In this collaborative experience with Flower City Arts Center, students will create their own fictional stories with a skilled writer and then learn how to create their own black-and-white photographs with a skilled photographer to illustrate their writing. Students will have craft lessons in setting, character, and story arc, and will gain hands-on experience using […]
(MORNINGS: for ages 14+) Sometimes inspiration strikes you in a glimpse, an image, or a moment. Sometimes those nuggets lead to full-fledged poems, stories, or creative essays, but other times, those slices become more powerful in the shortest form—the flash. In this week-long fiction intensive for teen writers, we’ll discuss sharp muses and condensed language, […]
(AFTERNOONS: for ages 14+) All the best stuff happens before the cameras roll! In this camp we’ll talk about what makes screenplays work and learn basic techniques by focusing on structure, story, characters, dialogue, and format. We’ll watch scenes from different movie genres and break down their scripts to see how the writer made it […]
(ALL DAY: for ages 14+) Are you considering a career as an auror? Do you look up to the members of the Order of the Phoenix? Do you wish you had more opportunities to gather with like-minded wizards and witches? We will begin each day in the Great Hall with all the Hogwarts students for […]
(MORNINGS: for ages 14+) Together, we’ll create a safe and fun space to share LGBTQ+ stories, poetry, and songs. We'll learn about the craft of writing and storytelling and write our own stories about love, gender, friendship, family, coming out, and other joys and struggles of queerness in our lives. And we'll celebrate growing up […]
(AFTERNOONS: for ages 14+) We’ve all learned about Sleepy Snow White and Drowsy Sleeping Beauty. But fairytales worldwide feature heroines with a little more oomph who were much less likely to doze off at inopportune times. In this camp students will explore fairytale heroines and discuss new ways to look at some of the classics […]
(MORNINGS: for rising seniors) Senior year is approaching and college-bound students can get an early start on their Common Application personal essay. Students may be asking themselves, “Where do I start? How can I make this essay the best it can be?” This workshop offers students a supportive, creative, and fun environment in which students […]
(ALL DAY: for teens) NOTE: Camp meets at Rochester Contemporary School of Music, The Old Pickle Factory Building, 1 Grove Street, Suite 122A, Pittsford, NY 14534 Do you constantly have a tune playing in your head? Are you always listening to music? Do you wish you could write your own songs, like your favorite artists? […]
(AFTERNOONS: for teens) Have you ever seen the television show Whose Line is It Anyway? and thought, “I’d like to do that!” Here’s your chance! Comedy improvisation is the art of acting without a script. You will try many theatre games, sometimes plugging in audience suggestions, with the result being at best hilarious and at […]
(MORNINGS: for ages 14+) Hermit crab?! What does this creature have to do with creative writing?! Just as the hermit crab finds a new home in a shell that once belonged to another animal, writing of any genre (poetry, fiction, nonfiction) can find a home in different shaped “shells” or forms. In this camp, students […]
(AFTERNOONS: for teens) We all know and love Young Adult novels, but where are the plays featuring strong teenage protagonists? This class hopes to fill the void! We’ll read scenes from contemporary plays that feature compelling teen characters, and talk about how to write dramatic structure, engaging dialogue, and perception shifts. Whether you’re drawn to […]
(AFTERNOONS: for ages 14+) Using Claudia Rankine’s book Citizen: An American Lyric, which recounts acts of racism in lyrical prose poems, as a jumping off point, we will engage in discussion and writing around racial, identity, and social justice issues. We will examine the question of what makes a person the “other.” Through open, ongoing […]
(MORNINGS: for ages 14+) What makes Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, or Twilight’s Bella and Edward so real and beloved? Bringing characters to life in words can feel almost magical. We'll create some of that magic through fun exercises, discussions, videos, and lots of writing. You’ll learn to develop unique, dynamic, and passionate characters from the […]
(AFTERNOONS: for ages 14+) Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley in a competition with her husband and a friend to write the best horror story, is an early example of science fiction and, some have argued, the first true science fiction story. In this camp, we will use Frankenstein as a springboard to discuss the science […]
(MORNINGS: for ages 14+) Are you a comics or manga fan eager to tell your own stories combining words and pictures? Together we’ll explore how to write a dynamic and visual plot, create compelling characters, script lifelike dialogue, and conceive action-oriented illustrations that leap to life on the page. No matter what your writing or […]
(ALL DAY: for ages 12+) NOTE: Meets at RCTV, 21 Gorham Street Imagine if the Twilight Zone or War of the Worlds was on the air today. In this weeklong camp, students will write and produce a thrilling audio play. Students will work together to create a riveting script, learn voice techniques, create sound effects […]
(AFTERNOONS: for ages 14+) What if hackers used magic? Or ghosts explored space? Maybe aliens have already come to Earth but live inside our smartphones. Some worlds are stranger—and faster—than others. In this class we’ll take fantasy and sci-fi world-building to a new level by combining it with flash fiction. Students will craft short works […]
