Summer 2008 Workshops at Writers & Books

Summer Write 2008

Creative Writing Day Camps & Workshops for Children & Teens

SummerWrite: Where writing by children and teens, ages 6–18, blossoms in conditions of creative stimulation, challenge, fun and freedom. Ten weeks of summer camps, workshops and special programs for all aspiring writers, from the curious to the accomplished.

Listing of Courses by Week
Course Descripions
How to Register

A Note From Our Director of Youth Education

Summer! Young journalists scouring the Neighborhood of the Arts for stories. Teen at the tables of Starry Nites sipping ice tea or hot chai, sketching out ideas in their journals.

Summer! Games of Chewing Gum, lava Tag and Owl on the playground. Dramatists rehearsing under the locust trees. Poets proclaiming from the top of the slide. Fantasy writers building little worlds under the stone benches of the garden terraces.

Summer! Walking trips to the Eastman Gardens to snap pictures, run in the sin and scribble in the shade. Breakfast burritos sputtering in a pan while young chefs test the taste and wonder what words would best describe it.

Summer! A week in Naples hiking over the forested hills to beaver ponds of bullfrogs, turtles, and birds guided by naturalists who can read the land and the plants, and who can help us be still enough to spot shy animals and record wonder in our journals.

Summer! It’s a magical time of year in Rochester- and at Writers & Books in particular.

In addition to running favourites  (with creative development) we’ve expanded our offerings.

Our youngest students will have fun rhyming along with Sally Bittner Bonn in Mother Goose to Doctor Seuss, whiting and illustrating along with Debra Lewis in The Art of the Picture Book, or producing their own version of classic tales with page to Stage: Fun with Fables taught by storyteller and director Almeta Whitis. (YES. She is back in Rochester!) In August they can explore medieval Fantasy (Olden Days) or learn Storyboarding to organize their own stories.

For the 8-12 crowd new offerings include more fiction classes, to meet demand, and two special topics; World Building with fiction writer and webmaster Greer Nelson, and Call of the Wild: Through the Eyes of Wolves and Dogs with Amy Martin.

We have tried to keep up with the number of avid young writers in the transitional ages of 12-14 who are ready for new experiences. There are twice the number of weeks directly addressing those ages.

Many of our teens have developed into accomplished writers. This year we will be able to offer them an Editing Class with editor Mary Anne Donovan, and a seminar (SummerWrite Publishing Crew) in creating and editing a literary journal with poet, artists and magazine/anthology editor Donna Marbach. For those who want to expand thei9r stage skills, as well as their page skills, we added Keep it Real; Dramatic Monologues and Scene for teens with poet, novelist and dramatist Robert Ricks.

There is sure to be at least one program in this catalogue to delight any young person who likes to read or write, or would benefit from nurturing pleasure in those skills. Take a look through the listings!

We welcome back our beloved friends and look forward to meeting many new young readers and writers here in the Neighborhood of the Arts! Come for one week of mornings or afternoons, match classes for weeks, or find ways to be here all summer! We can’t wait to see you!

With Joyful Words

Wendy Low
Director of Youth Education and Community Outreach

(585) 473-2590 x109

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