Summer Writing Classes

ADULT SUNDAY WRITES
When:  Sundays June 2, June 9, June 16, June 23; 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Cost: $150
Required Materials: Pen and Paper
Description: Are you too busy, too stressed, or perhaps even too "responsible" to take the time for the luxury of personal writing?  But even so, do you yearn for a cozy, safe, quiet haven where you can bring your pen and paper and quietly express the deepest yearnings of your heart?
"Sunday Writes" might just be your answer, A small group of adults will meet at the Andover Bookstore for the first four Sunday afternoons in June to explore the joy of writing
together. This group will encourage daily writing throughout the four-week course as well.

Guided and facilitated by Bonnie W. Mason, a magazine journalist with 25 years of experience, she provides a supportive, nurturing experience for those who want to deepen the well of their creativity through writing.  Writing prompts will be suggested, but are optional, as is sharing your writing.

Suggested reading: Writing Alone and With Others by Pat Schneider, Oxford University Press. 2003.

 4-Day Creative Writing Workshop for Ages 12+

Dates: Tuesdays and Thursdays, July 16, 18, 23, and 25
Time: 4:45 – 6PM
Cost $125.00
Location:  Spirit ’76 Marblehead, MA

Students will work to develop, nurture, and improve their writing craft in a fun and supportive group. We will work on creating setting, character, dialogue, and plot, and discuss how closely these writing devices are linked in stories. We will learn from other writers by examining their style through excerpts. We will then practice these styles through group and individual exercises. Please bring a notebook and pen.

The instructor: Laurie Faria Stolarz is the author of several popular young adult novels including the Touch series (the latest release of which is Deadly Little Voices), Project 17, and Bleed, (all published by Disney/Hyperion Books for Children), as well as the bestselling Blue is for Nightmares series (Flux Publications). With more than a million books in print worldwide, Stolarz’s titles have been named on numerous award lists, including the Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers list and the Top Ten Teen Pick list, both through the American Library Association. Stolarz attended Merrimack College and received an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College in Boston. For more information, please visit her Web site at www.lauriestolarz.com.

The Life of Your Writing:  Summer Writing Course Ages 16+

Dates: Tuesdays, July 9, 16, 23 & 30th
Time: 2:00-4:00pm
Cost: $150
Location: Andover Bookstore, Andover, MA

You love to write. Love it. You have notebooks piled in your cabinets and closets and desk drawers. But…there they sit, untouched once they are full. Or perhaps you have many great ideas but as of yet haven’t had the time to sit down and really dig into them with pen and paper. And besides, once you have some material, how do you know if it’s ready to show your peers, your community, or even the world?

Well my friends, this is the class for you!

In this course, we will explore the life your writing can have outside of the classroom or the journal or desk drawer. Your writing, your stories and ideas, can break into the world through literary journals and magazines! Of course, these things don’t happen overnight, but this course will inform you about the critiquing, revision, and submission processes in the genres of fiction and creative nonfiction. It will give you the tools to free your writing from your desk drawer and give it a life of its own.

Q & A

Q: Will there be homework?
A: Well, I will be asking you to read four short stories, two fiction and two nonfiction. And of course to bring in and share your writing with the group.

Q: Will there be grades?
A: Nope! Just good discussion and probably baked goods, as I love any excuse to bring people cupcakes.

Q: But Juliana, who are you exactly and why are you teaching this class?
A: Excellent question! I am a lover of literature and language, and always have been. I hold a B.A. in English from Villanova University and am currently a graduate student in Lesley University’s MFA program (ranked 6th in the country) for Fiction writing. I am an intern for real live literary agents (Pen & Ink Lit), a professional writing tutor in Cambridge, and a full-time book lover/seller at the Andover Bookstore. My work has appeared in literary magazines including The McGuffin and Overtime. In short, I love everything related to good writing, and I would be honored if you would join me this summer to explore and perfect our craft.

Call, drop by, or use the contact form for the bookstore to sign up!