YOUNG WRITERS SHINE AT UCSB CAMP AT OXNARD COLLEGE
Sixty-four aspiring young writers from eight Ventura County school districts debuted their original works at the closing ceremony of the University of California, Santa Barbara’s South Coast Writing Project “Young Writers’ Camp” held Aug. 4 at Oxnard College.
Reading their original poetry and short stories from the published “Anthology” storybook , the students — some a little shy — read their works to a standing-room-only crowd of parents and educators.
This is the third year for the “Young Writers’ Camp,” according to director Aline Shapiro and Oxnard College coordinator Mark Urwick. The program blended nature observations with daily writing workshops that introduced campers to a variety of writing genres and the strategies of professional writers. The camp was designed to increase the confidence, motivation and fluency in writing of each young writer.
Excerpts:
“Poetry, I guess, sort of saved my life. All I did was put my feelings on a simple piece of paper and it suddenly felt as if a great weight had been lifted from my breaking shoulders.” - - Andres Avila
“Once upon a time there was a snozwanger named Maugin. A snozwanger is a very common creature that is found almost everywhere in the Mystic Moogle…” Brandy Nisbit | 