A few months ago, I received an email request to help spread the word about Scrap Paper Press’s worldwide call for creative writing submissions from teens. I went to the project’s website, was impressed with the effort, and posted the submissions-wanted information on the Writing It Real community page. I also enthusiastically emailed my teacher contacts, and then I emailed editor Eric Kutsher. I learned that he had found me when he googled “teen creative writing classes” and a site came up that listed authors and creative writing teachers “anyone could get in contact with.”

It is exciting to experience the Internet connecting those of us interested in the written word, no matter our age differences, and it is always inspiring to hear about young people valuing writing and publishing. After our initial back and forth over email, I proposed I interview Eric via email for a Writing It Real article.

Sheila
I am so glad that you contacted me about your call for submissions.

Eric
Thank you so much for all of your help! I really think it’s going to make a difference for the anthology! When I came across the name Sheila Bender, there was a link to the website www.WritingItReal.com. Your site was amazing, so I emailed you.

Sheila
Tell me about the history and the scope of Scrap Paper Press.

Eric
My family has always enjoyed writing. My dad is a pediatric neurologist and about four years ago, he decided to create his own publishing company, Neurology Press, so that he could publish his first book, The ADHD Book: Living Right Now. After this creation, my older brother Marc and his friend Diana decided that they, too, wanted to create a publishing company so that they could create and publish a book and have control over the entire process.

 My dad guided them through the process until Scrap Paper Press was founded as an independent publishing entity. Using the new company, my brother decided to produce a teenage creative writing anthology with submissions from all over the world. With about 80 different writing pieces, most of which were from different authors, the book Revolution of the Undertones took off and was sold to the public on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The print run was over 500 copies! As one of the contributors to the book, I know how exciting it was to have my work published and available to the rest of the world. Recently, a creative writing teacher at my school who had referred some of his students to submit to Scrap Paper Press’s first anthology asked if another was scheduled. I stepped up to the plate to help more teens publish their writing by creating a new anthology. Cacophony! is scheduled for publication by summer 2007.

Sheila
How did you decide on your name for the new anthology?

Eric
The quest for a great name for the anthology was a long and treacherous one. I started out by listing the letters A-Z on a piece of paper and writing out titles that started with each letter. I did this process over and over again until I came up with the idea to do a one-word title. Then, the next day, I happened to be at a bookstore and I came across a vocabulary cartoon book for SAT’s and I looked through the words and came across “cacophony.” The word, not too complicated and fairly common, seemed perfectly fitting for a book in which a range of teenagers were allowed to express themselves freely. I discussed the word with those involved in Scrap Paper Press. We all agreed that the name was perfect for the anthology we wanted to create.

Sheila
Tell me about your interest in writing.

Eric
In seventh grade, I joined my middle school’s newspaper staff and wrote articles on problems such as book bags that were too heavy and issues concerning security at our school and its evacuation plans. Quickly, I worked my way up to editor of the newspaper. Now as a sophomore, I serve as the high school advisor for the middle school paper.

I believe that journalism, as well as all creative writing, allows students to question the way things are done. A writer can never create an idea for a story out of nowhere; instead, he/she must examine the world and ask “what if” questions. For example, when I had to write a piece of creative writing for my English class in 9^th grade, I found it difficult to find a topic I felt passionate about. Finally, when I heard about a car accident that killed the passenger and not the driver, I wondered what it felt like to be in that situation. Taking the real life event and making it a story really was an interesting experience that made me think about others. It made me question the actions I have ever taken in the past and made me think about the emotional trauma that people in the world go through. I think that all creative writing unites people because you think beyond your personal opinions and into the minds of others.

Sheila
Tell me about your hopes for the new book and what it will mean to teens and their thoughts about writing.

Eric
I hope that Cacophony! becomes extremely successful as a vehicle for teenagers to express themselves for an audience. Like Revolution of the Undertones, this anthology serves as not only a chance to become known in the world as a writer, but also to show the world that teenagers have gifts to offer. Too many times adults just judge a piece of work or a person because of his or her age. However, this book is meant to give teens the full adult privilege of having one’s own written word available to the public. The format of the book will remain similar to Revolution of the Undertones; my focus isn’t on changing the format, but on providing an opportunity for more new authors to have a chance to publish their works. As a sequel to Revolution of the Undertones, Cacophony! will definitely have a wider range of selections in both genre and origins.

Sheila
Why are you enthusiastic about having submissions from all over the world?

Eric
ALL writers are connected in that they think about others (whether it be a fictional character or an actual person). If teens across the globe read each other’s creations, maybe they would find ideas and morals that they share in common. Maybe readers would discover shocking cultural differences that open their eyes to how their views are different than those of the rest of the world. For instance, I know where I live, about 98% of high school seniors go off to college. Then, if someone who lives in a part of the world where only 2% of high schoolers go to college, I’m sure that it would strike me as odd if they mentioned a character’s plans for the future and college wasn’t part of them. In this case, I would learn to see how fortunate I am for having the opportunities I take for granted. It’s the exchange of cultural norms that will build a community of young writers across the world.

The readers of the anthology will learn about the folkways, mores, and taboos of different peoples. Every culture has its own holidays, foods, values, and educational goals; hopefully differences will come through in the texts.
Reading work from around the world is like traveling because you get to see how life is lived in diverse parts of the world. You pick up on different uses of language and how they communicate differences and similarities in cultural values. In this era of globalization, it’s important that we remember that every one is different and allow everyone the opportunity to express him or herself. I would like to provide many different teens’ points of view.

Sheila
Walk us through the process of creating the anthology.

Eric
Well, first I have to find creative writing teachers and courses to advertise my anthology for submissions. If any of your readers are interested, they should visit our website, www.ScrapPaperPress.com and tell others about it. We need a wide variety of submissions to assure the quality of the anthology. Next, I have to read all of the submissions and judge them, which is probably the hardest part. Therefore, most submissions will be read by people on an acceptance committee. After that, I will write an introduction to each piece discussing why it was selected. Then, I must order the submissions in a fashion that compliments each and every one. Finally, I will compose a preface to the entire book discussing its origins, purpose, and meaning. The future of the anthology depends on a lot of work but will be an enjoyable and memorable process.

Sheila
Wow, that will be a lot of work. Do you have a system in place for judging?

Eric
Each and every submission will be read by me, the chief editor, and given a rating 1-10, 10 being the best. Appropriateness, creativity, originality, insightfulness, humor, etc. will all be taken into consideration in order to get that score. Next, each written work will be compared with other submissions similar to itself. The “crème de la crème” of the groups will be selected by the committee and me so that the anthology doesn’t have works that are too similar.

Sheila
How many pieces will you publish?

Eric
The number of pieces we publish all depends on how many works are submitted! We are aiming for around 80 different authors, as we had in the previous anthology, but there is no actual set limit.

Sheila
How will the book be printed and distributed?

Eric
As before, we will use a print-on-demand service to produce the book. The book will then be available through bookstores and on Amazon and other major online bookstores. In order to advertise the book, we will have announcements posted on the website, www.ScrapPaperPress.com, and contact creative writing and English teachers.

Sheila
How might teachers make use of your project?

Eric
We’ll have samples of the work on our website and contact English and creative writing teachers for them to see works that might inspire their students in the classroom.

I hope that this project will help teenagers who are great writers have the thrill of seeing their work published. I also am eager to see the variety of submissions we receive, in both their genres and origins.

Sheila
How has your involvement made a difference for you?

Eric
My involvement in this project has definitely caused me to change. I have and will continue to discover what genres of writing I love simply because someone I read created a piece in that genre that was truly exceptional and original. Also, this anthology allows me to discover areas of writing that I never thought I would. For example, it is different creating a piece for fun versus writing one for English class. Never before have I been able to write without guidelines and this book has provided me with the opportunity to do so. Finally, the project has and will show me different writing styles, ideas, and concepts that I wasn’t previously familiar with. I hope that every reader can grow in the same way through this anthology.

If the teens you know might be interested in submitting work for the anthology Cacophony!, please have them email Eric Kutscher or visit his website, www.ScrapPaperPress.com.