A friend, the father of a 12-year-old, asked me about this year’s writing workshops. He wanted to make sure they weren’t happening in early summer. “We travel then,” he said.

“They start in mid-July,” I said, “and continue through August.”

He grinned.

“Ahh, the dead season,” he said.

Hot, humid, dead or alive, whatever choice of words you use to refer to summer’s dog days, make sure and give the young writers in your family an opportunity to keep their pens and pencils moving across the page (or their fingers plugging along the keys, if that’s their preferred mode of expression).

If you’ve landed here by accident, hop over to the Young Writers Workshop page to learn about two separate camps, one at the Attic in SE Portland, and the other at Opal Creek. You can also also download a registration form for the workshop at the Attic, and get in touch over on the Inquire page.

Believe me, the kids have plenty to write about. Give them the space and time they want to put the words in motion.

–

[Categorized under "Idle Chatter," the following exchange could well have been pulled from a Portlandia script]

BARISTA: So, like, what’s your day like?

CUSTOMER: Like, getting together with my band.

BARISTA: Awesome! What kind of music?

CUSTOMER: It’s, like, fusion with, like, literary punk.

BARISTA: Awesome! So, like, are you playing a gig or something?

CUSTOMER: Nah…

BARISTA: Oh, like, practicing then?

CUSTOMER: Well, not exactly

BARISTA: (confused but still smiling) Oh, like…

CUSTOMER: We’re, like, working on our website. We haven’t, you know, really played together yet, but we’re going to have the BEST website.

BARISTA: Awesome!

[Later, same CUSTOMER and BARISTA]

BARISTA: I like your jeans.

CUSTOMER: Yeah, total free pile!

BARISTA: Awesome. Me too!

CUSTOMER: Oh yeah, awesome. Like, your shirt?

BARISTA: No, like, everything.

CUSTOMER: Everything?

BARISTA: Except my socks. Everything else I’m totally wearing totally came from a free pile! I love when I dress totally in free pile.

CUSTOMER: Awesome!