Significant Objects

Denise Neary, one of our regular contributors, recently got in touch with me to ask if I had heard of the Significant Objects project. I hadn't. But I was so glad she brought it to my attention. What a cool thing for readers to know about and participate in. In today's post, Denise explains the project and it's goal of helping Girls Write Now.

Have you heard about the Significant Objects project? http://significantobjects.com/ A great example of creative people using their creativity to do good work.

Significant Objects purchases items from thrift stores (like the bird pictured here) and then asks authors to write a story based on the item. The item and the story are then sold together on e-bay.

Proceeds from the current cycle of 50 stories, objects, and auctions will benefit Girls Write Now, which mentors under-served or at-risk high school girls in New York City. An earlier cycle of stories raised money for 826 National, a creative-writing tutoring program for teenagers in seven cities.

I have always wanted to shake the brains of my favorite authors to see what is rattling around inside their heads that isn’t rattling around in mine. And with the Significant Objects project, you can experiment without actually shaking. Close your eyes, clear your head, and then look at any one of the objects the authors write about, and think about what story comes to your mind. Then read the story on the site, and see where that object took the author.

Great project, great idea, great stories, great writers, and great causes---what is not to like about Significant Objects? Who knows---you might just bid on the item and short story that prompts the next great novel. And help a good cause at the same time.

--Denise Neary, Contributor