By Turner Center Art Education Administrator H. Rathmann

 VALDOSTA — Kreea Chakraborty has participated and placed in three of the Turner Center’s Annual “Art of Writing” Contests. Each contest awards $2,500 in cash prizes and the opportunity to be published to regional middle and high school students for works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Chakraborty is a testimony for how the Turner Center’s literary programming has progressed her writing as both an art and a skill.

Chakraborty’s background in the arts includes eight years of dance training, several years of painting lessons, regular participation in Youth Art Month at the Turner Center, and a deep passion for music. In addition to these interests, Chakraborty started writing at an early age as a hobby, focusing primarily on short fictional stories with themes of adventure and mystery. While these remain some of her favorite genres, Chakraborty also enjoys writing poetry. She now considers her hobby to be an important skill, as well as an art. She writes whenever she has spare time, creating short stories and poems based on what she imagines or what she observes around her in life and nature.

Chakraborty first discovered the Turner Center’s Annual “Art of Writing” Contest through her school and entered her first fiction work during her sixth-grade year for the 2022 contest with the theme “HUMANity.” She placed as an honorable mention for her work. Chakraborty saw the contest as a good opportunity to exercise her creativity and expand her writing skills and continued to submit work each year.

“I love the challenge of writing according to a given theme,” Chakraborty said. “Additionally, this contest gives me an opportunity to listen to other young writers like me.”

In seventh grade, she placed as honorable mention in the middle school poetry category for the 2023 Contest with the theme “I Have a Dream.” In her eighth-grade year, Chakraborty placed first in the middle school poetry category for the 2024 Contest with the theme “Imagine.”

Chakraborty’s love for reading has helped to progress her writing skills, because it both improves her vocabulary and grammar and gives her a better understanding of various writing concepts. She has participated in the Turner Center’s free Young Writers League program, which unites youth to respond to writing prompts and share and receive feedback both online and in a face-to-face group setting. Chakraborty regularly presents her work at the Awards Reception after each “Art of Writing” Contest, and she also presented her work at the 2024 Turner Center Literary Fair.

While describing her passion for art, Chakraborty said, “It allows for unbound creativity and imagination… Art is a form of communication that builds connections between people. Never be afraid to share your art with others, because it is a gift to be enjoyed and appreciated.” She went on to explain that participating in contests such as the “Art of Writing” offers a chance for students to share their thoughts and feelings and meet new people, because it is not about winning – it is about an amazing opportunity to improve and cultivate essential skills for the future.

“Art has such a wide range of disciplines, and there is something for everyone. It is an amazing way to express yourself without any judgment…I am just one of many who love the arts and use it as a window to express themselves,” said Chakraborty.

To join the Young Writers League (YoWL) or to enter the Turner Center’s 5^th Annual Art of Writing Contest with the theme “Courage,” visit turnercenter.org/classes, or contact Turner Center Art Education Administrator Hailey Rathmann at 229.247.2787 or hrathmann@turnercenter.org. Copies of the published anthology of winners from all four previous “Art of Writing” Contests are for sale in the Turner Center’s Gift Shop, located in the Turner Center Galleries at 527 N. Patterson St.