Canon Solutions America’s Future Authors Project Releases Ninth Published Book

Hosts book signing event for young authors

Melville, NY, November 24, 2014 – Canon Solutions America, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc., today unveiled From Rough Drafts to Masterpieces, the ninth published book written by student participants of the Future Authors Project, a program for budding young writers offered through a public-private partnership between Canon Solutions America and the School District of Palm Beach County, Florida.

About 50 middle and high school students from throughout Palm Beach County spent eight days this past summer in a writing workshop taught by licensed language arts teachers from the district: Nicole Adamo and Katrina Sapp Holder, who teach at Don Estridge Middle School in Boca Raton; and Cartheda Mann, who retired from Glades Community Central High School last year.

More than 450 students have benefited from this program since it began. It was created to help students learn about the processes of writing, editing, and digitally publishing books. The writing workshop was held at both Don Estridge Middle School in Boca Raton and Glades Central High School, where students participated via distant learning technology. Published authors who donated their time to share experiences and writing tips included Jennifer Tormo, managing editor of Gulfstream Media Group; Zelda Benjamin, who penned the Love by Chocolate series of books; Steve Alten, who has published nine novels, starting with MEG: A Novel of Deep Terror; and poet Dwight Stewart. The Lawrence Sanders Foundation provided a grant to underwrite the teachers’ salaries.

“Public-private collaborations like this one help our students learn the skills they need to be successful,” said Boca Raton Commissioner Scott Singer.  “Thank you, Palm Beach County Schools and Canon Solutions America, for making this wonderful program possible.”

School District of Palm Beach County Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Kathy Wetsell added, “There’s no limit to what can be accomplished when we work together for the good of our children. Through the Future Authors program, students have an invaluable opportunity to expand their educational experience and pursue their passions for writing.”

“With so much new technology, many publishers are looking for a variety of ways to bring their content to the public, and the printed book is still a very significant part of that mix,” said Eric Hawkinson, director, Marketing, Production Print Solutions division of Canon Solutions America. “We’re very proud to put our digital print expertise to work these past nine years to help young writers pursue their dreams of becoming published authors.”

For more information about how to support Canon Solutions America’s Future Authors Project, contact the Executive Director of the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County, Mary Kay Murray, at murraymk@palmbeach.k12.fl.us.

About Canon Solutions America, Inc.

Canon Solutions America provides industry leading enterprise, production, and large format printing solutions, supported by exceptional professional service offerings. With the technology offerings of the Canon and Océ brands, Canon Solutions America helps companies of all sizes improve sustainability, increase efficiency, and control costs through high volume, continuous feed, digital and traditional printing, and document management solutions. A wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc., Canon Solutions America is headquartered in Melville, N.Y. and has sales and service locations across the U.S. For more information on Canon Solutions America, please visit www.csa.canon.com.