April 2020
Literary Partners: Danielle Pafundo & Edward Dougherty
Danielle Pafundo & Edward Dougherty Free & open to the public Danielle Pafunda is the author of nine books of prose and poetry, including The Book of Scab (Ricochet Editions, 2018), Natural History Rape Museum (Bloof Books, 2013), and Manhater (Dusie Press, 2012), Iatrogenic: Their Testimonies (Noemi Press, 2010), as well as two chapbooks. Her work has appeared in three editions of The Best American Poetry, and has been widely anthologized. A teacher at Rochester Institutute of Technology, she has served on the board of directors of VIDA; and holds a BA…
Find out more »Seeing Again: Digging Deeper for Revision
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member price:$65 Deadline to Register: April 9, 11:59 pm Instructor: Anais Salibian Once you have an initial draft, editing is not the next step. Discovering a new vision is. "Beneath the external justifications for writing are…
Find out more »Beyond Inspiration: Searching for the origins of your poems
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $ 22 Deadline to Register: April 3, 11:59 pm Instructor: Liza Flum By reading and completing in-class writing exercises, you will get in touch with your most generative material, gain a greater awareness of…
Find out more »Fiction Writer’s Workshop: Art & Craft
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $225 Deadline to Register: April 13, 11:59 pm Instructor: Brian Wood Sometimes writing is spiritual, healing, a burst of creativity. But editing can feel like work. This workshop will help you hone your craft…
Find out more »Literary Partners: Katherine Hastings & Charlie Coté
Free & open to the public Katherine Hastings is the author of three collections from Spuyten Duyvil Press: Shakespeare & Stein Walk Into a Bar (2016), Nighthawks (2014), and Cloud Fire (2012), as well as several chapbooks. Poet laureate emerita of Sonoma County, CA, she edited Know Me Here: An Anthology of Poetry by Women; Digging Our Poetic Roots: Poems from Sonoma County; and What Redwoods Know: Poems from California State Parks. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies. She…
Find out more »Writers ROC!
Free and open to the public Ages 10-12 In this young writers group you’ll do some new writing, share your work, and hone your skills. This will be a supportive community mentored by MCC creative writing major Misty Yarnall, who will present writing prompts, offer tips for revising and editing, and most of all create space for young writers to gather!
Find out more »Writing a Powerful Memoir I: Getting Started
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $22 Deadline to Register: April 10, 11:59 pm Instructor: Mark Block Do you have a story to tell that might inspire or challenge others? In Part I, we’ll examine memoir composition and discuss key…
Find out more »Writing an Intentional Book
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $22 Deadline to Register: April 10, 11:59 pm Instructor: Robin Flanigan Perhaps it’s a calling or simply a wish to make the world a better place. Whatever the reason, writing a book to help…
Find out more »Poetic Speakers and Poetic Voices
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $225 Instructor: Anastasia Nikolis We often hear fiction writers talking about the “voice” of a character, but what about poetic voice? In this workshop, we’ll explore the distinction between poet and poetic speaker by looking…
Find out more »Literary Partners: Paula Weld-Cary & Kitty Jospé
Paula Weld-Cary & Kitty Jospé Free & open to the public Paula Weld-Cary’s poetry has appeared in journals in the United States and abroad, including Portland Review, Slab, Cream City Review, Nimrod, Poetry Salzburg Review, Third Wednesday, and The Aurorean. Her poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. One of her poems is forthcoming in The Midwest Quarterly and another in an environmental textbook. She lives in New York State. Kitty Jospé is a linguist and poet who has moderated popular weekly reading poetry appreciation sessions since 2008. She…
Find out more »Literary Partners: Gail Hosking & Georgia A. Popoff
Free & open to the public Georgia A. Popoff, of Syracuse, NY, is an editor, educator, and Workshops Coordinator and faculty member at the YMCA of Central NY’s Downtown Writers Center. For 20 years, she served on the editorial board of The Comstock Review, with 5 years as managing editor. Her poetry collections are Psychometry (Tiger Bark Press, 2019), Psalter: The Agnostic’s Book of Common Curiosities ( Tiger Bark Press, 2015), The Doom Weaver (Main Street Rag Publishers, 2008), and…
Find out more »Your Story’s Setting is a Character
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $65 Deadline to Register: April 17, 11:59 pm Instructor: Alex Sanchez In great fiction, the setting comes alive as a character. But what does that mean, and how can you do the same in…
Find out more »The No Show Performance For Poetry Workshop
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $22 Deadline to Register: April 17, 11:59 pm Instructor: Karen Faris You’ve polished your poems and maybe had some published. Now it’s time to read them to an audience—but you’re hesitant. In a safe,…
Find out more »Writing a Powerful Memoir II: Share Your Writing
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $22 Deadline to Register: April 18, 11:59 pm Instructor: Mark Block Memoirs inspire, challenge, and allow readers to identify with the writer’s experiences. In this workshop, we will briefly review the criteria for composing…
Find out more »The (Short) Play’s the Thing: Writing the 10-Minute Play
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $225 Deadline to Register: April 21, 11:59 pm Instructor: Scott Seifritz Writing a very short play may seem simple. But in a mere 600 seconds, you need to introduce your characters to the audience…
Find out more »Literary Partners: Jessica Cuello & Liza Flum
Free & open to the public Jessica Cuello is the author of Hunt (The Word Works, 2017) and Pricking (Tiger Bark Press, 2016). She has been awarded The 2017 CNY Book Award, The 2016 Washington Prize, The New Letters Poetry Prize, a Saltonstall Fellowship, and most recently, The New Ohio Review Poetry Prize. Her most recent poems can be found in Copper Nickel, Cave Wall, Bat City Review, Pleiades, and Salamander. Liza Flum is a poet and teacher living in…
Find out more »May 2020
Writing Past the First Draft
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $65 Deadline to Register: April 24, 11:59 pm Instructor: Liza Flum How do you shape a rough draft into a second, third, or twentieth draft? How do you know when a poem is really…
Find out more »Children’s Book Basics
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $22 Deadline to Register: April 24, 11:59 pm Instructor: Will Hubbell Published children’s book author and illustrator Will Hubbell will discuss the unique aspects of writing for young audiences. An in-class writing exercise will…
Find out more »Writing the Teenage Voice
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $22 Deadline to Register: April 29, 11:59 pm Instructor: Leah Scheier Young Adult author Leah Scheier will offer pointers and advice to help bring your teen character to life. Group discussion will be catalyzed…
Find out more »The Book Thieves
This event will be held at through Zoom. The book will be Disoriental, by Negar Djavadi. For more information, please email chrisf@wab.org.
Find out more »Self-Editing Your Fiction
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $65 Deadline to Register: May 1, 11:59 pm Instructor: Alex Sanchez You’ve poured your heart and soul into your story or novel and you’re psyched to share it, but you know your manuscript needs…
Find out more »Writing a Powerful Memoir III: Revise, Edit & Polish
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $22 Deadline to Register: May 1, 11:59 pm Instructor: Mark Block In advance of Part Three, participants are asked to submit several pages of their written work to submissions@wab.org. We will critique each participant's…
Find out more »Art of the Personal Essay
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $ 65 Deadline to Register: May 5, 11:59 pm Instructor: Joseph Carney Only we can best tell our stories. In this workshop, we will write, read, examine, and discuss personal essays, and gain skills…
Find out more »Literary Partners: Len Messineo & Rob Tyler
Free & open to the public Len Messineo’s work has appeared in Shenandoah, Tampa Review, New Novel Review, The Sun: Journal of Ideas, and elsewhere. His stories have been twice nominated for inclusion in the Pushcart Prize Anthology; and his one-act plays, "By the Sea" and "My Anatomically Correct Artificial Life Form" have been performed at GEVA Theatre’s Regional Playwrights Festival in Rochester, NY. Rob Tyler has dabbled in short fiction for decades. His stories, flash fiction, and prose poems…
Find out more »Dialogue: Not Just Words, but Voices
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $65 Deadline to Register: May 8, 11:59 pm Instructor: Alex Sanchez Masters at writing dialogue can create magical, unique voices across dozens of characters, each distinct, memorable, and alive. Through readings, discussions, and writing…
Find out more »Literary Partners: Allison Roberts & Trish Annese
Free & open to the public Allison Roberts is co-founder of Impact Interactive, a theatre-based training company. www.impactinteractive.org. She is also a visual artist, actor, and writer. She is the founder and producer of the comedy troupe, EstroFest, (www.estrofestlaughs.com) and performs in local theater, TV commercials and film. Her visual art works include murals, theater sets, painting, illustration, and jewelry making. Her written work has appeared in Rochester Magazine, City Newspaper, RocParent, and Democrat and & Chronicle.
Find out more »Literary Partners: Misty Yarnall & Diane Rivoli
Free & open to the public Misty Yarnall has been published in The Roadrunner Review, KAIROS Literary Magazine, The Merrimack Review, and Gandy Dancer. Her short play was selected for in Writers & Books and Geva's 2 Pages/2 Voices this past January 2020. The recipient of the Langlois Award for short fiction, Misty works as a Visitors Services Associate at Writers & Books and leads the organization’s Writers Roc!, a writing group for 10-12- year- old writers. She currently is…
Find out more »Starting Your Novel
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $65 Deadline to Register: May 15, 11:59 pm Instructor: J. Mulrooney Writing a novel is like running a marathon. Starting with six rules for novelists (Rule #3: What to do if you run out…
Find out more »Writer’s Block? Look Again
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $65 Deadline to Register: May 15, 11:59 pm Instructor: Anais Salibian Ah, writer's block. Don't believe in it. Take this workshop and find out what it does to your brain and nervous system, and…
Find out more »Literary Partners: Cameron Miller & Judith Shenouda
Free & open to the public Cameron Miller is a writer and preacher exploring the sacred hiding in plain sight. He has published two novels, Thoughtwall Café: Espresso in the Third Season of Life (Unsolicited Press, 2018), and Steam Room Diaries (DAOwen Press, Canada, 2015). His book of poems and essays, Cairn, Marking the Trace, is forthcoming. Miller’s poems can be found in such journals and antholgies as Poetry Quarterly, The Poet’s Quest for God, Crossroads, and Inwood Indiana Press.…
Find out more »Literary Partners: Bill Capossere & Catherine Faurot
Free & open to the public Bill Capossere’s work has appeared in such journals and anthologies as Colorado Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, In Short, and Man in the Moon; and has been recognized with Pushcart nominations and mentions in the “notable essays” section of several editions of Best American Essays. His full-length and shorter plays have received readings at GEVA’s Festival of New Plays and the Rochester Fringe Festival. He lives in Rochester NY with his wife and son, where…
Find out more »June 2020
Literary Partners: Jenny Llloyd & Giovanna Campomizzi
Free & open to the public Jenny Lloyd grew up in England. During her 20 years as a corporate wife, she lived in Italy and Mexico before moving to Rochester in 1980. A history professor at the College at Brockport, she has published Catching Meggie The Runaway Shetland Sheepdog; Expatriation, and In My Mind’s Eye, a memoir of growing up on a farm in the West of England. Giovanna Campomizzi May is an Italian-American immigrant with bi-polar disorder. Her memoir,…
Find out more »The Circle of Life: Dancing and Writing with Nature
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $65 Deadline to Register: May 29, 11:59 pm Instructor: Daystar/Rosalie Jones The Native American HOOP symbolizes the “circle of life.” It was the Lakota holy man Black Elk who described all of the Creator’s…
Find out more »Literary Partners: Ralph Uttaro & Kathleen Wakefield
Kathleen Wakefield’s book Notations on the Visible World (2000) won the 1999 Anhinga Prize for Poetry. Her most recent book Grip, Give and Sway was published by Silver Birch Press in 2016. Her poems have appeared in such journals as the Beloit Poetry Journal, Image, The Georgia Review, The Journal, Kenyon Review, Midwest Quarterly, Poetry, Rattle, River Styx,Sewanee Review, Shenandoah, andSouthern Humanities Review. She has worked as a poet-in-the-schools and taught creative writing at the Eastman School of Music and…
Find out more »The Funny Business: Humor, Jokes, and Laughs II
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $22 Deadline to Register: June 3, 11:59 pm Instructor: Kevin Markman Creating laughs is a great skill to develop for whatever form you work in--personal essay, novel, stand-up, storytelling, or twitter feed. We’ll collaboratively…
Find out more »Write Like a Mad Scientist
We’ve moved online! All workshops will be conducted through Zoom, an interactive platform that allows you to participate in exercises and contribute to group conversation in your workshops. The day before your workshop you’ll receive an email with a link to Zoom for your workshop session. Member Price: $22 Deadline to Register: June 5, 11:59 pm Instructor: Joanne Brokaw Applying the improv principles of “Yes, and” and “There are no mistakes, only happy accidents” to writing, you will learn to silence your…
Find out more »Literary Partners: Taylor Solano & J. Edward Moss
Free & open to the public Rochester-based Taylor Solano writes for Floated Alternative Culture Magazine, a local publication focused on music, art, and alternative lifestyle topics. She also writes free-verse poetry and short microfiction pieces, wherein she enjoys converging perceptible experiences or traits with allegorical or mystical embellishments. Solano works as a reading teacher, sharing her passion for literature and the power of words with elementary school students. J. Edward Moss is a multimedia artist based in Rochester, NY. His…
Find out more »Dragons, Dice, and Roleplaying
Member Price: 225 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 14 Instructors: Emma Lynge & Ben Callahan Age Group: 13-16 Calling all quest-seekers! What do collaborative role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons and writing have to do with each other? Quite a lot, we'll discover. In this camp, we’ll explore rich, fantastical worlds; create complex, driven characters; and learn how to hone our plot points into stories that the bards will sing of for ages to come. In the…
Find out more »Becoming a Storyteller
Member Price: 100 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 14 Instructor: Judy DeCroce Age Group: 8-11 Make a story come alive in the telling! Using theatre games and other fun techniques, we’ll learn skills for engaging an audience, all the while building self-confidence. Activities will include practicing voice, body language, facial expressions, and characterization. At the end of the week, we’ll display our new skills in a presentation for our families and friends. Scholarships Available
Find out more »The Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World
Member Price: 100 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 14 Instructor: Almeta Whitis Age Group: 10-13 Our environment is vital to our very existence. Indigenous Peoples have known and passed on this important fact—we are neither separate from nor superior to Mother Nature; rather, we’re one tiny yet pivotal part of a vast picture. In this camp we will read, research, write about, and discuss the ways in which people and systems of power have impacted our Earth, and…
Find out more »Exploring the Neighborhood of the Arts
Member Price: 100 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 14 Instructor: Chris Fanning Age Group: 10-13 Rochester's Neighborhood of the Arts (NOTA) has long been home to many genres of expression and creativity. There are businesses that portray art through painting, photography, and language. There are theatres and sculpture gardens bursting with feeling and meaning. There are hidden walkways and parks perfect for exploring. This camp will take you inside the buildings and behind the scenes of some of…
Find out more »Building Fantastical Worlds
Member Price: 100 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 14 Instructor: Rylie Day Age Group: 8-11 Have you ever wondered what it's like living in a magical world, like that of Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, or The Borrowers? How do we leave the world of the everyday and leap into fantastical realms? Better yet, how do we create our own? Come explore surprising worlds of all shapes and sizes and learn new perspectives from which to construct original,…
Find out more »July 2020
Acting Exploration
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 21 Instructor: Alexa Scott-Flaherty Age Group: 7-9 Do you enjoy pretending to be other people, putting yourself into someone else’s life and experiences? Through games and age-appropriate scene work, young actors will investigate the various tools used in developing character work for performance. Students will form a cohesive ensemble and learn to trust themselves and each other. By exploring different characters, stories, and activities, students will build skills related to…
Find out more »Musical Theatre “Book Club”
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 21 Instructor: Katherine Varga Age Group: 14+ Think of this as a book club where, instead of discussing novels, we discuss musicals. From Sondheim to Six, musical theatre can be more than just jazz hands and smiles; many musicals are rich with social commentary and brilliant uses of language. We’ll learn about the history of musical theatre and talk about recent trends in the industry, especially the rise of musicals…
Find out more »Fiction in a Flash
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 21 Instructor: Rylie Day Age Group: 12-14 How many words do you need to create a compelling story? Fewer than you think! Flash fiction is the art of crafting a story in which every word is essential. Looking to examples from authors of all backgrounds, in this camp, we will learn about the elements of fiction writing and how they relate to this unique form of storytelling. We will learn…
Find out more »Tomar espacio, Hacer espacio: narración a través de la poesía en dos idiomas/Take Space, Make Space: Storytelling through Dual-Language Poetry
Precios de Miembros/Member Price: 125 Fecha Limite para Registarse/Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 21 La Instructora/Instructor: Neyda Colón-DiMaria Grupo de edad/Age Group: 10-13 Todos tenemos una historia y ahora necesitamos unirnos para contarlas porque cada cuento importa. Durante este programa vamos a ‘tomar espacio, hacer espacio’ por la poesía para contar la historia de nosotros, de nuestra culturas, y nuestra gente. Al fin del programa, los estudiantes van a mostrar, en forma de poema, el tema central siendo…
Find out more »The Circle of Life: Dancing and Writing Encounters with Nature
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 21 Instructor: Rosalie "Daystar" Jones Age Group: 12-14 Indigenous Peoples worldwide gather in the circle formation in order to recognize the equality of everyone in the circle. Black Elk, Lakota Elder says, “The Earth is a Circle. The Sun and Moon are formed in a Circle. The nests of birds are created in a Circle.” Taught by an award-winning, internationally recognized choreographer and dancer, this workshop will examine the prevalence…
Find out more »Writing a Fiction Series
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 21 Instructor: Caren Barth Age Group: 10-13 What is better than seeing your favorite series stretching out along the library shelf, going on and on? What beats the thrill of a favorite author releasing a new novel? How about writing your own serial adventure? We will start with strong beginnings that hook and ground the reader, and consider the best ways to give your readers background, depending on whether this…
Find out more »Louder than Social Media: Writing Creatively in the Digital Age
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 21 Instructor: Jessica Merrills Age Group: 14+ The saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Now, during the new decade of 2020, so many of us have created the very picture we want others to see on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and even YouTube. How authentic is this picture? What stories are these images and posts telling? Through a series of thoughtful writing prompts, we will explore the superficial…
Find out more »Flash Your Fiction
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 21 Instructor: Judy DeCroce Age Group: 7-9 Flash fiction is a very short form of story writing where every word becomes essential. This genre has all the parts of a story—characters, setting, and plot—but in a nutshell. We’ll learn to hook the reader and then, through an unexpected twist, leave the reader wanting more. In writing our own pieces, we’ll analyze the power of words and learn what is, and…
Find out more »Novel Tools
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 28 Instructor: Wendy Low Age Group: 12-14 Whether you aspire to write fantasy, science fiction, historical, or contemporary realist novels, you’ll want to develop the skills and discover the tools that successful fiction writers use to bring their stories to life. We will focus on examples and exercises that help develop characters, setting, and atmosphere; choosing point of view; and creating and sustaining interest through conflicts. We also will look…
Find out more »Be the Story You Love
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 28 Instructor: Lisa Buck Age Group: 5-7 Bring your favorite books to life with readers theatre. We’ll read many stories together, including those that students bring in to share. Then we’ll enjoy a series of acting games and fun exercises. Everyone will choose a book, comic, or poem to act out. Throughout the week we will practice our stories together as a group, making each character and scene come to…
Find out more »Me, Myself, and I: Exploring the Creative Self
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 28 Instructor: Gary DeWitt Marshall Age Group: Teen This brand-new workshop, led by an acclaimed director and actor, allows for exciting exploration and skill-building through the world of theatre. With theatre-based games, activities, and exercises that combine writing and acting, students develop character-building skills that focus on self-expression. Dramatic arts can strengthen character and support an improved self-concept when providing students opportunities to work in a liberated, non-judgmental environment. The…
Find out more »Visible and Invisible Characters: Reading and Writing Disability
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 28 Instructor: Kimberly Morgan Age Group: 8-11 Popular books like Wonder, El Deafo, The Hunger Games, Cinder, and the Percy Jackson Series all portray characters with disabilities and tell a story about how the community interacts with these characters. Did you know that 1 in 5 people has a disability? Some disabilities you can see on the outside, some you can’t. In this workshop, we will focus on how disabilities…
Find out more »Your Incredible Illustrated Story
$270 for W&B and MAG Members | $300 General Public To register, please visit: mag.rochester.edu/classes Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 28 Instructors: Tracy Cretelle & Ben Leyer Age Group: 10-13 What do you want to say? In this exciting collaboration between Writers & Books and the Creative Workshop at the Memorial Art Gallery, you’ll create your own fantastically illustrated and self-written story while learning from two master teaching artists, a writer and a visual artist. You’ll learn the…
Find out more »Percy Jackson’s Greek Myth Theatre
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 28 Instructor: Marna Rossi Age Group: 8-11 When New York middle school student Percy Jackson finds out he is a Demi-god, the Greek myths come alive in a way he never before imagined! We’ll explore his adventures and learn about myths, Greek gods, heroes, and modern-day Demi-god heroes. We’ll create our own heroes; act out brief role-plays based on the adventures of Demi-god heroes; learn about dramatic action, style, character,…
Find out more »Every Day Heroes: Creating Characters who Fight for Justice
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 28 Instructor: Tracy Cretelle Age Group: 12-14 Do you believe that anyone with a desire to fight for justice can do extraordinary things when they set their mind to it? Do you have a passion to help others, and a desire to use your creative writing skills to help guide others on a path toward justice? We will explore developing characters who advocate for citizens' rights, solve mysteries, help their…
Find out more »Classical Monologue Intensive
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 28 Instructor: Sara Bickweat Penner Age Group: Teen Are you a high-school student who is working on material for college auditions? Are you an actor who wants to expand your rep and experience by adding a classic piece? Do you love Shakespeare and want to work on a new piece? Is it your first time exploring classics and you need some guidance? This camp is for you. Come experience the…
Find out more »Magical Doorways and Portals
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on June 28 Instructor: Alexa Scott-Flaherty Age Group: 5-7 Stories, books, and poems are our first doorway into a magical world as young people, and this camp will celebrate the MAGIC of going into our imaginations and into imaginary worlds. By exploring such stories as Malcolm Mitchell's The Magician's Hat, Mac Barnett's Extra Yarn, Grace Lin's A Big Mooncake for Little Star, Nancy Tupper-Ling's The Yin-Yang Sisters and the Dragon Frightful, and…
Find out more »Hogwarts Express: Harry Potter’s First 4 Years
Member Price: 325 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 5 Instructors: Chris Fanning & guests Age Group: 8-10 Come immerse yourself in the world of Harry Potter! This brand-new workshop is for young wizards and witches who haven’t yet read the full series. With dramatic read-alouds, creative projects, and visits from special professors, students will have a chance to dig into the first four books of the series in a supportive environment. We will make wands; study the history…
Find out more »¡Bienvenidos! Fun with Spanish
Member Price: $125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 5 Instructor: Megan Lawrence Age Group: 5-7 If you want to explore the Spanish language in a fun, creative way, this is the camp for you! With songs, games, stories, outdoor play, crafts, and a walking field trip to the public market, we will learn and review everyday vocabulary in a real-world environment. Families will be invited to view student work on the last day. Scholarships Available
Find out more »Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing: World Building with Today’s Social Issues
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 5 Instructor: Melissa Michal Slocum Age Group: 14+ Are you passionate about important social topics and silenced voices? Can you see robots taking over the world, or creatures trying to steal each other’s land? Science fiction and fantasy are generative spaces for social justice dialogue. Considering such writers as Octavia Butler, M.K. Jemison, and Margaret Atwood, we will be inspired to write stories that immerse readers in worlds that illuminate…
Find out more »Write a Short Play!
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 5 Instructor: Katherine Varga Age Group: 12-14 Do you love theatre? Have you always wanted to write your own play? Then this camp is for you! Through theatre games and writing exercises, we will learn how to tell a story meant for the stage. Our own 5-10-minute plays will be presented in a staged reading for friends and families on Friday. Come prepared to play and write. Scholarships Available
Find out more »Telling Tales
$270 for W&B and MAG Members | $300 General Public To register, please visit: mag.rochester.edu/classes Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 5 Instructors: Sarah Brown & Casy Cardillo Age Group: 7-9 To register, please visit: https://mag.rochester.edu/classes/In this exciting collaboration between Writers & Books and the Creative Workshop at the Memorial Art Gallery, you’ll create your own characters and explore your own story ideas while learning at the hand of master teaching artists, a writer and a visual artist. You’ll…
Find out more »Writing Movies
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 5 Instructor: Michael Galvin Age Group: 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 happen. Students should come in with ideas for a plot or…
Find out more »Fabulism—Writing the Absurd as Real
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 5 Instructor: Melissa Michal Slocum Age Group: 12-14 Do you like creating weird stories? Are you interested in odd plots, characters, and places that you don’t see in other books? Do you like inserting absurdity into real-life situations? Have you ever wanted to write a modern-day fairy tale? Then you like fabulist writing, where the weird enters our human world. In this workshop, we will experiment with different earthly settings…
Find out more »Leaders, Rebels, and Innovators
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 5 Instructor: Alexa Scott-Flaherty Age Group: 5-7 Be a change-maker! We all have the power to make the world a better place, one action at a time. And stories, true and fictional, have the power to guide us. This camp will help us learn about the heroes among us, at all levels of society and in different times, and encourage us to stretch our “social good” muscles. We’ll learn about…
Find out more »Shakespeare’s Comedy Camp
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 5 Instructor: Sara Bickweat Penner Age Group: 9-12 Calling young thespians! Are you a world builder, a lover of language, a reader with a flare for expression and imagination? We’ll spend the week walking into the world of William Shakespeare, exploring his life and times, and unlocking the secrets to his use of language. We’ll play theatre games and bring to life wildly fun stories. Join this workshop to cook…
Find out more »Dumbledore’s Army
Member Price: 325 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 12 Instructor: Christine Green Age Group: 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 fellow Hogwarts students for a large group activity, then disappear into the Room of Requirement for serious studies.…
Find out more »Hogwarts Academy
Member Price: 325 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 12 Instructors: Chris Fanning, Rylie Day, Katherine Varga, Alexa Scott-Flaherty, Tracy Cretelle, Tracy Nemecek, Jamie Bozek, Sara Bickweat Penner, Michelle LaVarnway, Ben Callahan, Sarah Brown, Paul Moyer Age Group: 8-13 Immerse yourself in the world of Harry Potter as all of Writers & Books turns into Hogwarts! Throughout the week, students will attend classes in Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Transfiguration, Divination, History of Magic, Defense Against the Dark…
Find out more »August 2020
Superheroes are Everywhere
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 19 Instructor: Lisa Buck Age Group: 5-7 This camp is inspired by the book Superheroes are Everywhere, by Kamala Harris. Before Kamala Harris became a district attorney and a United States senator, she was a little girl who loved superheroes. And when she looked around, she was amazed to find them everywhere! In her family, among her friends, even down the street–there were superheroes wherever she looked. She discovered that…
Find out more »Writing Characters: Heroes, Villains, and Everybody in Between
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 19 Instructor: Alex Sanchez Age Group: 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 inside out, making them as vivid as your best friend or worst…
Find out more »Poetry, Pottery, and Paper
Member Price: 270 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 19 Instructor: Lisa Johnson & Kate Whorton Age Group: 8-11 In this collaboration between Writers & Books and the Flower City Arts Center, you’ll have a unique opportunity to merge visual arts with creative writing. You will handbuild a ceramic book, write pottery-inspired poems, interview real artists, make paper, and use a letterpress to print the words you have written. This camp will be a real hands-on experience taught by…
Find out more »Hike and Write!
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 19 Instructor: Megan Lawrence Age Group: 10-13 Immerse yourself in the outdoors! Students will express themselves in writing, using nature as a unique source of inspiration. Throughout the week, we will travel outdoors to observe, record, and discuss all that nature has to offer. In addition to exploring the local neighborhood, we will travel to Cobbs Hill Park to see Rochester in a new light, so put on your hiking…
Find out more »Stand Up for Young Comedians
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 19 Instructor: Julie Donofrio Age Group: 12+ Have you ever seen a stand up comedy routine, a comedic monologue, or a funny speech and thought, “That looks like fun”? It is fun, and now you can try it at SummerWrite! In this camp, students will be introduced to stand up comedy and given a brief introduction to other types of live comedic performance. We will learn different techniques to add…
Find out more »Citizens: A Conversation on Race, Ethnicity, Identity, and Democracy
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 19 Instructor: Almeta Whitis Age Group: 14+ Using Claudia Rankine’s book Citizen: An American Lyric 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 dialogue and an arts process, students will create original stories of everyday encounters with nuances of racism and identity to facilitate…
Find out more »Fairy Tales Around the World
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 19 Instructor: Rylie Day Age Group: 5-7 Wish you could travel around the world? At Writers & Books you can! Come listen to stories and poems from cultures near and far. We’ll read fairy tales from various cultures and people, including China, Japan, India, Ghana, Germany, France, and elsewhere. Each day, we will explore a new culture, do crafts, and even learn a bit of a new language. This camp…
Find out more »Comedy Improv
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 19 Instructor: Julie Donofrio Age Group: 11-13 Have you ever seen a comedy improv show, or the television show Whose Line Is It Anyway? and thought, “That looks like fun!” It is fun, and here is your chance to see for yourself! Comedy improvisation is the art of acting without a script. You will try many theatre games, some with the use of audience suggestions, with results that are always…
Find out more »It Could Happen Here: Mixing Reality and Fantasy
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 19 Instructor: Wendy Low Age Group: 10-13 Everything seems normal...on first appearance. Your main character seems like just another kid, with the usual hopes and anxieties, off to just another summer day camp, until another kind of world shows through the surface. Find the magic in the historic Writers & Books building and the eccentric Neighborhood of the Arts, which will serve as the setting for your story. Use your…
Find out more »Writing with Light
Member Price: 300 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 26 Instructor: Sarah Cedeño & Juliana Muniz Age Group: 12-14 The word photography means "writing with light". Combine the magic of film-based photography with the power of your words. Using a 35mm film camera (provided) and a pen and notebook, we will explore the uniqueness of the Neighborhood of the Arts. There will be opportunities to photograph and write about such outdoor art as wall murals and sculptures, the interior…
Find out more »Percy Jackson’s Magic Pen
Member Price: 255 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 26 Instructor: Wendy Low Age Group: 9-12 Percy Jackson is mighty with his sword; his creator, Rick Riordan, is mighty with his pen. Try the writing methods Riordan used to weave a siren spell. Prepare by reading the first book of the series, The Lightning Thief. We will mine it for models of how to develop vivid characters and hold readers across chapter breaks, and for the benefits of borrowing…
Find out more »Bookmaking Extravaganza
Member Price: 185 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 26 Instructor: Laura Jackett Age Group: 8-11 All writers and artists need books to fill with their creations. And sometimes the book, itself, can be an artform. In this workshop, we will explore several unique book constructions, including a kaleidoscope book that opens like a fan or DNA helix, a flag book with a series of pages that interweave, or a pop-up book with parts that move with the action…
Find out more »We Breathe Fire: Poetry Slam
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 26 Instructor: Robert Ricks Age Group: 14+ Slam Poetry is an art form where performance meets reality. It is used to show one’s story, to speak and breathe life into a poem. Spoken word is an outlet, a voice for sharing a funny moment, grappling with challenges, celebrating joys, or speaking out against injustices. We will study the works of traditional and contemporary poetry that will help inform and strengthen…
Find out more »Stories to Grow On
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 26 Instructor: Tracy Nemecek Age Group: 5-7 Get to know YOU through the great world of books. Stories can help us take a closer look at our own thoughts and feelings, appreciate moments of joy, and face times of challenge. We’ll read stories as a group, create art, and use creative movement to understand and express our emotions more effectively. We will apply themes from the Elmer book series to…
Find out more »Fantastic Beasts 101
Member Price: 135 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 26 Instructor: Chris Fanning Age Group: 8-11 Ever caught a Bowtruckle poking around your backyard? Marveled at a Merperson in Lake Ontario? Discovered a Doxy in your desk drawer? Yes or no, it’s high time you brushed up on your magizoology notes so you’re prepared when the time comes. Welcome to Fantastic Beasts 101. In this camp, we’ll discuss the fantastic beasts from JK Rowling’s magical world. We’ll travel around…
Find out more »Magic Tree House Adventure Club
Member Price: 135 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 26 Instructor: Marna Rossi Age Group: 5-7 Take part in wonderful adventures from the Magic Tree House series. Join Annie and Jack as they solve problems, help people, and travel around the world and through time. We might visit China, ancient Ireland, or the Australian Outback. Like Annie and Jack, we will learn about the animals and people in each new environment we visit. We will read scenes from some…
Find out more »Teen Comedy Improv
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on July 26 Instructor: Julie Donofrio Age Group: 14+ 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. In this camp, we will try many theatre games, some with the use of audience suggestions, and create scenes that are entertaining and often hilarious. We will learn the craft of…
Find out more »I Wonder: Exploring Eternal Questions
Member Price: 255 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on August 2 Instructor: Almeta Whitis Age Group: 14+ Do you enjoy arguing in defense of your ideas? Are you endlessly curious? What about searching for what lies beneath the surface? If so, this is the camp for you! Become a philosopher, learning how to debate and write creatively. Your personal journal will help capture your impressions and refine your philosophy. Activities include invigorating discussions, meaningful writing prompts, all in a setting…
Find out more »Build-A-Book
Member Price: 265 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on August 2 Instructor: Tracy Cretelle Age Group: 10-13 So you want to write a book, but you need a plan? Learn how to plot a book chapter by chapter, taking your great idea and turning it into a juicy plot. While on our daily walking trips to sites in the Neighborhood of the Arts, observe how ordinary people and places can help you bring your book’s characters to life and become…
Find out more »Deaf Lens: These Walls Are Signing!
Member Price: 480 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on August 2 Instructor: Stacy Lawrence Two Weeks Age Group: 11-15 “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men” - Frederick Douglass Calling would-be filmmakers! In this two-week-long camp, Deaf and hard of hearing campers get an incredible opportunity to create short films! Under the careful guidance of seasoned filmmakers who sign in American Sign Language, we will create shot lists and schedules, direct five-minute short films, receive…
Find out more »Find a Mystery
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on August 2 Instructor: Caren Barth Age Group: 7-9 There's something mysterious about Writers & Books. Was the building designed by a man who talked to ghosts? Where does the staircase go, and what's with the little door at the top? What happened to the cracker I left on the mantle last month? It's a mystery! Whether your favorite sleuth is Nancy Drew, Herculeah Jones, Dink Duncan, or Encyclopedia Brown, you're sure…
Find out more »The Conversation We Need to Have: Writing for Change
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on August 2 Instructor: Robert Ricks Age Group: 12-14 Sometimes what we don't say out loud is what matters most. In this camp, we will dig deep in our hearts, examine our community, and write about the things that keep us up at night or disrupt our focus on some days. Whether it’s peer pressure, politics, parents, poverty, injustice, the environment, or anything else, this is a safe space to write our…
Find out more »Poetry Rocks!
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on August 2 Instructor: Marna Rossi Age Group: 7-9 Learn about sound imagineering and imagineer poems that can rock, dance, and sing to the beat! We’ll read poetry with sounds we hear made in the world around us from people, animals, objects, robots, and vehicles. We’ll explore rhythms and syllables that vibrate, ring and resonate; learn about sound effects in letters, syllables, words, and phrases; and make our poems come alive. With…
Find out more »World Building
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on August 2 Instructor: Emma Lynge Age Group: 12-14 Are you passionate about important social topics and silenced voices? Can you see robots taking over the world, or creatures trying to steal each other’s land? Science fiction and fantasy are generative spaces for social justice dialogue. Considering such writers as Octavia Butler, N.K. Jemison, and Margaret Atwood, we will be inspired to write stories that immerse readers in worlds that illuminate today’s…
Find out more »College Essay Prep
Member Price: 125 Deadline to Register: 11:59 pm on August 9 Instructor: Christine Green Age Group: High school seniors 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 rising seniors a supportive, creative, and fun environment in which they can draft their Common App essay with the help of a professional writer and…
Find out more »