Intentional Storytellers Academy at Crossroads
The Intentional Storytellers Academy Zine Festival & Photo Exhibit was a reclaiming of our narrative—our voices and stories matter!
The residents at Crossroads Juvenile Center worked alongside The Brooklyn Combine to craft personal and collective narratives through creative writing, poetry, critical thinking, photography, and illustration. For 5 months, our young creatives have engaged in photography, self-reflection, critical writing, and storytelling, meeting mentors in journalism, and the arts to explore ideas around, identity, self-reflection, accountability, and self-determination.
The residents demonstrated exceptional skill and creativity through their creative contributions and expressive depth. Each hall created a zine to reflect their collective energy—a tangible reflection of their struggles, aspirations, and collective energy:
A Hall – StAr City
B Hall – Blunt
D Hall – Discipline
G Hall – Gentlemen
SNU – Sincere, Noble, Unique
Each zine stands as a testament to resilience, creativity, and the power of intentional storytelling. The exhibit is not just an event—it’s a declaration that our stories belong to us, and we will tell them on their terms.