Summer Youth Courses at The Hudson Valley Writers' Center in Sleepy Hollow

Treasure Hunt: Writing Found Poems

Lynn Schmeidler

1 Saturday: July 11th, $99 for members

10:00am-2:00pm

Poetry is play. Come play with us as we find words in the most ordinary places—Wiki articles, comic books, advertisements, song lyrics, assembly instructions, recipes, mystery novels, news stories, horoscopes, graffiti, and more—and re-order those found words into original poems. Writing found poems is like going on a treasure hunt for language to find the most interesting scraps of meaning and then putting them together in new ways that ignite our imaginative sparks. The only rule is to keep your eyes open and be willing to experiment.

Finding Your Voice: Outsider Youth Writers

Rachel Simon

1 Saturday: July 18th, $99 for members

12:00-4:00pm

You are a weirdo, we all are. Whether you are LGBTQ, adopted, Haitian, Unitarian, a tuba player, tall, short, Cuban, an atheist, a Directioner, always sarcastic, or anything else, we all feel marginalized at times. The good news is that outsiders make the best writers and in this one-day workshop we will take risks in our writing to help develop an authentic voice in our work. By trusting in our vulnerability and inhabiting the parts of ourselves that are different from everyone else we will generate new writing that work to get at something genuine.

Finding Your Voice for Social Change

Led by editors of Apogee Journal:

Zinzi Clemmons

July 25th, $99 for members

12:00-4:00pm

As an emerging writer, how can you think about and write about subjects that you might not know enough about? Join us to learn how to write and analyze stories from the advantage point of social change.

Write Where You Are: Exploring Places for Kids

Deborah Cannarella

August 8th, $75 for members

12:00-2:00pm

What kind of stories can you find in a 100-year-old train station? On the sandy beach where Native Americans collected oysters? On the shores the Dutch ship Half Moon once sailed along in moonlight?

In this class, we’ll let our imaginations fly. With short walking trips, in-class readings, and group writing activities, we’ll see how many more stories—true and imagined—we can add to the many legends of Sleepy Hollow.

Write Where You Are: Exploring Places for Teens

Deborah Cannarella

1 Saturday August 15th, $99 for members

12:00-4:00pm

Wherever you happen to be—in the city or countryside, indoors or out—there are hundreds of stories to tell. As every writer, poet, and painter knows, when you listen and look closely, even the smallest detail can lead you to big ideas. In this class, we’ll explore the historic and natural world of Sleepy Hollow. With short walking trips, in-class readings, free writing and group writing activities, we’ll develop stories, essays, and poems that begin in the favorite places that inspire you most.

THE RAILWAY READING SERIES: Tiny Tot Travelers

6 Wednesdays: July 8th-August 12th, $15 a session or $75 for the 6 weeks

11:00am-12:00pm

Enjoy complimentary coffee on the terrace, with a beautiful view of the Hudson, while your 2-5 year olds are captivated by adventures on the railway in an exciting reading circle.

Photo by Keith Williamson, via flickr creative commons