Memoir Writing
For every life there’s a unique story: No one can write yours but you. This class will help you get started and stay motivated. We’ll explore what we write about, why, and for whom. We’ll dive in with exercises on characters, settings, and story structure. On completion you’ll have a deeper understanding of what makes a compelling memoir, and how to go about writing one.
Sarah E. White has taught reminiscence writing to small groups in person and online, honing her curriculum since 2004. A published author of several business how-to books, Sarah entered the memoir genre in 2008 with the publication of “The Plunge” in My Words Are Gonna Linger, an anthology from Personal History Press. More info: whitesarah.com.
Writing for the Stage
Like to write? Like to play? Learn the basics of playwriting/scripting with a hands-on writing workshop in the Kewaskum Theatre.
Nick Brettingen is an 8th grade teacher at Kewaskum Middle School. He is also the author of a mystery novel for children and is co-director of Kewaskum High School’s annual spring play and summer theater. Mr. Brettingen wrote an original play called “Airline” that was performed in 2008 at Kewaskum High School.
Poetry
Poetry is music. Whether it is rhymed or free verse, it is the way the words roll off the tongue. It is taking a story and condensing it down and down some more until it is just right. We will look at some different kinds of poems, talk a bit about the music in each, and then have time to begin a draft of our own poem. To help inspire, we will have art created by the high school students.
Jane Osypowski is a quilter of words.
Micro-fiction/flash fiction
Flash Fiction is a complete short story written in less than 1,000 words. It is a fiction format that is gaining popularity on the Internet, offering multiple opportunities for publication. Brevity may be a virtue, but it is not easily accomplished. Conveying a complete, satisfying and entertaining story within a few hundred words or less takes craftsmanship and practice. This class will help you get started, offering tips, advise, and examples, with an emphasis on pen in hand, words on paper.
David J. Rank is a working journalist living in eastern Wisconsin, who also enjoys writing fiction. His short stories have appeared online in such ezines as AlienSkin, Apollo’s Lyre, MicroHorror, and the Absent Willow Review. One of his Flash Fiction stories, “A Song for Andre“, was nominated for Preditors & Editors Readers Poll Best Short Story 2009.
