menu of camps
Animal Tales
Who doesn’t love reading animal and pet stories? Now here’s your chance to write them! In this camp, we explore all things furry and wild and craft pieces inspired by our favorite animals and creatures: nonfiction expert pieces; fiction stories with animal characters; how-to books about taking care of pets; or opinion pieces on the best animals, for example. We also focus on the techniques needed to create proper settings for our animal characters. Use your love of animals and your imagination to tell funny, adorable, or true stories.
You’re the Expert!
What topic do you love or know a lot about—Fortnite, superheroes, dinosaurs, slime, gymnastics, baking? In this camp, we play “detective” and dig up secret knowledge about our favorite topics. Then we write fun books using cool graphics such as diagrams, charts, pictures, and more. Exploring the way writers such as Gail Gibbons and Seymour Simon inspire their readers, we learn how to make any topic interesting and exciting for our audience. At the end, you have the opportunity to share your passion and teach your peers.
Superhero Mash-Up
We all have favorite characters—good and bad—whom we fall in love with because of who they are and what they do. But what if we could play around with those characters—creating even more imaginative heroes and villains—or mix their storylines? What if Cinderella discovered she had Superman’s physical strength? Or Wonder Woman landed in Agrabah and ran into Aladdin and Jasmine? During this camp, we mash up our favorite characters and storylines and let our imaginations run wild as we reimagine new heroic and fantastical adventures. Look out J.K. Rowling and Jeff Kinney!
Spinning Stories
Many fiction writers start with a true story and then change the details until the story takes on a life of its own. In this camp, we learn to write fiction that sounds real by taking a thread of truth and spinning it into something more. Maybe you turn your new puppy into a candy-stealing monster. Or you dramatize getting lost at the zoo by having a huge hawk spot and rescue you. Exaggeration is encouraged as we invent new stories with the help of our fantastic imaginations. We write with an eye on scene, plot, character, and voice, and have a ton of fun along the way!
All You Can Write
If you look around, you can see that writing takes on a “buffet” of forms: poems, songs, signs, posters, brochures, and even letters. During this camp, we explore all the ways we can share ideas and information. We begin by “piling on our plates” what we love and what interests us in our notebooks; then we pull out the ideas that we would like to creatively share with others to “chew” on. Maybe you miss a loved one and want to write them a letter? Maybe you want to create a chart about the fun things you’d like to do this summer? Or maybe you want to design a brochure about a favorite place? Anything goes in this camp where we stretch our imaginations and put our writing out into the world “on a silver platter” for others to read and enjoy!
Sports Writing
Most of us experience sporting events with our eyes and ears, but not very much through the written word. In this summer camp, you get to capture moments―a bat hitting a baseball, the dribble of a basketball, or the smack of a hockey puck―in a variety of writing styles: creative short stories, informative play-by-play or profile pieces, figurative free verse poetry. Share some of your most amazing sporting experiences and creative ideas while developing a greater sense of voice, style, and figurative language skills. Use this workshop to discover a whole new way to appreciate the wonderful world of sports.
Book Club
One of the best ways to read and enjoy a book is to write about it—the story, the setting, the characters. During this camp, we select a book or books based on your interests (summer reading selections also welcome). Then we guide you through an exploration of the story and themes using fun, creative writing prompts. Become a more insightful reader while appreciating how to read a story through a writer’s lens.
