Bookbinding, Readings, and a Week to Remember: Day 5 of the 2026 Young Writers’ Workshop  

Posted on by Ruth Okon

1, 2, 3, 4…and just like that, it’s Day 5!   It’s hard to believe we’ve reached the final day of the 2026 Young Writers’ Workshop!   The morning began with our young writers sharing their favorite moments from the week. They reflected on all the memories they had made together, mentioning highlights such as listening to one another’s readings, finding inspiration … Continue reading Bookbinding, Readings, and a Week to Remember: Day 5 of the 2026 Young Writers’ Workshop  

Comics, Characters, Creativity, and a Whole Lot of Laughter: Day 4 of the 2026 Young Writers Workshop 

Posted on by Ruth Okon

Ever thought writing was just about words on a page?   Well, this morning’s session reminded us that stories can be told in so many different ways. Sometimes, writing looks like comics. Sometimes, it looks like drawings. And sometimes, it looks like a weird alien named Georgina living in Slippery Kansas!  The day began with Aidia introducing our young writers to … Continue reading Comics, Characters, Creativity, and a Whole Lot of Laughter: Day 4 of the 2026 Young Writers Workshop 

Empathy, Poetry, Art, and Fiction: Day 3 of the 2026 Young Writers’ Workshop 

Posted on by Ruth Okon

Day three of the 2026 Young Writers' Workshop focused on empathy, perspective, poetry, art, and fiction as our young writers spent the day exploring different ways of seeing the world through writing.  The day began with the Question of the Day: "What would your character have for breakfast?" The young writers shared creative and often humorous responses … Continue reading Empathy, Poetry, Art, and Fiction: Day 3 of the 2026 Young Writers’ Workshop 

Nature, Poetry, Art, and Imagination: Day Two of the 2026 Young Writers’ Workshop

Posted on by Ruth Okon

Day two of the 2026 Young Writers' Workshop was filled with reflection, creativity, observation, and imagination as our young writers explored the connections between nature, writing, art, and storytelling. The day began in the garden with a reflective nature-writing session facilitated by Maranda. Our young writers spent time observing a piece of nature and writing … Continue reading Nature, Poetry, Art, and Imagination: Day Two of the 2026 Young Writers’ Workshop

Character Building, Workshopping, and Play Writing: Day One of the 2026 Young Writers’ Workshop

Posted on by Ruth Okon

The 2026 Young Writers’ Workshop is officially underway, and what a way to begin! The day started with a simple question: “What is your favorite book?” Our young writers shared books ranging from fantasy to beloved classics, and the answers gave us a glimpse into the interests and imaginations of our young writers and set … Continue reading Character Building, Workshopping, and Play Writing: Day One of the 2026 Young Writers’ Workshop

Introducing the 2026 Staff!

Posted on by englishkstate

It’s that time of year again—we’re kicking off summer with the Young Writers’ Workshop! This year’s workshop is packed with exciting adventures in creative writing, and we can’t wait to share our daily discoveries, achievements, and memorable moments with you right here. With the workshop only a few days away and our incredible crew ready … Continue reading Introducing the 2026 Staff!

Sharing Favorites, Book Binding & Final Reading: Day 5 of the 2025 Young Writers’ Workshop

Posted on by maryoadeyemo

5 days of hard work, 5 days of creative expressions... and we're done!!! It rained showers of creativity today at the UMB hall of the Beach Museum! Friends and families of our creative writers, faculty of the English department, and other friends all gathered to experience the fruit of our young writers’ diligent work all … Continue reading Sharing Favorites, Book Binding & Final Reading: Day 5 of the 2025 Young Writers’ Workshop

Buggy Rocks, Flash Fiction, and Revision Magic: Day 4 of Our Young Writers’ Workshop

Posted on by maryoadeyemo

It’s been one, two, three, four days into our workshop, and we can’t believe we’ve come this far!! Have you ever felt as light as a bug or as hard as rock? Day 4 started with a self-portrait of the writers as bugs or rocks. Instructors Mira and Noah helped the young writers explore personal … Continue reading Buggy Rocks, Flash Fiction, and Revision Magic: Day 4 of Our Young Writers’ Workshop

Magic Making, Playwriting… and more writing! – Day 3 of our Young Writer’s workshop

Posted on by maryoadeyemo

If you were to describe your day in colors, what color would it be? Green for productivity, gray for calmness, or purple for the pride you have in your accomplishments? Yellow for a warm sun glow? Yesterday, I told you that today was going to be a lot of writing; well, here we are! We … Continue reading Magic Making, Playwriting… and more writing! – Day 3 of our Young Writer’s workshop

Visual Thinking, Writing Persona, Character Building, & Collage Poetry: Day 2 of 2025 Young Writers’ Workshop

Posted on by maryoadeyemo

We started Day 2 of our workshop with a session on Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS). I bet that, at least once, you have seen an artwork described it as “beautiful.” Other times, you might have felt the artist just made scribbles for elementary schoolers; or maybe you’ve had a mix of both experiences! This morning, … Continue reading Visual Thinking, Writing Persona, Character Building, & Collage Poetry: Day 2 of 2025 Young Writers’ Workshop