Share your talents on a supportive stage.
Registration required for performers. This workshop is intended for ages 13-18. Snacks provided.
Calling all Central Oregon teens! Take the stage every 3rd Thursday at the OAC for a night of creativity and community. Share your music, poetry, comedy, dance, or any other stage-worthy talent in a welcoming, supportive space. Come perform or just cheer on your fellow teen artists!
The Open Arts Center (OAC) is a nonprofit creative arts center that provides free and low-cost after school programming, self-directed learning, and community-sourced mentorship for Central Oregon’s teens, between the ages of 13-18. OAC also supports adult working artists and creative community members through private studio rentals, co-working memberships, and a range of creative classes and workshops. Their mission is to provide a community-driven space for teens and adults to foster creativity, intergenerational learning, and belonging.
2026 A Novel Idea Youth Edition:
Hope in the Valley is a middle-grade novel exploring grief, friendship, family, and growing up in a community facing a housing crisis.
Twelve-year-old Indian-American Pandita Paul doesn't like change. She's not ready to start middle school and leave the comforts of childhood behind. Most of all, Pandita doesn't want to feel like she's leaving her mother, who died a few years ago, behind. After a falling out with her best friend, Pandita is planning to spend most of her summer break reading and writing in her favorite secret space: the abandoned but majestic mansion across the street. But then the unthinkable happens. The town announces that the old home will be bulldozed in favor of new—maybe affordable—housing. With her family on opposing sides of the issue, Pandita must find her voice—and the strength to move on—in order to give her community hope.
About the Author:
Mitali Perkins has written many books for young readers, all of which explore crossing different kinds of borders. Her goal is to make readers laugh or cry, preferably both, as long as their hearts are widening. She lives and writes in the East Bay.
Learn more about A Novel Idea
Questions? Contact: jennym@deschuteslibrary.org
AGE GROUP: | Middle School Age | High School Age |
EVENT TYPE: | Middle School Aged Program | High School Aged Program |
