The booming applause seemed endless as young authors from all over Greater Cleveland read their work to a packed house at Loganberry Books on Larchmere on Thursday. 

Although the teen writers and artists come from different cities and schools in Akron and Cleveland, their stories, poems and artworks live together in a new book: Hide & Seek, published by Lake Erie Ink. 

Lake Erie Ink is a local organization that offers a host of writing programs for young people in the Cleveland area. Hide & Seek is the latest iteration of the organization’s teen anthology series. 

The annual anthology series compiles all kinds of artworks created by students in sixth grade through high school. It’s free to submit, and every submission gets into the book. 

“There’s just a huge range of voices and experiences in the way that teens show up in the world,” said Amy Hughes, a teaching artist with Lake Erie Ink who helped lead the teen anthology project this year. “I think it’s a really powerful thing to give them a professional place to present their work and to have their voices be heard.”

Hide & Seek weaves together nearly 80 pieces from more than 50 young creators into an exploration of discovery and concealment. The playful title nods back to nostalgic moments of childhood wonder and uncertainty. 

Quartez Harris, a USA Today best-selling author, wrote the foreword for Hide & Seek and introduced the writers as they shared their work.
Quartez Harris, a USA Today best-selling author, wrote the foreword for Hide & Seek and introduced the writers as they shared their work. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland

The book includes a section of stories written by incarcerated young people who submitted their work through a Cleveland-based program called Writers in Residence. Quartez Harris, a USA Today best-selling author, wrote the foreword for the book. 

Students aren’t just featured in these annual books – they are creating them. An editorial board made up of teen volunteers leads the project every year. 

‘Part of a community’

Tate Polatz, a freshman at Shaker Heights High School, has been submitting to Lake Erie Ink’s teen anthology series on and off since she was in sixth grade. This year, she decided to join the editorial board.

“It’s finally becoming a part of something,” Polatz said. “It’s not just blindly submitting something on a page, I’m actually a part of a community.” 

Amy Hughes (center), goes over the introductory speech with editorial board members Aamina Edwards (left) and Tate Polatz (right) ahead of the book launch.
Amy Hughes (center), goes over the introductory speech with editorial board members Aamina Edwards (left) and Tate Polatz (right) ahead of the book launch. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland

The editorial board, made up of about a dozen young people from throughout Northeast Ohio, started working on this book last fall. They picked the theme and went through each submission to offer feedback to artists. They also worked with Cleveland-based artist David Wilson to refine the cover art for the book. 

Alma Saltzman, a sophomore at Beachwood High School, has been working on the editorial board for two years now, and it still feels surreal to see the final book each year, she said. 

“All year, we’ve worked so hard from picking a theme to making the cover to writing the introductions,” she said. “You open the book and you’re like, ‘Oh, I edited this, I wrote this.’ It’s really cool to see. Like, ‘Oh, we did that.’”

Shaker Heights High School student Olivia Cavallo reads an excerpt from her short story "Recluse."
Shaker Heights High School student Olivia Cavallo reads an excerpt from her short story “Recluse.” Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland
Lake Erie Ink Executive Director Amy Rosenbluth speaks to the audience.
Lake Erie Ink Executive Director Amy Rosenbluth speaks to the audience. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland

‘Your voice has value’

“Hide & Seek” will be on shelves at three Cleveland book stores: Loganberry Books, Mac’s Backs Books and Visible Voice Books. It can also be bought by contacting Lake Erie Ink. 

The book will also be added to a growing collection at the International Library of Youth Writing in San Francisco. 

The teen anthology project is not just about giving young writers a platform, it’s about encouraging adults to listen to them, said Amy Rosenbluth, the executive director and co-founder of Lake Erie Ink. 

“The whole point is that your voice has value and lives in a space much bigger than your English classroom,” she said. “That’s very abstract, I know, but it’s a really powerful thing.”

K-12 Education and Youth Reporter (he/him)
As a local visual journalist, I see my purpose in building relationships as much as reporting news. I’ve made my most impactful work only after pouring myself into my community.