Poetry Day in Lancaster, PA

Join Highlights HELLO! editor Paula Morrow, novel-in-verse author Linda Oatman High, author/playwright Sandy Asher, and the Eastern PA Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) for a comprehensive look at the possibilities for poets today. Whether you write for babies or teenagers, this workshop has something for you!

Cost is $50 for SCBWI Members, $65 for non-members.

For more information or to register please visit: epa.scbwi.org/events/poetry-day-in-lancaster-pa

Featuring…

POEMS FOR YOUNG READERS: WHERE DO THEY COME FROM AND WHERE DO THEY GO? with Sandy Asher. The short answers are “Anywhere” and “Everywhere.” Drawing on her own experience and others’, Sandy will delve far more deeply into finding inspiration and markets in unexpected places. Writing prompts and sharing will be included.

WRITING TO THE BEAT OF A DIFFERENT DRUMMER with Linda Oatman High. Linda will use her novels-in-verse “Teeny Little Grief Machines,” “A Heart Like Ringo Starr,” “That Selfie Girl,” and “Otherwise” to demonstrate how tough subjects can be tackled using poetry. Writing prompts will be included.

THE HEAT OF INSPIRATION; THE COOL CONTROL OF REVISION with Paula Morrow. Paula’s editing philosophy is not to change anything the poet has written but to point out areas that could be strengthened and ask questions for the poet to consider. She’ll bring (with the writers’ permissions) samples of poems she has edited previously, to highlight common aspects that participants can then apply to their own work.

And…

NOT YOUR USUAL FIRST-PAGE READ! *Register before September 15 to participate! First-page reads are fun and enlightening—but they have one big drawback when it comes to poetry. Because a poem is a complex piece of writing, an editor will often set a poem aside to read more than once before making the yea/nay decision. We will offer a variation on the usual first-page session. Poems are to be sent in advance. Paula will read each one and make notes on the page. At the workshop, she’ll pull pages from a hat (or bucket or barrel?!) and give two comments: her first impression on reading the poem and her additional thoughts after re-readings. Guidelines will be e-mailed to participants after registration.