Young Chicago Authors was founded in 1991 by writer and educator Dr. Robert S. Boone. His goal was to offer a creative writing program open to any teen anywhere in the city who wanted to write. He envisioned a youth organization not based on geographic location, economic status or a social service-oriented mission, but on a shared love of writing among adult writers and young people. Dr. Boones founding mission has remained relevant and has generated an organizational culture of artistic excellence and mutual respect. Dr. Boone received the 2003 Chicagoan of the Year award from Chicago Magazine for his work with Young Chicago Authors. Young Chicago Authors received the Gandhi & King Peace Making Award by the Association for Global New Thought.

Young Chicago Authors transforms the lives of young people by cultivating their voices through writing, publication, and performance education.

YCA now provides programs directly to more than 3,000 primarily low-income teens a year and reaches tens of thousands of youth and adult audiences and readers annually. Workshops are the core of YCA activities. On-site, school- and community-based workshops emphasize reading, writing and literacy, foster mentorship relationships between youth and adults, and help create the next generation of writers, readers, performers and audiences in Chicago. YCA's performance events bring diverse teens together to hear and learn from each others words. The energy and fun of performances teach social skills and have created a dynamic youth spoken word community that motivates many students who may have felt disenfranchised at Chicago Public Schools. YCA participants bring the voices of underserved teens to neighborhood audiences and professional events. Watch the Steps Press, YCAs publishing wing, is run by a student editorial board that plans, edits, produces and distributes Say What magazine.