Autumn 2002 Workshops at Writers & Books

For Younger Writers

Young Writers Club

• Ages 8–13
• #F-y301
• Instructor: Nic Darling [ bio ]
• Twelve Saturdays, starting September 14, 10–11:45 am
  (No class November 30)
• $140 General Public/ $160 W&B Members
• Limit: 12

Do you identify with Harriet the Spy? Are you the next Judy Blume, Faith Ringgold, Shel Silverstein, or J.K. Rowling?

If you’re a young writer, developing all the skills that make your favorite writers great, you can now get support and encouragement in the Young Writers’ Club. Have fun with observing the world closely using all your senses.

• Hear the way people really talk.
• Play with language, sound, and rhythm.
• Exercise your imagination.
• Hook readers from the beginning.
• Create reader interest.
• Give satisfying endings.

Write often and stay in the habit. Revise and edit your best work for contests or publications. You may be too young to drive, but in the Young Writers’ Club you can get your Poetic License!

Teen Writers’ Roundtable

• Ages 13–17
• #F-y303
• Instructors:
  • Donna M. Marbach [ bio ]
  • Ken Wilson [ bio ]
• Eleven Saturdays, starting September 21, 10 am–Noon
  (No class November 30)
• $147 W&B Members/$167 General Public
• Limit 14

You are a teenager and you have a lot to say. Perhaps you keep a journal and tell it your experiences, thoughts and feelings on a daily basis.

In this workshop, you will experiment with different forms and styles of poetry and prose to express the emotions you feel and the many truths of your five senses and your innermost thoughts. Take this opportunity to join a fellowship of young, aspiring writers who help each other deal with the inspiration, exhilaration and exasperation of creative writing. We will write in class, and you will get prompts for writing outside class, but you can also bring in your journal, your notebook, your half-finished pieces scribbled on the backs of napkins.

By the end of the fall session, you will have produced at least one finished (and hopefully publishable) work: a short story, creative essay, personal memoir, or poetic series. Come filled with all the sad, happy, passionate, funny, angry, loving, and insightful ideas that you want to put on paper.

The direction of the class will depend partly on participant interest and desire: guest instructors, field trips, and group readings are all possible. This will be an ongoing group, with seasonal opportunities for re-enrollment.

Columbus Day: Discover America

• Ages 10-13
• #F-y304
• Instructor: Wendy Low [ bio ]
• Monday, October 14, 9 am–3 pm
• $81 W&B Members/$101 General Public
• Limit 10

America is vast and various.

We will write about that which feels familiar and that which does not. We will use photographs and poems to explore the landscapes and people of America, urban, suburban and rural, Northeastern, Midwestern, Southern, Southwestern, Rocky Mountain, and Pacific. America is us.

Finally, we will explore our inner landscape:

• What part of ourselves is American?
• What aspects of living in America do we enjoy or passionately love?
• What bothers us or upsets us about American life?
• How do we express our ideas and feelings about this land and this nation?

Through writing exercises we will turn our musings into our own poems, essays and stories.

The Voice Inside of You: A Writing Workshop for Teens

• Ages: 14–17
• #F-y305
• Instructor: Karen vanMeenen [ bio ]
• Saturday, October 5, 12:30–4:30 pm
• $39 W&B Members/$49 General Public
• Limit: 10

Today’s teens have experiences that are difficult to express and they often feel that they are not listened to by those around them.

This 4 hour, one-day workshop will give you the opportunity to explore your thoughts and emotions and find your unique inner voice through writing in a supportive and creative environment. We will read stories, poems, monologues and essays by other teens and write our own in response to the issues that matter to each of us.

Please bring any personal writings of your own or favorite works by others that you would like to share with the group.

Writing the College Admissions Essay

• Ages: High School
• #F-y306
• Instructor: Ken Wilson [ bio ]
• Two Saturdays, September 14 & 28, 9 am–1 pm
  and an additional individual appointment to be arranged.
• $89 W&B Members/$109 General Public
• Limit 14

Learn to write impressive essays for admission applications, the kind that wow admissions officers by what you say and how you say it, that advertise you: creative, curious, intelligent, hard-working and involved.

Bring any actual questions from college applications. We will also have an admissions officer look at your essays and give you feedback.

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