Registration underway for Richmond Young Writers’ winter sessions

Quick! Don’t let these cold temps freeze up your kids’ creative juices! Check out what Richmond Young Writers has lined up for your wee wordsmiths this winter.

January 15, 2016; 11:44 AM • by Valerie Catrow

Photo by: studentofrhythm

Richmond Young Writers’ winter session is set to kick off on February 8th, so there’s still time to sign your kids up. But don’t dilly-dally. Only three courses are being offered this session and, by the looks of the descriptions, they’re going to fill up quick.

All winter session courses are from 4:30 to 6:00 PM and take place in the upstairs room at Chop Suey Books (2915 W. Cary Street). The cost is $120 per child, and each course meets once a week for six weeks. So that’s $20 a class, during which your child will get a full hour-and-a-half of quality writing instruction from some of Richmond’s most talented writers. Worth it!

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Sketchy Starts

• Mondays, February 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th and March 7th, 14th
• Ages 9 through 11
• Teacher: Suzanne Reamy
• Description: “Do you think in pictures? Is every notebook you own covered in doodles? This class is for you! Draw your way into the story with our spring class for fidgety fingers. Our ‘sketch first, write second’ method will help you dive into your character’s world with abandon. No drawing ability necessary, just an active imagination.”

Storycraft: Character

• Tuesdays, February 9th, 16th, 23rd and March 1st, 8th, 15th
• Ages 15 and up
• Teacher: Bird Cox
• Description: “The best characters throughout the history of stories and storytelling have layers: good, bad, hopeful, despondent, stubborn, manic, brilliant layers woven together by the writers who love them deeply. Even the villains. In this workshop, we’ll be exploring how to find your best characters and their layers by taking inspiration from people you know, stories you love, dreams you’ve had, worlds you connect with and more.”

The Feels

• Wednesdays, February 10th, 17th, 24th and March 2nd, 9th, 16th
• Ages 12 through 14
• Teacher: Suzanne Reamy
• Description: “Get it all out there. We know you’ve got a case of the feels. Let’s channel all that emotion into gut wrenching scenes of anger and remorse, loathing and loneliness, or hysteria and outrage. We’ll scale the heights of joy along with cringe in the corner embarrassment. Emojis for your pen. No sharing required, unless you’re feelin’ it.”

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Not sure your kid (or you) can commit to a weekly class? Thursday evenings at Richmond Young Writers this winter will serve as the cleverly named “Workshop Buffet” where students can take part in a 90-minute, one-time workshop. Thursday workshops are $25 per student–same time, same place as the Monday through Wednesday classes.

Mystery Bags!

• Thursday, February 18th and Thursday, March 10th
• Ages 12 through 14 for the February 18th session; ages 9 through 11 for the March 10th session
• Teachers: Kristin Hott and Aiden McKenna
• Description: “Grab a bag, pull out the insides and create a story, poem, haiku or mini puppet show…who knows? Each one is filled with an odd mash up of items, some from another ‘world,’ entirely. So many bags to choose from, you’ll have to keep coming back to get through them all. Giant mystery bags are for team challenges, which will have you writing to impress, haunt, destroy (with love) or inspire.”

Life in 10 Minutes

• Thursday, February 25th
• Ages 14 and up
• Teacher: Valley Haggard
• Description: “Write first person essays, poems and stranger than fiction true stories for publication on the Life in 10 Minutes website to be submitted anonymously or with your name, as you wish.”

Write Your Heart Out

• Thursday, March 17th
• Ages 12 to 14
• Description: “Let’s dive into the heart of our obsessions, writing them out as odes, letters, tributes and rants. We can shred them or turn them into stories, as our hearts desire.”

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Registration is required for both the winter session courses and workshops. For more information–including details on the half and full scholarships they have available–visit richmondyoungwriters.com.

January 15, 2016 11:44 AM · in West of the Boulevard News 0