September Was WILD
The inmates took over the asylum this month, especially during Thursday and Friday Night Writes. Honestly, I love to see it. Our middle schoolers, especially, were pretty quiet over the summer and seemed very reticent to be seen in public, let alone share their work. This week, we’ll begin our TNW session with a discussion about indoor voices and a reminder to refrain from purposefully annoying your friends. Don’t worry — I’ll be staring down my own child the entire time. At this rate, he’s going to be writing in the garage. (They are so funny and so full of life. I love every moment of this.)
Other September highlights:
The Fracturing Fairy Tales class has been a constant source of hilarity and excellent storytelling. If I ever make Wordshop merch, our first mug will have the phrase, “How old are you, hag?” emblazoned on it, a la Regan’s version of Hansel to the child-eating witch. I am constantly amazed by Regan’s and Daphne’s characters and plot twists. They’re excellent collaborators.
The Writing Sucks class has put up with a lot from me. Homework! Terrible jokes! Rewrites! Explanations about dial-up modems! I’m extremely proud of them for sticking with it, asking great questions, and trying again when I tell them they can do better. Their five-paragraph essays are going to be the best in class from here on out.
Adian and I have spent a lot of time together during Get a Grip on Punctuation. We’ve covered quotation marks, apostrophes, periods, question marks, exclamation points, and we spent two whole weeks on commas. We’re going to tackle colons, semi-colons, and dashes in our last session.
Liam and I are having a lot of fun figuring out his Common App essay in Let’s Talk About Me (the College Essay Class). Since he’s the only one signed up, he gets my full attention! I have another round starting up in November.
The Wordshop Membership ($10 a month, open to all high schoolers) has been active for a month. The writers and I worked together to set individual goals for the semester. I’ll be checking in during our Monday Night Quiet (ha!) Writes. I’ve already seen some progress, which is great.
The Virtual Book Clubs had their first meetings this month. The format works great for both elementary and middle school, especially once Mrs. Kristin remembered that everyone should be on mute if they’re not talking. The elementary group was largely unimpressed by Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume; Mrs. Kristin seriously underestimated her readers’ sophistication and desire for adventure. (A little brother swallowing a turtle apparently isn’t adventurous enough.) The middle school group read New Kid, a graphic novel by Jerry Craft. We had an excellent discussion about race, class, and how graphic novels can enhance stories in ways novels can’t.
The Adult Book Club (ABC) had its first gathering last Thursday to talk about Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple. We had an awesome discussion and made new friends. (See below to find out how to join the next session, when we’ll be reading The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.)
October & November Classes
Middle and High School
Fright Night: Crafting Mood, October 4, 10, 18, 24, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Get into the spirit of the season with four sessions dedicated to writing creepy, mysterious, and downright sinister scenes.
Cursive and Commas, Mondays, 4:15-5:30, starts October 9
Learn/brush up on cursive and punctuation skills from two masters of their crafts.
Writing Sucks, Mondays, 4:00-5:00 p.m., starts November 6
Tailored specifically for kids who are good students but hate writing, Writing Sucks breaks down the dreaded-five paragraph essay into easy, manageable steps and demystifies the writing process.
High School
Wordshop Membership (ongoing)
Friday Night Write, 7:00-8:30 p.m., October 6, 20, November 10, 17
Get Lit: Short Stories, Wednesdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m., starts October 11
Join Mrs. Kristin once a week for an hour of discussion and debate about some of literature’s most chilling and macabre tales.
Let’s Talk About Me (the College Essay Class), Wednesdays, 7:00-8:30 p.m., starts November 1
During this six-week class, students will brush up on their narrative writing skills, brainstorm essay topics, learn techniques for developing their own writerly voice, and produce final drafts of a Common App essay.
Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Editorial Team, Sundays, 4:00-5:30 p.m., starts November 5
The Wordshop is writing a book and we need your help! The High School Editorial Team will brainstorm topics for a choose-your-own-adventure book, outline the plot, write the first few chapters, and create a blueprint for the middle school team (who will write in 2024) to follow.
Fiction Boot Camp, Tuesdays, 4:00-5:30 p.m., starts November 7
This intermediate-to-advanced fiction class is perfect for kids who either want to write their own novel or are in the process of doing so. We’ll play with character creation, build our own worlds, and explore the relationship between plot development and a character’s narrative arc.
Gimme a Beat: Poetry Party, Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30 p.m., starts November 7
Read it, write it, love it. We’ll spend five sessions reading awesome poems and then try our hand at writing our own. Each week will focus on a different style of poetry.
Middle School
Thursday Night Write, 7:00-8:30 p.m., October 5, 19, November 2, 16, 30
Journalism 101, 4:00-5:00 p.m., starts October 10
Did you know Mrs. Kristin has a degree in journalism? It’s true! She’ll teach you all about different types of news writing, how to interview a subject, and how to structure a news story.
Make Mine a Myth, Thursdays, 4:00-5:30 p.m., starts October 19
Go beyond ancient Greece and Rome in this dual literature/writing class. We’ll study mythology from around the world, then write our own creation stories.
Playing with Poems, Wednesdays, 4:00-5:30 p.m., starts November 29
Poems are hiding everywhere. Mrs. Kristin will show you where to find them. We’ll also read the work of some awesome poets and try to figure out what makes a poem not suck.
Adults-Only
Adult Book Club, October 26, 7:15-8:30 p.m.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Avid and reluctant readers alike are invited to join our discussion about this deliciously creepy, mind-melting classic. Kristin will lead you through a discussion about the book’s themes, symbols, and structure, just like she does with your kids. Whether you devour it in a day or prefer to listen while running errands, everyone is welcome.