Writers

We reserve the word “art” for people with extraordinary talent—painters who capture light on canvas, poets who make language sing, sculptors who free figures from stone. But what if we’ve been thinking about it all wrong? What if art isn’t really about skill at all, but about something much simpler and more accessible? Something children do naturally until we teach them to stop. This piece explores a different way of seeing creativity—one that changes everything about how we notice beauty, meaning, and our connection to something eternal.

You know those stories that sit quietly in your memory—the ones that shaped who you are today? Maybe it’s a moment in the kitchen, a hospital waiting room conversation, or the morning you realized something important about yourself. Those aren’t just memories. They’re wisdom waiting to be passed down.

Tami Nantz invites teens to see their writing as more powerful than they realize — a way to encourage others, tell the truth, sort out what’s going on inside, and shape moments that matter. Through relatable examples and gentle wisdom, she shows how words can build connection and clarity. A set of meaningful writing challenges at the end gives young writers practical ways to grow their voice and confidence.

You love stories—I do too! Maybe you’ve read a book that made you laugh out loud, cry a little, or stay up way past your bedtime (even though you promised your parents you’d only read one more chapter). And now you’re thinking…