Children's Festival of Stories

Chapter Book and Middle Grade Panel Q&A (for writers of all ages)
Hear from authors Sarah Aronson, Abby Cooper, Melanie Crowder, Claudia Mills, Jeannie Mobley and Elly Swartz in this chapter book & middle grade panel. They will share their experiences writing for young readers and address your burning questions about the genres.

Creative Non-fiction Story Writing (for younger writers)
Author Kristen Foote will lead a workshop on how to create and come up with ideas for writing different forms of non-fiction. Using fact-cards and other educational resources on various scientific topics, we'll choose topics of interest based on the resources available. Kristen will lead writers through creating an outline for the type of story that they choose to write based on those facts.

Drawing Animals with Pastels  (for younger artists)
Do you like animals real and imaginary? Are you interested in learning about color? Do you want to draw your own unique colorful animals? If you do, this workshop is for you! Learn pastel on black paper techniques to help you harness the amazing possibilities of drawing animals with award-winning artist & illustrator, Tony Ortega.

Making Picture Books with Heart and Clarity (for adult writers)
Come ready to play! This workshop with author Miriam Busch is part overview/ part hands-on. What are the elements of an excellent picture book? We create "dummies" out of our own (or others') manuscripts, and explore ways of shaping our stories.
OPTIONAL: bring two copies of your own double-spaced manuscript to "dummy-up". If you don't have one, don't fret! One will be provided.

SESSION THREE: 12:20-1:05 p.m.

Do's and Don'ts of Writing Dialogue (for younger writers)
This interactive workshop with author Claudia Mills demonstrates how to turn even the flattest stretch of dialogue into a memorable scene by turning "talking heads" into living, breathing characters. 

Embracing Theme (for adult writers)
Are you ready to think big? To embrace the motivation behind your stories? To think about theme? A strong theme is not just essential to a great story—it is the juice—the motivation to return to the manuscript and dig. Donald Maass, in The Fire in Fiction, calls theme “the underlying conviction that makes the words matter.” It is also the electricity that keeps us motivated to go back to our characters and story events and continue writing—even as expectations, disappointment, boredom, and ego challenge our senses of our selves. In this lecture, author Sarah Aronson will speak to the power of embracing theme as part of your writing process. She will show you how theme can help you tap into the three I’s of writing: inspiration, intellect, and intuition, and will offer tips and prompts to help you embrace theme in your writing and critical reading. 

What Makes a Story? (for younger writers)
Bring your inspiration and creativity to this workshop with author Melanie Crowder and you’ll discover the structure and shape that transforms an idea into a story. Young writers will learn the elements of a story and will have the opportunity to practice each new skill they learn.

SESSION FOUR: 1:15-2 p.m.​

Creating Characters Through Art Games & Story Building (for younger creators)
Join Luke Flowers in a journey into the world of character creation. Creating a unique character and bringing characters to life through art games and story building. I would use my Moby Shinobi book series with Scholastic as a backbone for this workshop and have kids follow along the same process I use in building characters and writing their story.

Finding Layers in Picture Books (for adult writers)
Picture books SEEM simple on the outside, but underneath they are sophisticated and complex. In this workshop, we'll "peel back the layers" of picture books - character, theme, plot, illustrations, etc., and learn how to incorporate those layers when writing our own picture books. This workshop with Julie Hedlund will also help parents and educators mine the depths of this amazing art form for children to improve their reading and teaching skills. 

From Page to Stage (for younger writers, performers, storytellers)
This workshop with Assétou Xango  is designed to teach you how to take your poem from page to stage in the most effective way. We will practice intonation, body movement, emitting emotion to an audience and so much more! We will end the workshop with a slam resulting in a small prize for the winner. This way, we can explore in real time what works, and what doesn’t work on stage. Bring your own poems, prepare to write some or, come ready to read someone else’s! It does matter; it is all about the Spoken Word! 

Story Magic (for younger writers) 
Roald Dahl once said “a little magic can take you a long way.” In this introduction to magical realism with author Abby Cooper, we'll explore the many ways we can make our stories magical. We'll brainstorm ideas for magical characters, settings, and objects, and we'll experiment with including some of each in our writing. Then, we'll discuss how to account for magical elements in a way that makes sense to readers. At the end, we'll share some of our work. It'll be a magical session!

Where Art and Poetry Unite (for adult creators)
This Art from Ashes’ adult workshop invites participants to express themselves through art and poetry, accessing right-brain creative ability and the power of words to transform story. The words we choose to define ourselves and our reality can dictate how we think, what we do—even our experiences and circumstances. By learning to harness the creativity of the right-brain and express yourself honestly and beautifully, you will be empowered to change your story and move toward your dreams. 

SESSION FIVE: 2:10-2:55 p.m.

​Drawing on Air (for younger creators)
Employ the creative genius within you! Discover what is created when you combine visual and tactile arts to express yourself. This workshop presented by Art from Ashes instructors invites attendees to explore a variety of artistic media and incorporate it into an art project.

Participation Play – “Little Red Riding Hood (Or: The Case of the Little Hood in Red)” (for younger creators and storytellers)
In this interactive performance, participants are taken from the audience to play roles in the show!  As the story teller narrates the action, he feeds the actors their lines and stage movement, so we have an instant play with no rehearsal required!  This play is our own special version of the classic “Little Red Riding Hood”.  In our version, Woodsman P.I. goes on the search for the Little Hood in Red.  The investigation takes him (or her!) into the forest where he meets many quirky characters and forest creatures.  All have a story to tell about the little girl in her red cape.  Will the investigation have a happy ending?  Join us and find out!

The Power of Play: Climbing back into the Writing Sandbox (for adult writers)
Play is one of the most important (but underrated) phases of the creative process. With pressure to develop a brand, produce more work, and keep up a social media presence, many writers stop experimenting. When Sarah Aronson was feeling a bit at odds with her writing and the market, she gave herself the challenge to spend six full months playing. She made a commitment to write every genre she never thought she could publish—without expectations. What she discovered, after finishing a bunch of picture books, essays, a chapter book (with proposals for more), and the outline of an adult novel, will speak to the importance of play, hunches, and creativity. In this lecture, Sarah will retell the ups and downs she experienced as well as the lessons she learned while writing for fun. She will offer guidance and challenges as well—so that you, too, can rekindle your energy and get back into the writing sandbox.

Film Making Story (for younger creators)
Learn how to transform your story idea into a film fit for the big screen with filmmaker, Mark Roeder! Follow the life of a film from the seed of an idea to storyboard to production and leave with tools to take steps with your film creation.

You might also be interested in Evening of Story March 16, Children's Festival of Stories March 17