Write and Draw a Story

Write and Draw a Story is happening at the Southeast Branch Library on Tuesday, August 25. It's a workshop led by the Austin Public Library, and the age range is wide: 3 to 18. That means it's open to toddlers who are still figuring out how to hold a pencil and teenagers imagining tales with superpowered self-insert characters. Everyone who joins gets to write and illustrate their own story and take it home when they're done, and all the supplies are provided, so you don't need to bring a thing.

Librarian James Scott frames the session as a journey into language, literacy, and a long creative life. He points out that everyone has to start somewhere, and he shares a bit of his own history to prove it: his first story was about a cat who loved to read. It's that kind of starting point—a simple idea that grows into something more—that the workshop is built around.

Because it's open to such a broad age group, it's a good fit for families with kids of different ages. The younger ones can focus on the drawing and the basic act of putting a story on paper, while the older ones can lean into the writing and the world-building. Whether you're coming with a preschooler or a high schooler, the goal is the same: leave with a finished story you made yourself.

It's all happening at the Southeast Branch Library, 5803 Nuckols Crossing, on Tuesday, August 25. Supplies are provided, so just show up ready to write and draw.