published writer.’

“It was also great to see my parents light up to something I’ve done,” continues Pitts, “see them support me, even though I thought they weren’t trying to hear me. For the longest time, I had no idea my dad was bragging about me to all his friends—until one of them asked me about my writings.”

On LEI’s social media pages, Rosenbluth describes “Lights, Camera, Action,” as “more than a book. It’s an experience of youth discovery, imagination, and reflection, created by and for young people.”