Michiana
Writers'
Center
The Place for Writers
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"To share our stories
is not only a worthwhile
endeavor for the storyteller,
but for those who hear our
stories and feel less alone
because of it." ~Joyce Maynard
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Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery
DiscoverySchool.com
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Bored this summer?
Come write with us!
2020 Summer Youth Writing Camp
Our plans for the summer include online and in-person writing sessions to get your brain working and your pencil moving! Choose from short 2 hour workshops or sign up for a 2-week online writing quest. Publish your work in our anthology and submit it for inclusion in Urban Youth Theatre's If We Listen project. ArtBeat has also invited us to read again this year!
Designed for writers in grades 3-12
Our mini writing camps offer...
- Publication--Submit your work to our 2020 Anthology
- Choice--work on the type of writing you enjoy
- Collaboration--meet peers that share your passion for writing
- Growth--set personal goals and focus on what you want to learn
- Fun--Workshops to spark creativity
- Audience--Opportunity to read at ArtBeat and Barnes and Noble
Space is limited
Click here to view mini-camp offerings
Click here for registration form.
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Local writer, Kathy Higgs-Coulthard, believes that great stories start by asking WHAT IF? In her latest middle grade novel, Kathy asked ...
What if... your dad came home with 43 chickens in the back of his truck? What would your friends think if your kitchen became a clucking, pecking, cock-a-doodle-dooing madhouse?
That's exactly what happened to middle-schooler Sami Duggan in this novel set in South Bend, Indiana. Now available as an e-book (on Amazon for $3.99) or in print through CleanReads, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.
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What have we been doing during COVID? WRITING!
Enjoy the amazing work of local young authors
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The Inventor by Dessie Mikels-Carrasco
Hunched over his Legos, he stares intently at his work. Eyes narrowed in concentration.
“What are you working on?” I ask.
He contemplates me for a second, his deep chocolate eyes unblinking and measuring, like a lizard stalking its prey. He begins to explain his project, his skinny arms wave energetically as he talks, pointing at his creation, and miming what it will do when completed. His curly to the roots, dusty brown hair bounces as he moves. Spare curls falling into his lightly freckled face, he brushes them back with a spare hand; his nails in desperate need of cleaning. His forever smudged glasses catch the light, obscuring his eyes for a moment as he talks - beaming with pride over his invention. He smiles when he finishes explaining, his pink lips turning up at the ends; the dimple on his left cheek becoming prominent. His smile reveals a missing tooth and the small silver band that exposes his retainer. As I get up to leave he turns back to his project, humming a song of his own devising, happy with his work.
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Escape
Even though I can feel my heart beating, it still seems like I’m dead, sitting in a cold, dark tomb. My legs are numb. My wrists are sore. I try to get up, but my hands are tied to a metal chair. I scoot across the floor, looking for some source of light. I keep scooting until I bump my head on an object hanging from the ceiling. Instantly a light turns on. I wince from the pain on my forehead and look around at the faintly lit room. I see three more people tied to metal chairs, and one of them is awake.
“Uh...Hello?” I whisper.
The stranger looks at me. He’s a tall muscular man with tattoos clothing his arms. His skin blends in with the shadows of the room. His dark brown eyes pierce right through me, and his face is frozen in a blank stare.
“Um...Who are you?” I ask nervously.
The man stands up, hands untied.
“C-can you untie me too?” I stutter.
The man starts walking toward me. He’s wearing a white tank top with stains and holes. Gray sweatpants drape over his black hiking boots. As I start to scoot away from him, my metal chair scrapes the floor. He keeps walking, thick boots clunking. I keep scooting. I back up into a wall and my chair stops. The man does not.
“S-stop! Don’t come any closer!” I say, trying to sound intimidating.
The man walks right up to me and stares me dead in the eyes. I try to return the harsh look, but I pull away from his gaze. He grabs me by the neck with large, cold hands and pulls me close to his face. I feel his hot, dirty breath on my cheek.
His voice is low and gravelly. “Ten hours,” he rasps.
The man lets go of my neck and walks slowly away from the light. As I watch him being swallowed by the darkness, I begin to wonder what he meant. I blink slowly, but when I open my eyes, a pitch-black room is the only thing greeting me. It feels like I never really opened my eyes. I sit in the dark room, waiting. Waiting for something. Either freedom or death, whatever gets me out of here quicker.
We'd love to hear from you!
Contact Director, Kathy Higgs-Coulthard
via phone (574) 220-8798
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Find Kathy online at www.writewithkathy.com
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Resurrection Lutheran Academy—
with much appreciation for hosting our SYWP at their beautiful, state of the art facility since 2012.
http://rlasouthbend.com/
www.itwwp.org
Fall Workshops
& Classes
starting soon!
Like to write? Want to get better at it?
Sign up now, for our fun fall classes!
For Adults:
Prompt & Write (adults) Instructors: Erica Vitale Prop and Prompt...bring an item and we'll write a story around it Saturday, October 15, 10:00-3:00 Firehouse Youth Center, rm 4 Cost: $30
Short Story Elements (adults) Instructor: Erica Vitale Come write a short story (or two). We’ll provide prompt idea and highlight writing strategies and elements of short stories. Saturday, November 19, 10:00-3:00 Firehouse Youth Center, rm 4 Cost: $30
For Children & Teens Imagination Explorers (grades 1-3) Instructor: Mary Ann Moore Hands-on activities to stimulate the imagination of emerging writers. Saturdays, 4:00-5:15 pm 10/29 Shivering Shadows 11/5 Choose Your Own Adventure 11/12 Book Whispers 11/19 To Grandmother’s House Firehouse Youth Center, rm 6 Cost: $20 / session or $75 for all 4
Drawn to the Page (grades 4-8) Instructor: Carrie Morton Use art and illustrations to inspire your writing! Tuesdays, 6:15-7:30pm 10/4, 10/11, 10/18, 10/25 Firehouse Youth Center, rm 6 Cost: $20 / session or $75 for all 4
Novel Writing Club (Teens) Instructor: Kathy Higgs-Coulthard Working on a novel? This workshop will support you as you wrestle with character development and plot design. Bring your novel in progress or start one with us. Once a month on Sunday, 4-6pm November 13 December 11 January 15 February 12 March 11 Cost: $100 (that’s only $20/class!)
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1st Place ~ "
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