08/12/2026
Congratulations to all the brave “Mighty Oaks” for entering Broad Street Books summer writing ✍️ challenge!! All of you are for inspiring literacy & writing in our Branchville NJ community. Thank You ✨📖📚‼️
Share to promote writing ✍️ please 🙏🏽
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𝗜𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻, 𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆.
We know it can feel vulnerable to share your writing in a place where people know your name. These three writers showed us that it can be done.
For the 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘆 𝗢𝗮𝗸𝘀 (ages 18+) category of 𝘈 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦, we are awarding 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Jeff Orosz, Michael Cibenko, and Maureen Newman. Together, they form the first roots of this writing challenge.
𝗝𝗲𝗳𝗳 𝗢𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘇’𝘀 22-page short story, 𝘈 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘙𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴, is a sustained, honest portrait of friendship, restlessness, and the quiet pull of a place that both holds and limits you.
𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗸𝗼’𝘀 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘎𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘈𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦 gives voice to the tree itself—patient, observant, and deeply rooted in the history of our streets.
𝗠𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝗺𝗮𝗻’𝘀 poetry and artistic vision bring a different kind of light: lyrical, visual, and unafraid of beauty.
These three adults went first. By doing so, they helped make writing visible in a community where staying quiet can sometimes feel safer. That is meaningful. It is also the kind of quiet leadership independent bookstores are built to encourage.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀.
Now we want our younger writers to know the canopy is wide enough for them, too.
🌱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗮𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 (ages 6–12)
🌿 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 (ages 13–17)
Your stories belong here.
Come practice. Come experiment. Come write one page—or simply sit down and begin.
We have a writing table beside our tree, plus two quiet tables behind the shop for anyone who would rather write privately, alone or with a friend.
𝗡𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲. 𝗡𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿, 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽.
One story can inspire a reader.
One reader can become a writer.
One community story becomes part of Branchville’s legacy.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁?
🌱 𝗧𝗮𝗴 𝗮 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽—or bring them to Broad Street Books and let them begin.
📍 Broad Street Books · Branchville, NJ
