About Authoring Action

Our Mission

To transform the lives of youth through the power of creative writing and spoken word arts and leadership education that promotes positive systemic change. 

Story Behind the Name

Founded in 2002 (as the Winston-Salem Youth Arts Institute) on the belief that all youth are powerfully and readily engaged in learning through the arts and can contribute unique and essential insight to achieve a healthy, thriving and unified society, our new name — Authoring Action (abbreviated A2 ) reflects the possibilities for exponential positive change as participants discover their voices, define their dreams and become the change they want to see in the world.

Our Leaders

A Message From A2 Youth

As AUTHORs (derived from the French word "autor" meaning father), it is our directive to give birth to original written works of every genre from our own life stories and societal predicaments. As Impact Communication Specialists we ascribe to the idea that our written words…our art…must do something. Read more...

Your Investment at Work — Building Bridges

Authoring Action has a demonstrated history of developing young authors and advocates to provide communities with a youth-eye view of institutionalized perceptions that threaten both their own and our collective positive development. The Assegai Outreach Ensemble is regularly invited to engage at issue-specific forums hosted by education, civic, faith-based, arts, law enforcement, social service and other organizations. Collaborative engagements have included:

  • HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION - Spring 2012 - 8 youth and 2 leaders travelled to Harvard to provide a workshop and spoken word engagement to address issues in public education.  
  • Family Services - Day of Unity - youth delivered spoken word pieces from the perspective of the victim,  a child witness to domestic violence in the home, to break the shame/stigma/silence of domestic violence.
  • Alternative Education Teachers of North Carolina – Provided a stage forum, engaging alternative education teachers and principals from around North Carolina.
  • Diggs Gallery – Contributed written works and performed in Young Americans: The Performance, directed by Winston-Salem State University's Andre Minkins.
  • Healthy Community Coalition – Topical stage forum for Health Equity Day. 
  • Hidden Voices – Collaborated with Hidden Voices in the exploration of home and homelessness through writing, discussion and photography for the production of Home Is Not One Story, debuting in Durham in April 2010.
  • National Black Theatre Festival – Prepared A-Team youth organization to write and present works at the famed Festival.
  • National Drop Out Prevention Conference – Provided a topical stage forum.
  • P. Buckly Moss Foundation for Children's Education Conference – For two years, provided a stage forum for educators from around the nation at the annual conference on Arts and Education.
  • Summer Institute Community Commencement – Delivered annual production (open to the community) marking Authoring Action youths' newly-earned status as Assegai, celebrating the short spear (pen) and words as mightier than sword in overcoming hopelessness, hate and violence.
  • Winston-Salem Police Rookie School – Led cultural diversity workshops for six rookie classes to foster understanding and positive relationships between police and youth and explore solutions to violence.
  • Winston-Salem State University Center for Community Safety – Coached Saturday Academy participants in creative writing and oral delivery.
  • Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools – Facilitated "Implementing the Authoring Action Experience in the Classroom" and in-class workshops on creative writing and the spoken word. 
  • Winston-Salem Foundation Women's Fund – Provided a stage forum for Annual Community Luncheon.  

All told, Authoring Action Assegai have created over 1,000 written works (many of which are now compiled in the Authoring Action Anthology), produced more than 30 short films and presented to some 10,000 audience participants through stage and film forums.

To learn more about opportunities to collaborate with Authoring Action and the Assegai Outreach Ensemble, visit our Services page or contact Lynn Rhoades, Executive Director, at 336.749-1317 or by e-mail.

The world can change...with just one word.