By David Shapiro

Modern writers have learned to express themselves mostly in short, active sentences — partly because Ernest Hemingway made it trendy, but mostly from necessity.

We know that we're not going to get a generation brought up on "Sesame Street," MTV and "Tomb Raider" to read flowery writing that uses far more words than are needed to make a point.

More and more, we're lucky if we can get young people to read anything at all, a serious worry if you make a living as a writer — or believe the written word is still a uniquely valuable way to share ideas and experiences.

The problem hit me in a personal way when I tried to read "The Wind in the Willows" to my 5-year-old grandson Corwin.

Kenneth Grahame's nearly century-old work is a masterpiece of children's literature. Elegant words flow from his pen in complex sentences that employ every rule of grammar, usage and punctuation to ring from the page.

But Corwin just wouldn't abide the flourishes and kept wandering off. I found myself editing Grahame's beautiful sentences to speed the story along.

Grahame wrote, "Poor Mole stood alone in the road, his heart torn asunder, and a big sob gathering, gathering, somewhere low down inside him, to leap up to the surface presently, he knew, in passionate escape."

I read, "Mole stood in the road and tried not to cry."

It made me want to cry to so disrespect the author — especially when it still wasn't enough to get Corwin into the story. "Isn't there a video?" he whined.

I gave up and went on eBay to acquire, for an outrageous price, a copy of Disney's 50-year-old "The Adventures of Mr. Toad," which is based on "The Wind in the Willows."

Corwin grudgingly sat through it, but squirmed all the while to Basil Rathbone's sonorous narration from Grahame's original work.

After being routed in this skirmish, I was delighted to learn of Lorna Hershinow's program, Celebrate Teen Reading, one of the few serious efforts locally to re-introduce young people to the value of reading for pleasure and insight.

With support from a half-dozen humanities and education groups, Celebrate Teen Reading each year organizes festivals on O'ahu and one Neighbor Island to bring young readers together with some of Hawai'i's top writers to read and discuss quality literature.

This year's festivals are April 26 at the University of Hawai'i-Hilo and April 27 at UH-Manoa. Writers such as Juliet Kono, Chris McKinney, Kyoko Mori, George Kahumoku, Lois-Ann Yamanaka, Mahealani Kamaau, Rodney Morales and Lee Tonouchi will read and lead discussions of their own work and that of others.

Participants, from grade 6 through college, are asked to read two books from a recommended list so they can join discussion circles.

"Readers choose in common a book they really want to read and talk about together, making personal connections with their lives and pooling their take on the work," Hershinow said.

She said the festivals especially target students who, for various reasons, aren't encouraged to read at home.

"We can learn about Hawaiian ways of knowing, while also supporting Western ways of knowing," Hershinow said.

Inspired by Celebrate Teen Reading, students from Hershinow's advanced writing class at UH-Manoa have started literature circles and book clubs at Moanalua, Farrington and Olomana high schools.

Classes and groups interested in the Hilo festival can contact Cathy Ikeda on the Big Island at 974-4021 or cathyi@hawaii.rr.com. For the Manoa session, contact Hershinow at 239-9726 or lornah@lava.net. Participants pay $5 for morning pastries, sodas and a pizza lunch.

David Shapiro can be reached by e-mail at dave@volcanicash.net