The Telling Room
The Telling Room is a Portland, Maine-based nonprofit literary arts education organization that empowers youth ages 6-18 through creative writing workshops, school partnerships, mentorship, and publication of over 200 student-authored titles across the state.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Telling Room does
The Telling Room is a nonprofit literary arts education organization founded in 2004 in Portland, Maine, that empowers youth writers ages 6 to 18 through creative writing instruction, mentorship, and publication. Its core offerings are organized into three pillars: direct youth programs (Publishing Workshop, Young Emerging Authors, Young Writers & Leaders, Word Play, Story Sleuths, Works in Progress, SWARM! virtual writing groups, Second Story, summer camps, and College Essay Workshops), school and educator partnerships (in-school workshops, residencies, field trips, and the A New Land Curriculum), and a publishing and distribution arm producing anthologies such as the 20th anniversary 'It Rains Diamonds on Neptune,' the SWARM! chapbook series, individual debut novels from YEA fellows, and an online bookstore. The organization also operates supporting programs including the Voices of the Future podcast, the Annual Statewide Writing Contest (in its 19th year), the Founders Prize, Big Night annual fundraiser, and Paint the Town Read community events.
The Telling Room funds operations through a diversified nonprofit revenue mix: individual donations including the 'Circle Up Monthly Giving' program, foundation and institutional grants (notably the Onion Foundation and a documented $15,000 NEA grant in 2019), bookstore and merchandise sales priced at $12-$22 per publication, corporate sponsorships for events such as Big Night, and program fees with scholarships (the Young Writers & Leaders program is explicitly free, selecting 24 students annually). Distribution occurs through the physical writing center at 225 Commercial Street in Portland (announced for relocation in 2025), school partnerships across at least 26 Maine towns, the SWARM! virtual network spanning rural communities statewide, and the online bookstore at tellingroom.org. The organization has published over 200 titles, served 3,300+ students cumulatively, and earned multiple Maine Literary Awards and Scholastic Art & Writing National Gold Medals, with documented recognition including a visit from President Barack Obama. Headcount is in the 51-100 range, and the organization is governed by a Board of Directors with new members added in summer 2025.
The Telling Room firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Telling Room
- Legal name
- The Telling Room
- Website
- https://tellingroom.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Telling Room is a Portland, Maine-based nonprofit literary arts education organization that empowers youth ages 6-18 through creative writing workshops, school partnerships, mentorship, and publication of over 200 student-authored titles across the state.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Telling Room industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Writing Education & Literary Arts Nonprofit
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Fine Arts Schools (61161), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Children’s & YA Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Literature & Book Clubs / Guided Reading Groups (EDAMAJAG), Creative Nonfiction & Memoir Workshops (EDAMAMAC), Children’s Subscription & Book Club Publishing (MPAJAFAO), Early Readers & Chapter Books Publishing (MPAJAFAB), Fiction Writing Workshops (Short Story, Novel) (EDAMAMAA)
Keywords
Where The Telling Room is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Telling Room business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Individual Contributions: The Telling Room operates as a nonprofit and relies on donations from individuals. They have monthly giving program called 'Circle Up Monthly Giving' and one-time donation campaigns.
- Foundation and Institutional Grants: Funded by institutional funders including the Onion Foundation and other grant-making organizations. Featured in impact reports and strategic planning documentation.
- Book and Merchandise Sales: The organization publishes student work through their bookstore, selling books, anthologies, chapbooks, and merchandise (t-shirts). Prices range from $12-$22 for publications.
- Program Fees: Some programs may have fees. Young Writers & Leaders is described as 'free' suggesting scholarship availability. College Essay Workshops offer structured instruction.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partners program and sponsorship opportunities for events like Big Night annual fundraiser.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Anthologies and Chapbooks |
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | Young Writers & Leaders Program |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Merchandise (T-shirts) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Telling Room product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Telling Room is a nonprofit literary arts education organization that empowers youth ages 6-18 through structured creative writing programs (workshops, after-school programs, summer camps, school residencies, virtual writing groups) and publishes student-authored books, anthologies, and chapbooks through its own bookstore and publishing imprint. The organization also operates an annual statewide writing contest and a podcast, with programs ranging from free offerings (Young Writers & Leaders) to competitive fellowships (Young Emerging Authors) that result in professionally published debut books.
Product overview
The Telling Room is a nonprofit youth writing organization serving writers ages 6 to 18 in Maine, operating as a multi-program platform centered on creative writing education and youth publishing. Its core offerings are organized around three pillars: (1) direct writing programs — including Publishing Workshop, Young Emerging Authors (YEA), Young Writers & Leaders (YWL), Word Play, Story Sleuths, Works in Progress, SWARM! virtual writing groups, Second Story, Summer Camps, and College Essay Workshops; (2) school and educator partnerships — including In-School Workshops, In-School Residencies, and Field Trips; and (3) publishing and distribution — including anthologies such as the 20th Anniversary 'It Rains Diamonds on Neptune,' the SWARM! chapbook series, individual debut novels and memoirs from YEA fellows, and an online Bookstore. Supporting programs include the Voices of the Future podcast, the Annual Statewide Writing Contest, the Founders Prize, Big Night fundraising events, the Student Work Online Archive, and the A New Land Curriculum. Together these programs serve to build youth confidence, strengthen literacy skills, and provide real audiences for young writers' published work.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Publishing Workshop
- Young Emerging Authors (YEA) Fellowship
- Young Writers & Leaders (YWL)
- Word Play
- Story Sleuths
- Works in Progress
- SWARM! (Student Writers and Readers Meet!)
- Second Story
- Summer Camps
- College Essay Workshops
- In-School Workshops
- In-School Residencies
- Field Trips
- It Rains Diamonds on Neptune (20th Anniversary Anthology)
- A New Land: 30 Groundbreaking Poems by Youth Poets
- Rise: An Anthology of Youth Climate Writing and Art
- SWARM! Chapbook Series
- Telling Room Bookstore
- Annual Statewide Writing Contest
Quantifiable outcome
- 3,300+ students served since founding
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Telling Room
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Telling Room technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
The Telling Room partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Hurricane Island Outward Bound SchoolminorCollaborative Writers Expedition program combining outdoor adventure with creative writing instruction. Summer 2022 program resulted in published student writing.
- Maine Humanities CouncilminorPartnership featuring Telling Room authors on Maine Public's 'Poems from Here' series and other collaborative literary programming.
- Maine Writers & Publishers AllianceminorCollaborative relationship including Read & Loved featured readings, Crime Flash Competition, and mutual promotion of young Maine writers.
- Maine Public RadiocoreRegular appearances on Maine Calling program featuring Telling Room students and alumni. Platform for amplifying youth voices on topics including climate action, immigration, and storytelling.
- Maine SchoolscorePartnerships with schools across Maine for in-school residencies, workshops, field trips, and anthology projects. Schools include Pond Cove Elementary, John Bapst, Orono Middle School, and many others.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Telling Room competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- 826 Valencia: San Francisco-based nonprofit youth writing and tutoring center offering creative writing workshops, in-school programs, and student publishing. Operates the same nonprofit model targeting similar age groups with publication outcomes, making it the closest direct comparable to The Telling Room.
- Writopia Lab: NYC-based nonprofit running creative writing workshops and published anthologies for kids and teens. Shares The Telling Room's workshop-plus-publication model and youth-age focus, making it a directly comparable peer organization.
- Iowa Young Writers' Studio: University of Iowa summer residential creative writing program for high school students. Comparable to The Telling Room's Young Emerging Authors (YEA) fellowship in serving teen writers with intensive mentorship and publication outcomes.
- InsideOut Literary Arts Project: Detroit-based nonprofit placing professional writers in schools to teach creative writing and publish student work. Direct peer to The Telling Room's in-school residency model and student publishing mission, with similar scale and program design.
Broad incumbents
- The 826 Network: National umbrella organization supporting a network of youth writing centers inspired by 826 Valencia. Offers the same publishing-based creative writing model but at scale across multiple cities, positioning it as a broader national incumbent in the same category.
- National Writing Project: Federated network of teacher-led writing programs across U.S. universities serving K-16 educators and students. Operates at much larger scale in the same creative writing education space, with overlapping teacher-residency mission to The Telling Room's school partnerships.
- Scholastic Art & Writing Awards: National recognition program identifying and rewarding top youth writers and artists, sponsored by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. Comparable to The Telling Room's statewide writing contest and awards track record, though at much larger national scale.
- PEN America (Youth Programs): National literary and free expression organization running youth writing, mentorship, and publication programs including the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. Comparable to The Telling Room's literary-arts education mission at significantly larger organizational scale.
- Young Arts (National YoungArts Foundation): National nonprofit identifying and supporting exceptional young artists including writers, with programs for teens ages 15-18. Comparable in mission to The Telling Room's YEA and YWL programs but operates at a national scale and recognition tier.
Regional players
- The Loft Literary Center: Minneapolis-based nonprofit literary arts center offering youth and adult creative writing classes, workshops, and publishing. Comparable to The Telling Room's workshop-plus-publishing model and nonprofit literary center structure, but serves a different regional geography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Telling Room social profiles
Digital presenceThe Telling Room financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Telling Room leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
The Telling Room funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Telling Room M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Telling Room
What does The Telling Room do?
The Telling Room is a nonprofit literary arts education organization that empowers youth ages 6-18 through structured creative writing programs (workshops, after-school programs, summer camps, school residencies, virtual writing groups) and publishes student-authored books, anthologies, and chapbooks through its own bookstore and publishing imprint. The organization also operates an annual statewide writing contest and a podcast, with programs ranging from free offerings (Young Writers & Leaders) to competitive fellowships (Young Emerging Authors) that result in professionally published debut books.
Is The Telling Room a public or private company?
The Telling Room is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Telling Room founded?
The Telling Room was founded in 2005. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The Telling Room based?
The Telling Room is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Telling Room make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Donations and Individual Contributions are the primary driver. The others are foundation and Institutional Grants, book and Merchandise Sales, program Fees and corporate Sponsorships.
Who are The Telling Room's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are 826 Valencia, Writopia Lab, Iowa Young Writers' Studio and InsideOut Literary Arts Project. Broad incumbents are The 826 Network, National Writing Project, Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, PEN America (Youth Programs) and Young Arts (National YoungArts Foundation). The Loft Literary Center is listed as a regional player.
Does The Telling Room have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Telling Room.
What industry is The Telling Room in?
The Telling Room's product category is Youth Writing Education & Literary Arts Nonprofit. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAMAF, Children’s & YA Writing Workshops, with a secondary code of EDAMAJAG, Literature & Book Clubs / Guided Reading Groups. Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2731.