Take the Stage!Grades 2–3
Wondrous World Tales Readers’ Theater
FY9-D1
8 Wednesdays, 3:45 p.m.–5 p.m.
September 24 through November 12
$87 W&B members / $95 general public •Limit: 12
Instructor: Marna RossiBring smiles and laughs to your audience! Bring the wily antics
of clever, comical characters to life through your words and how
you speak and move. Read and adapt stories from around the
world with your team. We will use the techniques of Readers’
Theater and skit-building to act out world tales and bring them
to life. We will travel to a museum to investigate the cultures in
the tales we choose and to inspire our creativity. Our Readers
Theater will present dramatic tales to families and friends on
the last day of the workshop. Bring out the drama in you!
Course Canceled
Planet WordGrades:3–6
FY9-P1
One Saturday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
September 20
$49 W&B members / $56 general public •Limit: 15
Instructor: Todd BeersSpend the day with poet Todd Beers, finding out where poetry
comes from inside you and outside you. Hear examples of
intriguing poems by children and adults. Use the magic of his
visual poetry aid “poetry chips” to generate poetic surprises. Be
enticed into exercising your right to write, and come away with
a small collection of your own poems and some of the group’s
work. Bring a lunch.
Pages & Stages: Your Stories Take Life!Grades:4–6
FY9-D2
7 Saturdays, 9:30–Noon
September 27 through November 1
$115 W&B members / $126 general public •Limit: 12
Instructor: Almeta WhitisDevelop your knack for story creation: take your characters, put
them in interesting situations, and see what develops!
Internationally acclaimed storyteller, actress, and writer Almeta
Whitis will guide you in getting your stories out of your head
and down on paper, and in developing them into performance
stories and short plays. On our final Saturday we will perform
for family and friends!
Young Writers’ ClubGrades:4–6
FY9-M1
9 Wednesdays, 3:45–5 p.m.
September 24 through November 19
$89 W&B members / $99 general public •Limit: 12
Instructor: Debra Eileen LewisYou know that you are a writer. You could use the inspiration and
support of a good writing instructor, a time and place to focus on
your writing, and a group of friends who are also writers. In Young
Writer’s Club we will play with many creative forms, including
different styles of poetry, fiction and journal writing. We will get
acquainted with techniques used by great authors, try in-class
exercises to get our writing minds purring, and learn how to give
each other feedback that is helpful for revising and finishing our
pieces. And, finally, we will publish a small book of our work and
look at other places where we can send our pieces to be published.
Course Canceled
My American Voice (Columbus Day)Grades:4–6
FY9-M2
One Monday, 9 a.m.–5p.m.
October 13
$79 W&B members / $89 general public (includes materials fee) •Limit: 12
Instructor: Annette RamosSpend Columbus Day with storyteller, poet, writer and artisan
Annette Ramos, discovering your version of America though
crafts and writing. Starting with a sense of how your ancestors
found their way to the United States, we will work through col-
lage, drawing, and poetry to explore how they may have felt and
how we feel about our country, what we love and what we’d like
to see changed. Meet an exchange student teen who will explain
why she wanted to come here and what surprised her on arrival.
At the end of the day you will read from your work for class-
mates and family, and take away a paper quilt of images and
words from class members. Bring a lunch.
Message of Life: A Meditative Celebration of EarthGrades:4–7
FY9-D3
One Saturday, 9:30–4 p.m.
November 15
$87 W&B members / $95 general public •Limit: 12
Instructor: Almeta Whitis“The Earth asks all the birds of the world to embark upon on a
quest to save her life, describing the place they must reach in
order to bring back a message from the Great Being,who lives in
the House of the Treasure,in a garden beyond the edge of time...”
In a tale told by the 12th century Persian poet, Farid ud-Din
Attar, the birds actually undertake the important quest. Today
we are each asked to quest for personal ways in which we can
accomplish this very same thing: bring—into our conscious
thoughts, attitudes, and actions—individual ways and means
of honoring, protecting, and preserving the Earth for the
perpetual enjoyment of our children’s children. This day in the
fall, when our northern plant life and many animals prepare to
sleep, we will meet to express our desire to honor Mother Earth:
to save her life, as written about so long ago, through a
conscious application of storywriting, letters, memoirs, poetry,
music, dance, song, and theater. Almeta Whitis, internationally
acclaimed storyteller, actress, dancer, singer, and writer of
songs, dramas, and stories, will bring us wisdom from Earth’s
indigenous peoples and their and languages to spur our own
creations. This Saturday will be a germination day for creating
an Earth Day program for use in 2009; further opportunities
will follow! Bring a lunch. For a box lunch, add $12 to your
registration.
Poetry Eats ArtTeen
FY9-P2
One Saturday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
November 8
$55 W&B members / $61 general public (includes materials fee) •Limit: 12
Instructor: Todd BeersSpend a Saturday with poet and artist Todd Beers, mixing visual
and verbal art. Through examples and our own experiments, we
will examine how visual elements combined with text create
powerful works of art. Bring existing pieces of either/both genres
(poetry and art) to incorporate into new works, or come empty-
handed with a free mind that is ready to create. Bring a lunch.If
you have favorite art media,bring your own supplies.
Teen Writers’ CircleTeen
FY9-M3
Two Sundays per month, 1:30-4:00 p.m.
September 7 & 21, October 5 & 19, November 2 & 16,
December 7
$125 W&B members / $139 for general public
Facilitators: Debra Lewisand Wendy LowTwice a month, you will meet with other avid and practicing
teen writers to explore new approaches to your craft, give each
other feedback under the guidance of published writers, and
plot world domination...or at least future domination of the
publishing industry! Guests will be brought in by the facilitators
according to the interests and needs of the group. Optional
assignments will also be offered according to genre, and free
tickets to targeted events will be given out. Bring pocket money
for Starry Nites Café. Admission by permission of the Director of
Youth Education or by submission.
Teen Poets’ Slam TeamTeen
FY9-P3
5 Wednesdays, 4:00–6:00 p.m.
September 24, October 8 & 22, November 5 & 19
$89 W&B members / $95 general public •Limit: 12
Instructor: Reenah GoldenSlam poetry is poetry spoken and performed in a variety of
crowd-pleasing formats. A slam team supports each other and
appreciates that each poet brings different strengths to the
team. Participants will be introduced to and study the art of the
spoken word and “slam” through a series of pieces shared by the
instructor, the Rochester Teen Slam Team members, and video
excerpts from professional slam poets from the famous
Nuyorican Café and Def Poetry Slam. Each poet will develop
their own original piece, or a personal adaptation of an existing
text, using the group’s feedback and encouragement. You’ll also
have the option of videotaping your performance to give your-
self feedback. Our slam team will then take it to the community
in November and perform as a team, live! Whether you were
born to slam or just want to put more life into your presentation
skills, we will be on your team.Course Canceled
Teen Fiction WorkshopHigh School Age
FY9-F1
6 Mondays, 6:30–8:30 p.m.
November 3 through December 8
$99 W&B members / $110 general public •Limit: 12
Instructor: Sejal ShahYou write fiction of the kind that you like to read; now you are
looking for a group of readers and the right leadership to take
your work to the next level. You want to polish your strengths
and learn more in your weak areas. This opportunity to study
with an accomplished fiction writer will help you along.
Admission by permission of the Director of Youth Education or
by submission.
College Admission Essays: Quest for the Fat EnvelopeHigh School Age
FY9-N1
3 Saturdays, 9:30–Noon
September 20 through October 4,
plus an individual feedback session, to be scheduled.
$99 W&B members / $110 general public •Limit: 12
Instructor: David PascalIn today’s competitive application process, college admissions
staff look for an essay that comes alive. Your writing adds a
human voice to your admissions portfolio. Take this class and
write an essay that gives you an extra edge. You may bring essay
questions from your college choices. You will learn how to select
your winning topic and work it into an essay that clearly reflects
who you are, how well you write, and why the school of your
dreams should want you.
