Class

Creating Fantastical Worlds for Ages 9 to 11

Welcome back to Summer Youth at Open Book! Join us for a week of writing and all day creativity!

-Session 1: Poems for Peace for Ages 9 to 11 with Ellen Fee

Poetry can help us imagine a better future. In this class, we will use poetry to express our dreams for a different world. We will learn about poets and artists who use their voices for peace and justice and write our own poetry to share with our communities. Students will study examples from real poets and artists, like Lucille Clifton, Joy Harjo, and Naomi Shihab Nye. We will write our own poems and learn how to use poetic forms and literary devices to make our words more powerful. We will also explore different ways of getting our words out into the world, like zines, posters, and performance. Students can expect to write about topics that are meaningful to them, listen to others’ ideas, read the work of famous poets, work on writing and art projects, and practice sharing their writing with others.

-Lunch & Enrichment: We'll break for lunch with more activities that will inspire us to express ourselves while having fun! We may explore Gold Medal Park to seek creativity outside the classroom! Please bring a packed lunch.

-Sesson 2: Introduction to Zine Making for Ages 9 to 11 with Will Hart

Do you love comics? Want to make your own? This is a class for all beginners. Whether you’ve only ever seen comics in the newspaper or you’ve already tried to make your own, you are welcome here. Together we'll dig deep into all the inner mechanics of how comics work in the first place, and then we'll draw and experiment with making our own.

If you've never drawn a picture or written a story, don't fear! You don't need any previous experience to enjoy this class. Please bring any art supplies you would like to use (markers, collage materials like old magazines and scissors, construction paper, colored pencils, etc.-- but please leave messy liquid paints like acrylics and oils at home. Dry watercolor palettes are fine!), but a basic pen/pencil and paper is more than enough.

During class, there will be time for me to work one-on-one with you and answer questions! If you have any questions you would like me to answer beforehand, please don't hesitate to reach out at [email protected]. Aspiring writers, grab your notebooks and pens, and let’s write at the Loft!