This Is My Philly
Melanie Bavaria, The Philadelphia Citizen, March 8, 2016
“Children from all over the city write their blocks at a Spells Writing Lab workshop”

Imagination Fuels Writing Labs for Kids
Stell Simonton, YouthToday, November 12, 2014
“What if you built a neighborhood writing center and kids flocked to it just for fun?”

Fairhill: Spells Writing Lab Fosters Creativity and Literacy
Rhonda Elnaggar and Charles Brown, Philadelphia Neighborhoods, April 1, 2014
“Spells Writing Lab acts as a direct counterbalance to the academic disadvantages that many Philadelphia students face.”

Externship Experiences 2013: Unpaid But Priceless
Swarthmore College’s Daily Gazette, January 24, 2013
“In Philadelphia, kids can go to the Spells Writing Lab for more than just help with homework. They inevitably get roped into the ethos of the place – that writing and reading are not only useful, but fun. Sanaa Ali-Virani ’15, an aspiring writer herself, externed at Spells this winter, where she connected with the cause on a personal level.”

A Writing Gem in North Philadelphia Encourages Students to Be Creative
Huffington Post Impact, June 12, 2012
(originally published on The Philadelphia Public School Notebook)
“Not far from a bustling street and directly across from a heavily populated neighborhood sits a community beautifully decorated with sculptures and murals by The Village of Arts and Humanities. Deep within their North Philadelphia community, students of the Spells Writing Lab prepare for a daily routine of writing, reading, and other engaging activities.”

An Evening with Buzz Bissinger May 10 in Philly
Philly.com, April 10, 2012
“The incomparable Buzz Bissinger, Pulitzer-winning author of Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream . . . will chat about his books, the ins and outs of writing and the art of being Buzz Bissinger at the intimate soiree, a fundraising event for Spells Writing Lab. . .”

The Magic of Words
Penn Graduate School of Education, October 2010
“Spells Writing Lab aims to give new meaning to the phrase ‘magic words.’ Free workshops for children aged 6 to 18, taught by professional writers and educators who volunteer for the non-profit, turn writing from ‘must-do’ to ‘want-to.'”

Finally, Cheating at Quizzo is Acceptable
Foobooz, September 27, 2010
“Quizzo can be a drag when you don’t know the answer. And even more of a drag when you spot a team Googling answers with their iPhones. But tonight Johnny Goodtimes is hosting a quizzo where cheaters DO prosper.”

Fairhill: Art and Literacy for Kids
Steve Ciccarelli, Philadelphia Neighborhoods, April 15, 2010
“[T]he hands pierce the air like a dozen tiny rockets all launching at the same time. The sounds and the shakes return, filling the room with the kind of buzz only found in an active classroom.”

Fairhill: Spells Writing Center Aims to Spark Creativity
Steve Ciccarelli and Ariela Rose, Philadelphia Neighborhoods, March 5, 2010
“By piquing children’s interests in reading and writing through creative workshops outside of the classroom the center ultimately hopes to push kids to reach their highest potentials in school. This is especially pertinent in the Fairhill neighborhood where only 2.6 percent of the population has gone on to receive Bachelor’s degrees after completing high school.”

Once Upon a School
Dan Eldridge, Philadelphia Weekly, August 19–25, 2009
“The newly developed Spells Writing Center is the organization responsible for this afternoon’s class. Although its name may not yet sound familiar, Spells’ all-volunteer staff has already hosted scores of free writing workshops this summer for Philly school kids in the K-12 demographic—everything from fantasy to screenwriting to poetry.”

Upstarts: Those that Can’t Do
Sandy Hingston, Philadelphia Magazine, August 2009
“An upside of the bottoming-out of journalism as a profession? Not one but two new non-profits . . . ”

A Wonderfully Welcoming, Unabashedly Wacky World of Self-Expression
Ted Prize blog, April 28, 2009
“So goes the tag line for Spells Writing Center in Philly.”

And Now, Today’s GOOD NEWS: A Philadelphia Writing Dojo
Philebrity.com, April 27, 2009
“Philly Spells Writing Center has approached Philadelphia with a mission. That mission is to instill our city’s youth a lifelong love of literacy.”