FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2015
Media Contact: Gina Hyams, PR Consultant 413-464-2851, [email protected]
Spencertown Academy Arts Center Announces Free Writers’ Workshop for High School Students
Spencertown, New York – Spencertown Academy Arts Center will present a free writers’ workshop for high school students on Saturday, May 30 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The theme of the three-hour workshop will be “Crafting the Short Story.”
Guest author Wesley Brown will share insights into the writer’s craft and lead participants in a writing exercise. Mr. Brown is Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University, and teaches literature at Bard College at Simon’s Rock. His works include “Tragic Magic,” “Darktown Strutters,” and “Push Comes to Shove.”
The workshop will be hosted by Tom Lee, director of artsVOYAGE, the innovative arts-in-education program created by Spencertown Academy Arts Center and presented in area public schools. A professional storyteller and educator with the Yale Center for British Art, Mr. Lee will discuss the dynamics of short narratives and lead a writing exercise.
The workshop is open to all Berkshire and Columbia County teenaged writers in grades 9 through 12. Participants will explore aspects of writing short fiction in a variety of fun and challenging ways. The class will spark imagination and invite reflection. Students should come prepared to write and to share their work in a creative, supportive environment.
Workshop participants are eligible to submit stories to the Spencertown Academy Arts Center Teen Short Story Contest (the deadline for entries is June 30). The top three winners will receive cash prizes ($100, $75, and $50 respectively) and be invited to read their stories at the Academy’s annual Festival of Books over Labor Day weekend. Because all submissions are judged “blind,” no preference in prizes will be afforded to workshop attendees.
The workshop is limited to twelve participants. Advance registration is required. To register for the workshop, please email your name, school, grade level, and phone number to [email protected].
Housed in a beautifully restored 1840s Greek-Revival schoolhouse at 790 State Route 203 in Spencertown, New York, Spencertown Academy Arts Center is a cultural center serving Columbia County, the Berkshires, and the Capital region. It offers a variety of free and low-cost community arts events, including concerts, readings, theater pieces, art exhibitions, and arts-related workshops and classes. For more information, see www.spencertownacademy.org.
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