There are so many ways to spend summer vacation: going on trips, hanging out at the pool, relaxing at home, and more! With the 2023 Young Writers’ Workshop beginning less than a week away, our instructors have been spending their summer preparing to meet our amazing young writers by creating exciting activities and brainstorming ways to make this year’s workshop the best yet. We are all so excited to meet our Young Writers on Monday, June 19th. But first, let me introduce you to our 2023 staff!
Dr. Traci Brimhall, Program Director and Lead Instructor
Traci Brimhall (she/her) is a Professor in Kansas State University’s Department of English with a focus in Creative Writing and is also the current Poet Laureate of Kansas. Originally from Little Falls, Minnesota, Traci has moved ten times in her life but is now celebrating her tenth year in Kansas! She is currently working on a poetry walk for the library of Johnson Country, which consists of a series of 16 poems, and when she isn’t writing or working, she enjoys spending time camping, hiking, paddleboarding, or all things outdoors! This year will be Traci’s second year with the Young Writers’ Workshop.
Tell me about your favorite subject or character you’ve ever written about.
My favorite thing is always what I’m currently working on. In addition to the poetry walk, I’ve been doing a lot with book arts and carrying pocket poetry field guides as I walk. And so, I always love most what I am currently learning about and working on, so right now, it’s book arts.
If you could write a spin-off about any fictional side-character, who would you choose and what would it be about?
I’m rewatching The Good Place for like the fourth time and I can’t decide if I’m more Eleanor or more Chidi but I think I need more side stories of their stuff. Or maybe all of them. All four of them. Or Michael’s history before he started liking humans. Any character from The Good Place!
Where is your favorite writing space, and what do you need in it to stay focused?
My current favorite place is outside, which I hated for decades. I hated being forced to write outside and now it’s my favorite thing to do. I also just like changing where I try to write to see if something different comes out based on where I am.
What is one unpopular writer/reader opinion you have?
I really do think you can judge a book by its cover. It doesn’t mean you’re right, but you’re probably judging whether or not it’s for you because marketers are trying to decide how to market books based on certain designs or color schemes. So, I am sometimes probably like, that’s not for me based on the cover. I think 9 times out of 10 the marketers are right but also sometimes it’s wrong. So, that doesn’t mean I’m right to judge books by their cover 100%, but often the marketers know how to market or not and it’s marketed accordingly.
Riley O’Mearns, Instructor
Hailing from right outside of Memphis, Tennessee, Riley O’Mearns (she/her) is preparing to start work on her MFA in Poetry at Virginia Tech in the fall. She is currently working on surrealist poetry, with topics on ghosts, the South, and liminality. While poetry is her preferred genre to write, she also enjoys dabbling in creative nonfiction. In her free time, Riley likes anything related to Legend of Zelda, baking, crocheting, and being outdoors. This year will be Riley’s second year with the Young Writers’ Workshop.
Tell me about your favorite subject or character you’ve ever written about.
I once wrote a poem that incorporated both Mario Kart and mushrooms.
If you could write a spin-off about any fictional side-character, who would you choose and what would it be about?
I’d love to do a spin-off about Alice Cullen from Twilight. I’m so interested in her backstory and would probably explore it more in my own work.
Where is your favorite writing space, and what do you need in it to stay focused?
Any space outside toward the start of summer is my favorite writing space. I need the sound of birds, a light breeze, a lined notebook, and a good pen.
What is one unpopular writer/reader opinion you have?
I totally do not mind dog-eared pages. A roughed-up book is a well-loved one.
Ian Lutz, Instructor
Ian Lutz (he/him) is a born and raised Manhattan local who is currently in his second year of graduate school, studying Children’s Literature. Having spent a few years teaching in Japan, Ian is now using that experience to work on a bilingual Japanese English picture book. When he isn’t working on writing fiction, Ian loves to garden and do leatherwork. This will be his first year with the Young Writers’ Workshop.
Tell me about your favorite subject or character you’ve ever written about.
There was something I started years ago that I should probably get back to. I actually was starting to write a steampunk fantasy novel that had an engineer woman character getting drawn into magical adventures that she didn’t really want to have a part in.
If you could write a spin-off about any fictional side-character, who would you choose and what would it be about?
There’s a book I really enjoyed when I was in middle school, Sabriel by Garth Nix, and one of the characters is a magical cat called Mogget. Fascinating character! I would love to write a whole backstory on that little feline!
Where is your favorite writing space, and what do you need in it to stay focused?
Currently a good coffee shop with lots of coffee. That’s kind of what the recipe is, I suppose. I would love to work outside more if I could find the right bug spray and find the right place. I would love to do that!
What is one unpopular writer/reader opinion you have?
I think very few writers actually use amnesia properly in writing. It has been for many years a lazy way of doing exposition when they don’t actually focus on the emotional trauma of amnesia. They just use it as a way to explain the world.
Totty Norwood, Instructor
Currently working on food-inspired nature poems, Totty Norwood (she/her) loves writing poetry. Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Totty finished high school in Wichita, Kansas, and is now in her third year pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English at Kansas State University. Totty enjoys roller skating and listening to music, and this will be her first year with the Young Writers’ Workshop.
Tell me about your favorite subject or character you’ve ever written about.
In a lot of my poetry, I explore my childhood and my family growing up, and I find that really healing, so those are some of my favorite poems to write.
If you could write a spin-off about any fictional side-character, who would you choose and what would it be about?
I’ve been watching Succession and I would do a cousin Greg spin off. I want a show about him and being newly rich!
Where is your favorite writing space, and what do you need in it to stay focused?
My favorite writing space is definitely Starbucks and all I need to stay focused is my noise cancelling headphones.
What is one unpopular writer/reader opinion you have?
I don’t know if this is an unpopular opinion or something I struggle with doing, but if I’ve written something, I have a hard time going back and reading it to revise it. My unpopular opinion is…if you feel like it’s good on the first go, send it in! But that’s not smart, haha!
Jordan Dombrowski, Program Assistant
Jordan Dombrowski (she/her) is a second-year graduate student at Kansas State University, studying Children’s Literature. While currently stepping out of her comfort zone to dabble in poetry, Jordan typically writes young adult fantasy and dystopias in addition to research papers on young adult literature. When she isn’t writing or studying, Jordan spends time with her dog, Nala, travels, tries new recipes, and reads.
Tell me about your favorite subject or character you’ve ever written about.
I love dystopian young adult fiction because of the worldbuilding associated with the genre. My favorite dystopia I’ve created is about a war-plagued future where citizens can either take the risk living and fighting in the war or can enter a mysterious city surrounded by a dome that offers them a chance at a new, “safer” life.
If you could write a spin-off about any fictional side-character, who would you choose and what would it be about?
I’m a big Harry Potter fan so I’m all on-board for a Marauders’ prequel! I’d love to know about that group’s adventures at Hogwarts!
Where is your favorite writing space, and what do you need in it to stay focused?
I love writing outside on my porch with my dog nearby and a peach water from Sonic!
What is one unpopular writer/reader opinion you have?
Like Riley, I’m totally fine with a roughed up book! If I have a book that is over 400 pages, I’ll immediately crack the spine because I think it’s easier to lay the book open. I also never use a bookmark and always dog-ear the pages, and I’m totally fine with ripping/cutting pages out of books if it is for book-themed art!
We can’t wait for the workshop to begin next week, and more importantly, can’t wait to meet our 2023 young writers! Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram so you can keep up with all the excitement.
Check back in next week to see what we’re up to each day of our workshop!
— Jordan Dombrowski, Program Assistant
K-State Young Writers' Workshop 