WRITING WORKSHOPS
Youth FICTION Writing Summer Camps
Session 1: Fiction Fundamentals for Rising 6th–8th Graders
All Workshops. Time: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
Price: $250/workshop week Instructor: Nat Holtzmann
Location: Hemingway Birthplace Museum (339 N. Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park)
Participants are welcome to register for one, two, or all three workshops.
Enrollment is 12 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 WORKSHOP 1 (6/09–6/13) World Building
Workshop 1 (6/9–6/13): World Building
Students in this writing class will learn strategies that bring to life the worlds in which their stories take place—no matter how real or otherworldly. They will get feedback on their creative work, establish writerly habits, and build community with fellow students. Previously written work is welcome but not necessary.
Session1 Workshop 2 (6/16–6/20) Character Building
Workshop 2 (6/16–6/20): Character Building
Students in this writing class will learn how to carefully imagine the characters in their stories, including their dialogue and the dynamics between characters. They will receive feedback on their creative work, and build community with fellow students.
Session 1 Workshop 3 (6/23–6/27) Narrative Plot
Workshop 3 (6/23–6/27): Narrative Plot
Students in this writing class will learn how to fully capture readers’ interest through their story’s sequence of events, structure, and stakes. They will receive feedback on their creative work, establish writerly habits, and build community with fellow students.
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.