This is the second-to-last week of this year’s writing workshops. I started class by telling the kids, “Fourth grade is the magical year. It’s your best year.” They didn’t understand what I was talking about. Over the next 90 minutes, all of the following happened:

• A student asked if he could use the word “pelvis” in his writing piece. I said, “Sure, why not?” He said, “Because it’s down there,” then pointed to ‘down there.’
• Later, after another student asked if I “was alive for 9/11″. I said, “Sure, why?” A different student cut in and said, “Did you actually watch it? And did you know the whole thing about the plane hitting the Pentagon is a cover up…SUPPOSEDLY…?
• Finally, when class was wrapping up, another student looked at me a little panicky and said, “I can’t find my backpack.” I stared for a second and said, “It’s on your back.” He patted the bag strapped over his shoulders and said, “So it is.”

Magical.

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Greetings friends and neighborhs,

I’m delighted to be the featured presenter at the next Young Willamette Writers meeting, set for Jan 3, 2012 at the Old Church in downtown Portland. You can find out more about the Young Willamette Writers here.

We’ll be doing an hour of poetry, starting at 7 p.m. The Old Church is located at SW 11th and Clay, and the event is FREE. It’s a great way for young writers to start the new year off with some new words.

The following is intended to clarify my approach and goals when working with writers in individual and group environments. For parents interested in connecting for writing workshops, I encourage you to read the following, then follow up with me through email to continue the conversation. You can reach me at info(at)davejarecki(dot)com.

The overall goals of my writing workshops, whether working with young writers or adults, are as follows:

1) Create a comfortable, inviting and inclusive atmosphere where participants feel welcomed and encouraged to engage with their own creativity and to share their creativity with others, free of self-judgement.

2) To impart valuable tools and lessons that will support each participant’s growth as a writer, no matter where he or she is in their own growth. (In this way, even within a group dynamic, I take the time to connect with participants individually to be sure they are continuing along their own path and pace.)

3) To encourage consistent, constructive writing habits so participants begin to build a daily writing practice into their lives.

4) To increase and enhance each participant’s literary vocabulary, building their strengths as writers, editors and reviewers. Much of this work comes in the form of constructive critique. To introduce the concept of constructive critique, we generally begin with pieces of literature written by someone not in the workshop. From there, we often critique pieces of my writing. Then we get into critiquing the work of writers in the workshop. This is a safe and supportive way to build toward critique, especially with young writers for who the concepts of workshopping, review and revision are still relatively new.

WORKSHOP SIZES

In the past I have worked with groups as large as 20, and as small as 2 (in addition to 1-on-1 sessions). In setting up a small, parent-driven workshop that occurs at one parent’s home, an idea number would be anywhere between 2 and 6, though if space permits, we could have as many as 8. The smaller the group, the more individualized attention each writer will receive.

For a group of 4 or less, individual sessions will last approximately 90-minutes to 2-hours. For 5-8 students, individual sessions last between two and two and a half hours.

PROPOSED WORKSHOP SCHEDULING & TUITION

When launching a new workshop, I prefer to set parameters around the number of meetings, in order to help us clearly identify and work toward goals within a set amount of time. If, once the workshop is complete, we decide to continue, we can stick to the original design, or we can redesign the workshop to accommodate schedules, goals, etc.

I’ve provided the following example to help you conceptualize how a workshop may run. Again, I’m happy to work with parents to design a model that works for them and their child/children.

• Six group meetings of 90-minutes to 2-hours. Meetings are held in a parent’s home, or at a designated nearby location.
• At-home writing exercises to be completed during the week. The intent of the exercise is to help foster good, consistent writing habits. Students will bring the pieces they generated during the week to the workshop to be read, discussed, reviewed and revised.
• The overall six-week curriculum is a blend of creative writing and fundamental basics designed to enrich what they are learning during the school week. Writers will also be able to bring school-related writing exercises to the workshop for peer review, insight and revisions.
• Costs for this type of workshop generally falls in a sliding scale between $600 and $900 for the group (or, $150 – $225 per student, assuming four students). Parents are free to split these costs in any way they see fit. My goal with these costs is to ensure that parents are able to afford these classes within their family budgets.

PAST AND ONGOING YOUTH WRITING WORKSHOPS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING

• The after-school writing program at Woodstock Elementary (SE Portland). Now in its fifth year, this program includes three, eight-week sessions throughout the school year for Woodstock’s third, fourth, and fifth grade populations.
• One-on-one workshops. These personalized sessions are designed to build on the strengths of the individual writer while also introducing them to new concepts, approaches and techniques. When working with young writers in one-on-one sessions, parents are invited to participate, share their thoughts and offer their input into the direction the workshop takes.
• Summer Youth Writing Camp at The Attic Institute (2011). The inaugural youth writing camp (Summer 2011) welcomed more than a dozen young writers, ages 11-16, for a four-week, eight-session workshop built around creative expression, writing fundamentals and critique/review. Writers wrote and shared during each three-hour session, and also engaged in at-home writing exercises.
• Winter/Spring Poetry at Depaul Treatment Centers (NE Portland, 2006/07)

AND ONE LAST NOTE . . .

Take a look at this previous post about the Summer 2011 Youth Writing Camp, which delves a little further into my process, thoughts, and drive behind working with young writers.

Thanks for reading!

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I’ll be facilitating two new workshops at the Attic starting in July and continuing through August: another rendition of the ever-popular “Time to Write,” and a one-day (three-hour) “No Strings Attached” poetry session for the workshop-curious.

Take a look at the Workshops page for more info, or jump to the Attic’s Classes page to register.

AND: there are still a few seats available for the upcoming YOUTH WRITING CAMP, a four-week (eight-session) workshop for writers ages 11-15. We’ll meet Tuesdays/Thursdays, starting July 12 and continuing through August 4. You can find more info about the Writing Camp on the Workshops page as well.

FINALLY: the “Turning Up the Heat” poetry workshop (eight-weeks) starts tonight at Writers’ Dojo in St. Johns. Thanks to everyone who expressed interest and helped share the word. We’ll have a full table of wonderful poets cracking the whip on their work.

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A few weeks ago I was hedging on whether or not to plan summer writing workshops for young writers. I’d received a few inquiries from parents who’d found DaveJarecki.com and stumbled upon the Workshop page, where information for LAST SUMMER’S workshop was still live. How did last summer’s workshops go? They didn’t. Whether it was a challenge of timing or planning, I wasn’t able to get enough parents interested in registering their students.

People have a lot going on in the summer, when the rains finally go away and the premium is spent on outdoor recreation. I can’t blame parents for planning canoe trips, day hikes and backpacking adventures with their kids. I look forward to doing the same thing. Likewise, I discovered that parents like to have their children’s summers mapped out as early as possible. I didn’t publicize the workshops until mid-May, and by then it was too late. Decisions were made and the kids’ days were already lined up.

All of this was playing in my head when I received a fairly innocuous bit of literature in the mail, the 2011 “Report on Our Schools” from Portland Public. (You can find an online version of the same report here.) By all accounts, PPS is doing very well, as student achievement is on the way up . . . except in one key area that speaks to me both personally and professionally: “Seventh Graders Meeting Writing Standards.” It sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb on the report, the only “red downward arrow” in a column where all the rest are upward and green.

Why is this? I don’t know for sure, but I have my own thoughts and feelings about how writing is taught – and in some cases not taught – in schools. And when I boil my thoughts down to their simplest form, it comes back to the notion of process vs. content.

I believe that, as a society, our focus is on content. “What have you done?” is more important than “How have you done it?”

Overtime, what I’ve discovered and have come to honor is that successful writing has more to do with “How” than with “What”. Still, in a typical school day where classes are 50-minutes long, and occasionally half of that time is spent trying to get kids to stay in their seats, there just aren’t enough minutes to focus on “How.” And while kids may receive various tools and tips that help them find the “How,” the focus naturally shifts to “What” – after all, grading “What” is a lot easier than putting a stamp or letter on “How.”

My goal as a writing educator is to introduce writers of all ages to the concept and notion of “How,” keying the birth, growth and evolution of their own unique and individual writing process. Some parents have asked if workshops are geared only toward students who already enjoy writing and/or excel as writers. The short answer is, “No.” The workshops are extremely inviting and inclusive. I refer to each workshop student as “a writer,” because in the end that’s what they are, not only during the workshop but also when they leave the workshop and venture back to the world. I want them to feel confident that when they sit down to write, the words that will spin out of them will be valid and good.

You can learn more about this year’s Youth Summer Writing Camp in SE Portland on the Workshop page. Feel free to email info(at)davejarecki(dot)com with any questions.

I’m pleased to be partnering with the Attic in SE Portland to offer three exciting literary enrichment opportunities for middle, junior and senior-high students. Please feel free to share with any colleagues, family or friends who may be interested.

• SPRING BREAK WRITING CAMP – a week of writing and creative expression.

  From March 22- 26, coinciding with Portland Public’s spring break, Writing Camp offers multiple opportunities for middle school and junior high students to express themselves. During morning sessions, students will work with guest poets, including Sage Cohen, Pam Steele and Peter Sears. In the afternoon, writers will explore various fundamentals of creative and expository writing, including narrative structure, character development, dialogue, setting, and place, as they launch new pieces of writing and work on existing ones.

• FUNDAMENTALS OF FICTION, FANTASY & PERSONAL JOURNAL

  Saturdays from April 10th – May 15th, junior and senior high writers will work toward moving their ideas and stories beyond their first lines, first paragraphs and first pages toward completion. In so doing, they’ll focus on the fundamentals of good storytelling, including narrative arch, characters, plot development and more, with the goal of finishing their stories.

• WEAVING EXPERIENCES INTO WRITING

  Also on Saturdays from April 10th – May 15th, junior and senior high writers will uncover the steps it takes to turn their personal experiences into stories, poetry, essays, fiction and more. This workshop will be especially helpful for students preparing for college entrance essays, who want to write a book, and who are interested in exploring personal narratives.

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER at the Attic’s classes page, or email me at info(at)davejarecki(dot)com.

ABOUT THE ATTIC

Founded in 1999, the Attic Writers’ Workshop is widely regarded as a literary gem–a place that encourages & develops your talent, helps you focus on your writing, & invites you into the camaraderie & community of other writers. In addition to individualized consultations for writers at all levels, the heart of the Attic is the workshop: small, supportive, innovative, & intensive. Students receive generous attention, geared to their present & future writing.



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Join Paulann Petersen in a poetry workshop dedicated to creation, reflection, and craft.

DOWNSTREAM: WRITING WITH THE CURRENT

Using notable poems as springboards, the workshop will help you turn loose in the river of word as language carries you along in its current. You’ll generate some new work in each session, while also exploring other poems you’ve written (new or ones you bring with you) for possible ways to strengthen them through revision.

This workshop is open to writers of all levels of experience.

Sundays, 12-3 pm, April 26th to May 31st

Visit Attic Writers to learn more and register today!

The following entry comes courtesy of Alice, a fifth-grade student in SE Portland. I’ve been working with Alice for two years – she’s a heck of a writer and has a great mind.

Below I’ve pasted the original skeletons, followed by Alice’s replies.

It’s ________ __________ “___________ ___________” and it’s ___________ __________ __________ “___________”. This is, __________ it’s _________ ___________ the __________! The _________ ___________ _________ the _________ __________ for __________, which _______, “_______ __________.” This is __________ _________ it is to _____________.

Alice writes:

It’s tomorrow buddy “seven days” and it’s today dear that’s “here”. This is, look it’s Safe Chap the hero! The weird dork from the planet Zuok for $4, which says “Yo dude”. This is how fun it is to dream.

When ______ _________ at ______ _________ of ________ ___________ in the ________ _________. ____________ ___________. I _________, “what are __________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________?” I _________ I’ll __________ a ____________ of _________ ____________. Then I __________ ___________ _____________ to ____________ ___________, I ___________ in ____________.

Alice writes:

When I cry at night love of life springs in the dark well. I’m desperate. I scream “what are you on these bleak lands?” I swear I’ll cry a river of salty tears. Then I sink down slowly to my knees, I struggle in vain.