3/7/2025
Hart & Hustle
A Cry to The Education System: New York’s Reading Mandate Could Be the Hope for Literacy Proficiency & Individuality
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Writopia Lab, a youth literacy development center that ignites a fire for writing, Rebecca Wallace-Segall has seen a dramatic change in reading habits during her time as a director and educator: “It is impossible to miss that change in our cultural landscape—phones have replaced books (and even in-person social activities) during downtime.”
“But I have witnessed in both school and at Writopia that the more social we can make reading as an endeavor, the more life we can breathe life back into it.”
Writopia Lab in the News
- A Cry to The Education System: New York’s Reading Mandate Could Be the Hope for Literacy Proficiency & Individuality
- Why Writing is the Ultimate Leadership Skill with Rebecca Wallace-Segall
- Whose text is it: the student's or the artificial intelligence's?
- Writopia in The Forward
- CUNY Newsletter
- Mommy Poppins List 2023
- CUNY TV Spotlight
- Writopia Gets Kids to Tell Their Stories (Village Voice)
- Partnering for Literacy Impact: By Susan Matloff-Nieves & Rebecca Wallace-Segall
- Ridgefield Resident Sofia Schaffer is Writing a Name for Herself
- Inviting Joy into Classroom Writing Instruction: by Danielle Sheeler
- Columbia University News
- Education Week
- New York Times: Worldwide Plays 2019
- The Rockridge News: Local Creative Writing Workshops
- LA Times HS Insider: Writopia at 4th Annual YALLWEST
- Townvibe Bedford: Writopia's Léna Roy Speaks on "A Wrinkle in Time"
- Oakland Magazine: Coolest New Writing Lab for Kids
- The Washington Post: Writopia Lab for Introverted Children
- The Washington Informer: SEED Students Honored at Scholastic Writing Awards
- Broadway World: Writopia Lab's Worldwide Plays Festival
- New York Family: Alternative Summer Camps
- New York Times: Family Memoir Workshop
- Washington Post: 7 Ways to Get Kids Excited About Writing
- New Paltz Oracle: Writopia as a Creative Outlet for Kids
- Forward: Rebecca Wallace-Segall, founder of Writopia Lab
- Washington Independent Review of Books: Writopia Open House, June 12th, 2016
- ICPH Uncensored: Writopia Lab's Worldwide Plays Festival
- The BACC Rag: Annelie Hyatt Performs at the Nuyorican
- CBS LA: Summer Activities For Kids In Los Angeles
- DC Public Library: Creative Writing Workshop Series
- Arizona Daily Star: St. Gregory Seniors Win National Play Contest
- Book Culture: Writopia Lab Reading
- Take Part: A Case for More Creative Writing
- in Reads: The Founding of Writopia
- New York Nonprofit Press: Writing Your Way to Success
- Johns Hopkins: Writopia's Younger Students Create at JHUMCC
- Georgetown Patch: DC Students' Plays Produced Off-Broadway
- NPR: 2013 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
- Jersey City Independent: JC 11-Year-Old’s Play ‘9/11’ Showcased in New York Festival
- New York Times: 13-Year-Old Writopia Playwright
- Bronx Neighbors: 12-Year-Old Writopia Playwright
- Voice of America: Program Nurtures Young Writers
- Washington Post: Inside a Writopia D.C. Workshop
- Time Out Kids: Writopia Summer Camps
- The Atlantic: A Plea for Creative Writing in Schools
- NY1: Young Playwrights Get Works Performed At Festival
- Mommy Poppins: Best New NYC Summer Day Camps for Kids
- The Epoch Times: Interview with Rebecca Wallace-Segall, founder of Writopia
- Shelf Awareness: Writopia's Lena Roy Featured at Voracious Reader
- New York Times - Arts Beat: Interview with Writopia Playwright
- Park Slope Patch: Park Slope Teen Grier Montgomery's Play Selected for Writopia's 2011 Worldwide Plays Festival
- New York Times - City Room: Interview With Dan Kitrosser, Artistic Director of Writopia's 2011 Worldwide Plays Festival
- The Arlington Connection: Writopia Lab Brings the Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards to D.C.
- Alexandria News: DC Scholastic
- Huffington Post: 2011 Plays and Workshops
- Time Out New York: 2011 Plays Contest
- Time Out New York Best of 2010: Camps
- New York Mag: Bryant Park Listing
- New York Times: Bestival
- Cornwall-on-Hudson News: Lena Beckenstein
- Time Out Kids: Radiant Windows
- Northwest Passages: DC Teen Contest
- The Wall Street Journal: In Praise of 'Thought Competition'
- The Jewish Week
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Our Mission
Writopia Lab fosters joy, literacy, and critical thinking in children and teens from all backgrounds through creative writing.
We have never turned away a student whose family was unable to pay for workshops. Fifty percent of our students attend on either partial or full scholarships.
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