Online Registration is now closed.
We will be accepting onsite registrations starting at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning. Email sallyb@wab.org with questions.
Announcing our inaugural Young Writers Conference! Writers & Books partners with Geneseo Central Schools and the Allen Family to launch this conference honoring the memory of Geneseo Central School student Claire Allen.
Cost: FREE, registration is required to ensure your space at the conference
When: Saturday, April 27, 2019, 8:30am-12:15pm
Who: Young writers, material will be aimed for ages 11-15
Where: Geneseo Central School, 4050 Avon Road, Geneseo, NY 14454
Schedule:
8:30-9:00 Registration and light refreshments
9:00-9:45 Key Note Address
10:00-10:45 Break-out Session #1
11:00-11:45 Break-out Session #2
11:50-12:15 Wrap-up and Sharing
Key Note Address, Mirrors & Windows . . . Exploring Eternal Questions
“There is always a way around every obstacle. All you have to do is care enough to find it.” ~ Claire Allen
Keynote speaker, master teacher, storyteller and activist, Almeta Whitis, will kick off our day of writing, reflection and self-discovery by addressing its underlying themes of social justice and activism. How those themes can be impacted by the creative writing process. How they relate to us as humans, and honor a life path of constructive thinking and efficacious change modeled by Ms. Claire Allen, a bright, precious, forward-thinking young writer and “way shower”. She truly put into practice during her much too brief time here with us, what many people merely give lip service to. . . .
“We Are ALL Family, that includes every animal, plant, the earth, air, water and sky, our varieties of ecosystems, the universe and the great love and energy that unites us together as one!” ~ Claire Allen
Break-out Sessions:
Create Your Own Mini-Comic
Facilitator: Alex Sanchez
Are you eager to tell a story that combines words and pictures? No matter what your writing or drawing ability, come make your own six-panel comic complete with characters, plot, and pictures.
Shaping Your Writing: The Hermit Crab Form
Facilitator: Sarah Cedeño
Creative writing can take on a unique shape. What if your story, essay, or poem was written as a dictionary definition, a how-to manual, a multiple choice quiz, or an apology letter? The hermit crab form offers endless and provocative ways to write. In this session you will read brief bits of examples, choose a structure, and try your hand at writing/beginning this exciting form!
Tapping Into Your Senses: Help Your Reader Live Your Scene
Facilitator: Wendy Low
Sensory details make your images richer, and help your writing come alive! We will exercise our 6 senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, and proprioception through a guided meditation mind movie, that will feed into dynamic writing exercises. Valuable for writers of all genres.
World Building
Facilitator: Tristan Tomaselli
Learn new perspectives from which to build original, in-depth, fantastical worlds in your creative writing. You’ll learn the tricks of the trade from an experienced writer, and get a chance to try some new techniques yourself to create a whole new land—our universe—that is all your own!