About VOX Media Cafe

VOX Media Cafe is the only program of its kind in metro-Atlanta, covering new multimedia techniques for storytelling, the fundamentals of journalism, literary non-fiction, poetry, photography, and more. VOX Media Cafe is organized by the adult staff of VOX Teen Communications, with input from teen staff members and interns. The classes are taught by a volunteer cadre of professionals. In addition to hands-on instruction,  teen participants can take part in field trips, visit local media organizations, and get to know peers from schools across the city.

VOX Media Cafe was launched in the summer of 2011. During the inaugural session, four dozen teens were taught by 50 of the biggest names in those fields. The all-volunteer faculty included:

  • Pulitzer Prize winning authors Natasha Trethewey and Hank Klibanoff
  • Novelists Joshilyn Jackson and Charles McNair
  • Memoirist Jessica Handler
  • Bloggers Rodney Ho and Jennifer Brett of the AJC
  • Journalists Anita Sharpe of Bloomberg News and Errin Haines of the Associated Press
  • Magazine editors Josh Jackson of Paste and Steve Fennessy of Atlanta magazine
  • Photographers including Minla Shields, Bita Honarvar and W.B. Bridges, Louie Favorite and Pouya Dianat

Participants took field trips to the newsrooms of CNN Interactive and Atlanta magazine. They recorded audio and video interviews and produced photo essays by exploring downtown Atlanta. Work produced by participants in VOX Media Cafe 2011 was published in the back-to-school issue of VOX newspaper, on the VOX blog, and in an original Tumblr blog created by Media Cafe participants.

Scenes from VOX Media Cafe

Scenes from VOX Media Cafe 2011

VOX Media Cafe Blog Posts

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Testimonials

"I loved the different instructors. I truly believe I've become an all-around better writer, poet, and student. I've learned things I'll always remember from this camp. Additionally, I loved the freedom allowed in this environment."
 — Teen Participant
VOX Media Cafe 2011
 
"The teachers came from the field which provided real-life application for my daughter's career interest. The field trips provided extra focus on topics covered in class. Interacting with peers from around the city was so inspiring."
— Parent of Teen Participant
VOX Media Cafe 2011
 
"The teens were really interested in learning how to write better. They asked good questions about technique, format, ethics, and information gathering. They were engaged — and it was fun to be engaged with them."
— Instructor
VOX Media Cafe 2011