TEAM | Youth Writers

🌟 About Youth Writers

Youth Writers is a student-led initiative founded in 2025 under the nonprofit organization Bookmark League. Created by young authors, our mission is to help children around the world publish their books while building a global community of young writers who inspire and support one another.

Our international team brings together young authors from around the world. Founded in the United States, Youth Writers now has volunteer student mentors from US, Australia, Canada, England, and beyond. Many of these young writers first connected through their publishing journeys. After publishing their own books with Youth Writers, they were invited to return as volunteer mentors, helping the next generation of authors bring their stories to life.

To ensure Youth Writers continues to thrive for years to come, our young founder envisioned a self-sustaining cycle of students helping students. Published authors can become mentors, experienced mentors can grow into organizers, and each generation helps recruit and guide the next. This model is designed to create a student-led publishing community that can grow and operate independently, without relying on adults to manage the publishing process.

At Youth Writers, every student has the opportunity to become an author, a mentor, a leader, and an inspiration to the next generation.

our team

FOUNDER /
AUTHOR

CHRISTOPHER SHAW

About Chris -

Christopher Shaw (born in 2012) is a boarding student at Milton Academy in Boston. He has been passionate about reading and writing from a young age, with a particular interest in fiction, storytelling, and creative expression.

His writing has received recognition including a Scholastic Gold Key, Scholastic Silver Key, and John Locke Essay Competition Commendation. He is also the author of two published books, Chris Flame and Stories I Shouldn’t Tell.

Chris’s own experience as a young author inspired the creation of Youth Writers. After experiencing the excitement of turning his ideas into published books, he wanted to make that process more accessible to other young writers.

Outside of writing, Chris enjoys tennis, reading, and developing projects that create a positive impact. Through Youth Writers, he hopes to encourage more students to share their stories, build confidence, and see their work become real published books.

CO-FOUNDER /
MENTOR

ALEX ZHANG

About Alex -

Alex (born in 2011) is a student at The Kinkaid School in Houston, Texas. He has a strong interest in science and technology, particularly medicine, astronomy, and physics. A talented musician and athlete, Alex has played the piano for eight years and is currently a member of the 2026 artistic swimming youth national team.

At school, Alex participates in Robotics and Quiz Bowl. He also competed in Science Olympiad, advancing to the national competition last year.

Beyond academics, Alex enjoys reading nonfiction, drawing, and learning about geography and meteorology. His favorite food is ramen.

Through Bookmark League, Alex hopes to help young writers discover and develop their own ideas while guiding them through the exciting process of creating their own books and building their confidence as authors.

PROGRAM LEAD /
MENTOR

BONNIE HE

About Bonnie -

Bonnie He (born in 2012) is a student at Troy High School in Los Angeles. She loves reading all sorts of books and especially enjoys classic books and fiction stories. Classic books are enjoyable because they allow one to see what older writers like to write about and reading them provides a break from modern literature.

She enjoys thinking about the deeper meaning of the book and discovering what makes each of them special, unique, and why it remained popular for so long. She also enjoys reading fiction because it is like creative writing and very entertaining. In addition, she has competed in EBOB for school and placed well in it.

Outside of reading, she likes to push her creativity with drawing, which allows her to let loose her imagination.
Further, she enjoys studying biology in her free time and likes playing tennis since it is relaxing. She also enjoys helping people whenever they need it.

PROGRAM LEAD /
AUTHOR

EASON YIN

About Eason -

Eason (born in 2013) is a student living in Perth, Australia. A talented musician, he is proficient in both the violin and the trumpet, showcasing his passion for the arts.

Beyond music, Eason has a keen interest in drawing comics and a deep fascination with history, particularly the events of World War II.

Driven by his curiosity and creativity, he has recently completed a nearly 30,000-word book that vividly portrays the diary of a soldier during the Battle of Stalingrad. Through this work, Eason aims to bring history to life while contributing to a greater cause.

Eason hopes that his readers will not only enjoy this historical journey but also feel inspired to support those in need.

PROGRAM LEAD /
MENTOR

ERIC