ABOUT
In this semester-long workshop, children and preteens creatively explore and expand their self-confidence by writing and illustrating a book together. We meet for one hour a week over 10 to 12 weeks. Group activities, games, solitary writing, and drawing provide for a fun and productive setting.
How it works:
It is a very simple formula for creativity that works every time. Model the greats!
First, we read two or three classic picture books or short stories, such as Puss in Boots illustrated by Fred Marcellino, Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, or Raven, by Gerald McDermott. Along the way, I highlight the narrative arc of each story, and identify archetypal events and functions of the characters and settings (not necessarily in those words, of course!).
The group votes--after sometimes heated campaigning--for the favorite plot / favorite book. Once a winner is chosen, we nominate and vote on characters and settings. Then we reread the book and we rewrite it, word for word retelling the story, inserting our own vocabulary, characters, and setting (while retaining the original syntax, more or less). We simply pass the book around, page by page, and each participant does the work. They dictate, I type. It is amazing to see how creative a bunch of kids will be, transforming a Chinese folk tale called The River Dragon into a thriller set at a Seattle landmark (Nightmare at Green Lake, summer 2023), for example.
By the end, all children have their own pages in print, as contributors to a collective book. As I type, I coach them when necessary to sharpen their words and make the images more memorable. We illustrate the story with colored pencils and markers, we assemble all the pages, get them photocopied in color and spiral bound, and presto, an original work of children's literature is born! A free pdf of our book is provided to all. A few pages of each book are posted on the Write YOUR Story website (under "Favorite Pages").
Students receive individual attention and gradually realize how easy good writing can be when approached cooperatively, or as if you're thinking out loud just for fun. Everyone is honored at the gala celebration and book-sharing event at the end.
Our workshop was originally inspired by the 826 National Network. Read more about its mission here.
NEWS!! In Fall/Winter 2024, we plan to publish a hardback collection of the WYS products as Five Seattle Stories by Seattle Kids (with the help of Honey Girl Books and Gifts). Stand by for more!
WHO CAN JOIN?
This free workshop is open to anyone aged 7-11. It is limited to 10 students per semester. During the Summer term, we created a fabulous book, The Good, the Bad and the Cat. Enrollment is now open for Fall 2024!
WHO TEACHES IT?
Seattle native Julia Douthwaite Viglione, mother of two, was a professor of French at the University of Notre Dame from 1991-2018. Although she loved college teaching in South Bend, she is delighted to return to West Seattle and live closer to family and old friends. She is the author of several books, most recently The Frankenstein of 1790 and Other Lost Chapters from Revolutionary France (Univ. of Chicago Press, 2012) and lead editor of Teaching Representations of the French Revolution (Modern Language Association "Options for Teaching" series, 2019). In 2017, she published Rousseau and Dignity: Art Serving Humanity (Univ. of Notre Dame Press, 2017), with 42 collaborators age 7 to 92, in which she recounts the genesis of this class.
Among her books for children and young adults is The Frankenstein of the Apple Crate, illustrated by Karen Neis (now available in English, French, and Spanish too!) and A Spooky Tale of Spring, or How the Grumpy Mom Got her Cheer Back, illustrated by Kiera Highsmith. Readers are raving about A Spooky Tale ; one reader wrote:
"Laughter heals, and this lovely book kept me laughing. It's a wonderful tribute to Dickens's Christmas Carol, by extending it to animals. Our pets come out ahead here, knowing things it would be best for we adults to learn and take to heart. And as we laugh and chortle, we heal."
--Murray Baumgarten, Founding Director, The Dickens Project, UCSC
All books available via the Honey Girl Books and Gifts website, and at Pegasus Books (online and in the West Seattle Junction), as well as other online sellers!
Ms. Douthwaite Viglione has been teaching children to write stories and make altered books since 2010. Working with children is a labor of love; it provides creative energy and happiness for her ongoing work as an artist/quilt-maker for Honey Girl Books and Gifts.
A personal note of thanks:
This class would not have been possible without the help of many former students of mine, and friendly co-teachers. They include Notre Dame grads Alexa Craig (co-founder of WYS), Anna Bourbonnais, Kirstyn Ruiz, Priscilla Quaye, Travon DeLeon, and friends Hermalena Powell, Lucien Vandenbroucke, Kate Ravin, Joyce Block, Jane Lockhart, Ann Perrins, Greg Estes and Shepherd Siegel. In 2023 and 2024, the WYS team has included Elaina Harris and Dr. Shep Siegel!
WHEN IS IT?
Fall session begins Sept. 25 and meets every Wednesday from 4:30pm to 5:30pm, from Sept. 25 to December 11, at the Curious Kidstuff toy store in West Seattle.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Price: $free for participation. A free pdf of our book is provided to all participants. Each child receives a complimentary spiral-bound color copy of our book at the final Gala Celebration and Book Sharing as well!
Optional: approx. $25 for extra copies of our collective book.
Participants are requested to attend every session in return for this unique opportunity, but if you must miss please contact the teacher..
Brought to you by the same spirit that runs Honey Girl Books and Gifts.
IN THE NEWS
Check out this awesome video of our class in Fall 2017, and the article that The South Bend Tribune wrote about our class!