Journal 2 Journey
When Words Become Worlds
Journal 2 Journey (J2J) is a pre-professional, creative youth development program designed to expose youth to the world of devised theater with a focus on Youth Leadership Development, Tiered Mentorship, Artistic Rigor, and Social Justice.
J2J is designed to inspire young artists to imagine the possibilities of writing that expand beyond traditional forms, styles, and genres while providing a platform that celebrates their voices. Previous participants have gone on to pursue successful careers as stage actors, playwrights, and designers.
From Page to Stage
Through an accessible yet thoughtful application process, six youth participants, ages 16 to 20, are selected to participate in a paid 15-week intensive, where they will work collaboratively with professional theater artists to refine their writing skills and devise a professional one-act theatrical production.
J2J youth artists explore themes of the American experience and identity and are invited to bring their lived experiences to the page in a safe, collaborative environment. Upon successful completion of the program, youth artists will receive a stipend and will conclude the program with two live public performances.
Meet the 2026 J2J Cohort
Meet the 2026 J2J Facilitators
Working with real theater professionals, J2J participants engage in a hands-on week intensive that guides them through the process of writing, devising, staging, and live performance. From the page to the stage, participants learn something and have a say every step of the way.
Program Coordinator
Maya Osborne is a Brooklyn-raised and Brooklyn-based spoken word poet and entrepreneur. Often accompanying jazz musicians during her years at Bard College, her work is distinctly lyrical and soulful. With an upbringing in the theater and the slam poetry scene (thanks to Urban Word NYC!), Maya is a lover of all performance art and the ways it deeply connects our different human experiences.
Maya Osborne
Writing Director
george emilio sanchez is a writer, performance artist and social justice activist.
george has been the Performance Director of EmergeNYC under the umbrella of the Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics since 2008. This three-month program works with cohorts of 16-20 national and international participants to explore the intersection of arts and activism. He also teaches performance and arts education at the College of Staten Island/City University of New York. He is a Professor in the Performing and Creative Arts Department where he served as the chairperson for twelve years.
george’s work has been presented by theaters and museums in over 25 states and has received support from National Performance Network, the Fulbright Program (Peru), New York Foundation for the Arts, the Jerome Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation. george has been an artist-in-residence at Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Abrons Arts Center, Dixon Place, Dance Theater Workshop, Pergones Theater, The MacDowell Colony, Tigertail Productions (Miami), Dance Umbrella (Austin), Centro Cultural de la Raza (San Diego), and Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center (San Antonio). george resides in Fort Greene, Brooklyn and has three daughters.
george emilio sanchez
Theater Director
Katherine George is an Afro-Latina multi-hyphenate artist and educator from the Bronx, NY by way of the Dominican Republic. Recent acting credits include: Much Ado About Nothing (Public Theater); House of Blue Robes (LAByrinth Theater Company); blood work (National Black Theater); Bees & Honey (Marin Theater Company); and Clyde’s (Denver Center for Performing Arts). As a poet, she was a member of the first-ever all-female slam team representing the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. As a vocalist, she served as a background vocalist for Jennifer Lopez at her NBC Fourth of July performance and Live Spotify Studio Session. As a director, she’s directed pieces for SolFest, The People’s Theater, Poetic License Theater, and the Journal2Journey program. MFA: Columbia University.
Katherine George
Stage Manager
Kristina Gramlich Casta is a triple water sign, light designer, and poet-writer from NYC. Between 2011 to 2021, she performed at The Apollo, Nuyorican Poets Cafe, overseas in Paris, France then Off-Broadway for two one woman shows. After receiving a BA in Acting & Technical Design in 2017, she personified her passion with spectacle and stagecraft for a MSed in Educational Theatre by 2019. Inspired by elemental storytelling, she merits stage management for an adaptable toolkit that cultivates creative collaborations across communities. Her most valued venue ventures include HERE Arts Center, Playwrights Horizon Downtown, La Mama, Hi-ARTS, Theaterlab, Urban Word NYC and BRIC.
Kristina Gramlich
Urban Word NYC Team
Eboni Hogan, Program Director, Urban Word NYC
Maya Osborn, Program Coordinator
george emilio sanchez, Writing Director
Katherine George, Theater Director
Kristina Gramlich, Stage Manager
Hi-ARTS Team
Aaron L. McKinney, Executive Director
Deborah Cowell, General Manager
Robyn Ayers, Interim Program Manager
Eleanor Kipping, Marketing Manager
MJ Martinez, Marketing Associate
My time at J2J was amazing. My peers were always so supportive of me and helpful during rough times when I felt unwell and demotivated, they always picked me back up and reminded me why I was there. I learned a lot about creating characters and building different worlds within those characters.
— Myleah Solis, J2J Participant, 2024
EN ROUTE
En Route: a heart-opening, interwoven tale of six characters exploring themes of individual purpose, courage, power, and the perception of each other’s humanity as well as our own. Presented by the 2024 Journal 2 Journey cohort, this culminating performance highlights the creative voices of young artists who have transformed their personal narratives into dynamic works of art.
J2J Alumni Highlights
2024 Participants
Fatima Ahmad
Delaney Jocelyn
Myleah Solis
Rix Zioueche
2024 Artist Facilitators
UGBA, Writing Director
Gabriel Ramirez, Writing Coach
Maya Moon, Writing Coach
Katherine George, Theater Director
Kristina Gramlich, Stage Manager
Rebel Verses
Since 2001, REBEL VERSES has been where the next generation of New York City theater artists showcase their unapologetic and unrelenting creativity. A three-evening festival that offers audiences a curated collection of performances by some of the best youth companies and programs in New York City and beyond.
Delaney Jocelyn performing Sterile at the 2025 Rebel Verseses.
2023 Participants
Fatima Ahmad
Lucki Islam
Stephanie Pacheco
Nickolas Vaccaro
2023 Artist Facilitators
Karl Michael Iglesias, Director & Lead Mentor
Osh Ashruf, J2J Facilitator
Journal 2 Journey at Rebel Verses, 2025
About Urban Word NYC
Urban Word NYC, Founding Program Partner
Urban Word NYC champions youth voice through the transformative power of the written and spoken word, providing platforms for literacy, self-expression, social impact, and leadership through free creative writing, college prep workshops, and performance opportunities. Urban Word provides young, creative voices, often those who are marginalized, the tools, training, and platforms to rewrite the narratives that shape their lives and their communities.
As one of the oldest and most comprehensive youth literary arts organizations in the United States, Urban Word is the founder of the National Youth Poet Laureate Program, a renowned program that celebrates youth for their excellence as writers and their civic engagement.
Images by Nicholas Nichols