This local literary journal is created by and for Beijing teens

When Beijing literary journal Spittoon hosted a launch party last April, managing editor Simon Shieh was impressed with the event’s turnout: professional writers, Beijingers working in publishing and art, and the journal’s contributors flocked to Sanlitun’s expat literary hangout The Bookworm to socialise and pick up the organisation’s first print edition.

But the thing that really stood out, says Shieh, was how many young people were in attendance. After the event, he and a team of editors got together to find a way to fill the demand for a literary group for teens in Beijing, and InkBeat Arts (formerly the Beijing Youth Literary Review) was born.

Forecast by Emily Yuan (Grade 12, Western Academy of Beijing), from Issue 3 'Pockets'.

Founded at the beginning of 2017, InkBeat Arts hosts bilingual creative writing workshops for students. ‘One of the biggest things InkBeat aims to provide, is a platform for young people where their creative work is taken seriously,’ says Shieh, who is also the writer in residence at the International School of Beijing.

InkBeat's workshops, open to young people between 14 and 19 , focus on writing, discussion, and feedback; Shieh says that with every session, it’s important that students walk away with a fresh piece of writing they’re proud of whether that is one fantastic line to build on or finally completing a short story.

These workshops serve as a foundation for the group’s tri-annual print journal, the InkBeat Youth Journal. Each issue has a theme (past issues have been ‘pockets’ and ‘maps’), but guidelines on categories including poetry, fiction, short stories, reviews, visual art and photography are loose and open to interpretation. Pieces published in both English and Chinese are meant to have a focus on Chinese culture and experiences in some way, and kids from all over the world are encouraged to submit.

Past submissions have come from everywhere from Guangzhou to the UK. In the future InkBeat Arts aims to have the journal completely produced by students, from choosing and editing submissions to putting together the journal’s layout and design (teens interested in getting involved can send project pitches to info@beijingyouthlit. com). Find past issues of the journal at The Bookworm for 50RMB.

Learn more about InkBeat Arts by heading to Beijingyouthlit.com. For more on extracurricular classes and groups for Beijing students, tap 'Read more' below.

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