We may have a long way to go here in Texas before the summer heat begins to fade, but autumn and back-to-school season are just around the corner. For us here at the Writing Barn, that means it’s almost time to kick off the fall semester of our virtual creative writing program for kids. As the youth programming specialist at the Barn, this is a program that’s especially close to my heart.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, we reimagined all of our youth classes as virtual experiences. This allowed us to bring together kids with similar interests from all across the world, creating a community of young writers and readers that wasn’t bound by state or country lines.
It also allowed us to expand our instructor roster and to bring in incredible guest authors via Zoom. Over the last couple of years, our students have enjoyed meet-n’-greet sessions with Katherine Applegate, Erin Entrada Kelly, Sara Pennypacker, A.S. King, Lamar Giles, Rajani LaRocca, Mitali Perkins, Samantha M. Clark, Will Alexander, and more. Collectively, these authors boast just about every award in the industry, including multiple Newbery medals. (And, okay, I admit it: I was as excited as the kids for all of these virtual visits from my literary heroes!)
Starting at the beginning of 2022, our youth programming took an exciting new form: Writing Barn Youth, a membership-based virtual creative writing club for kids ages 8-13. While kids are enrolled in the program, they receive multiple pre-recorded video lessons every couple of weeks. These lessons are taught by published children’s book authors and illustrators and cover a variety of topics, from the ins and outs of character creation, plot, and worldbuilding to crash courses in poetry, graphic novels, illustration, painting, and more. Students also get access to an archive of videos from past semesters.
We know every family’s schedule is different. That’s why we’ve set it up so kids can watch these video lessons on their own time. Maybe that’s when they get home from school in the afternoon. Or, if they’re homeschooled, maybe it’s built into their daily schedule.
Of course, coming together in real-time as a community is important, too! That’s why each semester of WB Youth also offers several live Zoom sessions where kids and instructors come together to write, share, and meet special guest authors. Kids can also submit the writing and art they produce in the program to us and we’ll include it in the program newsletters, so their peers can enjoy what they’ve produced.
In addition to the video lessons and live sessions, kids get book recommendations, writing prompts, access to Writing Barn virtual book launches, and a complimentary signed copy of a guest author’s book delivered right to your mailbox. (Here’s WB Youth student Catalina with her copy of guest author Erin Entrada Kelly’s Lalani of the Distant Sea!)
We designed WB Youth to offer flexibility, community, inspiration, and – of course! – education. And the program offers us instructors a lot in return. It’s such a joy to read, see, and hear the work that students produce. I speak for all the instructors when I say we are always blown away by the boundless imagination and incredible talent of the young writers we work with.
Our youth programming will continue to evolve, and we always welcome feedback from parents, guardians, and educators on what kind of programming would best serve the needs of your kids and students. We are dedicated to providing fun and educational opportunities for creative kids, so they can hone their skills, share their work, and expand their creative horizons.
To learn more about Writing Barn Youth and our upcoming fall session, click here. I also invite you to contact me at evan@thewritingbarn.com with questions about the program, or suggestions for how our youth programming can best serve your family’s needs.
We hope to meet your young writer soon!
– Evan Griffith
Author + Writing Barn Youth Programming Specialist
www.evangriffithbooks.com