WRITING WORKSHOPS
Youth FICTION Writing WORKSHOP
Students in this writing class will strengthen their command of world-building, characterization, and plot in creative writing. Exercises will highlight strategies for bringing the settings of their stories to life; carefully imagining characters, dialogue, and social dynamics; and capturing readers’ interest through their story’s sequence of events, structure, and stakes. Over the course of the week, students will get feedback on their creative work, establish writerly habits, and build community with fellow students. Workshop materials and activities will be tailored to group interests and differentiated by age level.
Notes: Previously written work is welcome but not necessary. Students enrolled in more than one session will have the opportunity to expand and deepen their writing projects, but may encounter some of the same material. These workshops are singular, not consecutive, and specific to student age ranges.
All Workshops:
Price: $250
Location: Hemingway Birthplace Museum (339 N. Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park)
Instructor: Nat Holtzmann
Enrollment is 10 students max/8 minimum. If it is determined we do not have a sufficient minimum number of students, we reserve the right to cancel the particular workshop week and refund your payment.
Session 1: For Rising 6th Graders
6/8–6/12, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. daily (5 DAYS)
Session 2: For Rising 7th-8th Graders
6/22–6/26, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. daily (5 DAYS)
Session 3: For Rising 7th-8th Graders
7/20–7/24, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. daily (5 DAYS)
Session 5: For Rising 9th-12th Graders
6/15–7/20, MONDAY Evenings (6 eVENINGS)
6:30–8:30 p.m.
Session 4: For Rising 7th-8th Graders
8/3–8/7, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. daily (5 DAYS)
Waitlist
If you try to register and a specific workshop session is FULL, you can sign up to our waitlist via the form below.
Instructor Bio
Natalie "Nat" Holtzmann is a writer, editor, translator, and book designer currently teaching at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In the classroom, she frames writing as a practice of discovery, enjoyment, and empowerment. Her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best Small Fictions, and has appeared in the Chicago Review, Necessary Fiction, Salt Hill Journal, Variant Literature, The Minnesota Review, Sundog Lit, JMWW Journal, and elsewhere.
workshop waitlist
All workshop registration dates are first come, first serve. If you are interested in a particular workshop session date that is unavailable, pleae fill out the form to the right with your information and date preference. If space becomes available, we will contact those on the waitlist in the order received. If contacted about a workshop opening, you will have 24 hours to confirm and make payment.
