USD hosts creative writing camp for high school students
The Dakota Writing Project (DWP), a local teacher’s organization affiliated with the National Writing Project and the Vermillion Literary Project (VLP), an award-winning student organization, are co-hosting the one-day camp, which is in its third year at USD. More than 30 students from South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska participated in last year’s camp.
This year’s camp schedule includes workshops on theatrical writing, poetry, creative nonfiction, digital storytelling, revision and performance. The camp, which begins at 8 a.m. in Old Main on The U’s campus, concludes with a public reading in Farber Hall at 4 p.m.
Workshop leaders for "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: A Creative Writers’ Camp" are Mary Begley (Vermillion High School), Connie Krueger (North Middle School), Anne Moege (Mitchell Middle School), Sue Morrell (Wagner Community School), Jason Murray, (The University of South Dakota), Associate Professor Lee Ann Roripaugh (The University of South Dakota) and Associate Professor Dennis Sjolie (The University of South Dakota). Additional DWP teacher-consultants and leaders from Prairie Winds, a South Dakota organization working to improve student and teacher writing, will assist with Sjolie’s workshop.
"The different writing genres we will offer are fresh and exciting," said VLP leader Sara Kniffen, who will lead the 4 p.m. reading in Farber Hall at the conclusion of the day. Camp co-director Lindy Obach stressed that the camp is for students "who have a genuine interest in writing and expression—no experience writing stories or poetry is necessary."
The deadline to register is Sept. 19 and enrollment is limited. A registration form, along with biographies of the teacher-writers leading the workshops, is available online at www.usd.edu/orgs/projlit/camp. School officials can also nominate students using the online registration form. The registration fee includes a day of workshops, camp T-shirt, lunch, refreshments and a copy of the VLP 2007 magazine. Reduced-fee scholarships based on financial need are also available; please e-mail [email protected] for scholarship information.