Announcements

Vote for your favorite Teen MPL logo

We want your input on a teen logo! This would be used for future MPL Teen swag. PLEASE DO NOT VOTE IF YOU HAVE ALREADY VOTED IN PERSON. Voting closes 4/30.
Vote here: https://forms.gle/fmHMSYBNjz6cvgkX6

Creative Writing Guest Speaker for May: Amber Reed!

More Powerful than You Can Possibly Imagine: What Star Wars Can Show Us About Building Strong Characters
Hundreds of characters populate the galaxy far, far away, and each of them is someone’s favorite (mine is Obi-Wan Kenobi). But in this workshop, we will focus on three—Luke, Leia, and Han specifically in Star Wars: A New Hope—and look at how they power the story and ignite emotions.
What makes characters stand out from their “types”? How do their wants and needs drive the plot? And how do their own personal stakes connect the reader to the story? At this workshop, we’ll talk about all of this—and probably a little about your favorite Star Wars character too!
(Worry not: if you’re not a Star Wars fan, this will still be fun! …and by the end, maybe you’ll become a Star Wars fan…)About Amber:

Amber-Rose Reed writes historical and speculative fiction, as well as movie reviews for the Argus Courier newspaper in the “Rivertown Reviews” column. She studied History and Comparative World Literature at San Francisco State University, with a particular interest in the intersection of Classics and pop culture, which mostly means she will take any opportunity to talk about the Romans and/or Star Wars. Her favorite things include the Almeida Theatre Company’s 16-hour live read of The Iliad, Liverpool Football Club, and San Diego Comic-Con.

July YRCA Registration Open

Registration closes 5/19. Register here.

ITRC Reading Challenge logs due April 25

It’s the last month to complete your ITRC Reading challenge logs! Those who have finished reading 8 books will be eligible for a special holographic ITRC sticker and be entered into a drawing for a Kindle Paperwhite or a $50 Amazon gift card.
Logs are available at the library. Turn in your completed logs to teen librarian Gracie Marsden.

Teen Yarn Club Discontinued

We are sad to announce that the teen yarn club has been discontinued for the rest of the year.

Teen Events & Clubs

What	When	Description	Registration Link	Flyer
Teen Creative Writing	Weekly (every Thursday) 5-6 (Workshop) and 6-7 (Lab)	Get ready to unleash your imagination at our Creative Writing Club for an adventure in storytelling. In our first session of the month, dive deep into an intensive writing lesson where we’ll explore specific writing skills, from the intricacies of worldbuilding to crafting suspenseful narratives. It’s your chance to sharpen your writing prowess and add new tools to your literary toolbox. In the other sessions, it’s all about you! Bring your original pieces to share with the group for constructive feedback and encouragement. Whether you’re a budding novelist, poet, or short story enthusiast, our club offers a supportive space for honing your craft and connecting with fellow writers. Please email workshop pieces to gracie.marsden@marshallpl.org.	No registration required
Teen Night May: Music Box Craft May 7, 5:30-6:30 pm	Monthly New activities every month!	Join us for a free monthly event at the library for teens to meet other teens and have fun!	Registration link
YRCA Book Club	Monthly 6/2 4pm & 5pm 7/14 4pm & 5pm	Thanks to the generous sponsorship from the Friends of the Marshall Public Library, we now have funds to host our monthly teen book club! The Young Readers Choice Awards is a voting system developed by the Board of the Pacific Northwest Library Association where teens vote on the best YA books. Nominations are released every year for an intermediate division (grades 7-9) and advanced division (graders 10-12). The YRCA is the only book award where teenagers get to choose the winner! How does it work? Every month, we will select one of the YRCA nominees to read. There will be one book for the intermediate division and one for the senior division. You may select the book the book that interests you, regardless of your age (so long as you are a teen). We will order the books and you will come pick it up at the library to take home and read. We then meet at the end of the month to discuss the book! You are welcome to join only on the months where there is a book that interests you. You are not required to participate every month if you do not want to. You are also welcome to use the books read for the book club in any other book reading challenges, such as 50/50 or the ITRC. WHat is the banquet? In April 2026, all participants of the YRCA book club are invited to celebrate all the books we’ve read and to cast votes on the book you believe ought to win the 2026 YRCA award.	Register here
Teen Magic: The Gathering Club	Every other month May 5, 4:15-6:15 pm	Join us in playing one of the oldest and most famous trading card games! All levels are welcome. The library has limited sets for teens to borrow at the club if needed.	No registration required	N/A
Teen Pokemon: The Trading Card Game Club	Every other month April 29, 5-7 pm	Bring your own Pokemon cards to play against other teens and pre-teens in the area! Participants must be between the ages of 10 and 19 years old.	No registration required	N/A
Teen Dungeons & Dragons	Quarterly July 29; November 3	Join our D&D Club for Teens, where imagination meets adventure! Whether you’re a seasoned player or new to the game, come together with fellow adventurers to explore epic worlds, craft unique characters, and embark on thrilling quests. This club is all about creativity, teamwork, and having fun in the fantastical realms of Dungeons & Dragons. Let the dice roll and the stories unfold!	Registration opens in July

About the teen librarian

Gracie graduated with an undergraduate degree in the Humanities from BYU-Idaho, and a master’s degree in teaching from Idaho State University. A proud Taiwanese-American, Gracie is OBSESSED with cats, enjoys knitting/crocheting, and going on hikes. She has two little kids and three cats, whose names are Totoro, Chewie, and Kikkoman Soy Sauce.

Gracie enjoys reading in various genres, but has an affinity for speculative fiction with a literary bent. Almost all of her favorite books have made her ugly cry at some point. She enjoys meeting new people and is always open to recommendations for new programs and activities for teens at the Marshall Public Library. Did she mention she is OBSESSED with cats? 

Her favorite song on Taylor Swift’s TTPD album is “The Black Dog”. She may or may not regularly sing it in the shower while sobbing uncontrollably. Her celebrity crush is Viktor from Arcane. 

She can be reached at gracie.marsden@marshallpl.org, or by saying “meow” three times in a mirror.