Writing Workshop

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Storycatcher 2015–Save the Date!

Anna Keesey to Appear at Storycatcher 2015!

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2015 Writer in Residence: Anna Keesey

Anna Keesey is a graduate of Stanford University and the Iowa Writer’s Workshop.  Her work has appeared in a number of journals and anthologies, including Best American Short Stories.  She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship and has held residencies at MacDowell, Bread Loaf, Yaddo, and Provincetown.  Keesey teaches English and creative writing at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon.

Keesey’s historical novel Little Century (2012 Farrar, Straus & Giroux) has been widely-praised for capturing the drama and tumult of nineteenth-century homesteading, cattle ranching, range-wars and railroads—themes very familiar to those of us living on the Great Plains—but Little Century is instead set in frontier Oregon, reminding us that the West extends beyond our horizon, to the promise of the Oregon Trail itself. You can find out more by visiting the author’s website:  annakeesey.com

Ms. Keesey will be leading both advanced and beginning workshops, and will present our keynote address.

MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE REST OF THE WORKSHOP WILL BE FORTHCOMING. CHECK BACK SOON!

Friday June 12th – Sunday June 14th  2015

 cropped-storycatcherworkshopnologosmall1.jpgSet in the beautiful Pine Ridge Region of Northwest Nebraska, we present a mix of hands-on workshops, critical feedback and inspiring instruction from acclaimed authors and teachers who are passionate about writing and  can help you get published!

We offer advanced workshops on revising your fiction and non-fiction, and a wide variety of sessions focused on poetry, story telling, blogging, memoir, generating new material and submitting your work for publication.

We wrap it all up with a festival celebrating the work of everyone involved in the workshop, from published authors to beginners.

Affordable, friendly and accessible! A GREAT PLACE TO CREATE!

FIND OUT MORE! Watch this site for updates! View previous workshops by scrolling through our posts, or visiting our FACEBOOK page: www.facebook.com/storycatcherworkshop or following us on Twitter: #storycatcherworkshop

Questions? Want to join our mailing list? Fill out the form below:

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Stories Galore! 2014 Workshop Recap

14EnglishStoryCatcherSakaiOur third year of the  Story Catcher Writing Workshop and Festival has just concluded, focusing on the theme of “What’s YOUR Story?” What a great group we had once again this year! We learned so much from the session leaders and from the workshop participants in a truly inspiring four days!

Our workshop continues to grow, and if you follow the blogs and recaps posted here for the past several years, you will see that we have been able to attract some major talent to lead our sessions–and we have been able to provide a wide variety of activities and workshops for participants. And, as so many of our attendees told me this year, it is all offered at an incredible value.

Those of you who participated this or previous years, PLEASE share some of your thoughts and comments at the end of this blog entry. We would love to hear from you!

Come join us next June. We will post information and updates here as soon as we have the specific dates set, and the programming established.

Meanwhile–here is a recap of the 2014 Workshop:

Day One: Tuesday, June 10

Dan O’Brien met with his advanced students early on Tuesday morning and put them right to work. In the afternoon Todd Mitchell led a very informative session on beginning fiction, bringing lots of examples and tips from his experiences of teaching fiction and publishing for a wide variety of audiences. (See earlier blog entries for complete descriptions of these sessions and session leaders).

After a terrific reception where all the workshop participants were able to mix and mingle over some delicious treats, we were treated to a keynote presentation by Dan O’Brien,  “Writing the High Lonesome.”

Day Two: Wednesday, June 11

Wednesday was JAM-PACKED with sessions, starting at 8:30 in the morning over continental breakfast–the ADVANCED workshop members got to work, while the rest of the participants had the opportunity to work on writing and shaping compelling novels with Todd Mitchell, or “writing the land” with Dawn Wink.

After a fun lunch break downtown with more mixing and mingling at the Bean Broker Coffee House, writers returned to afternoon sessions focusing on Science Fiction/Fantasy, Mystery Writing and one author’s journey with her first novel.

 

Day Three: Thursday, June 12, RETREAT!

We concluded general sessions on Thursday morning, focusing on Dawn Wink’s session on getting your book published, and Rich Kenney’s poetry workshop.

For the afternoon we staged what has become one of the best features of our workshop, our nature RETREAT! This year we journeyed out to Fort Robinson State Park, home of so much history (much of which Mari Sandoz wrote about) and so much scenic beauty. What an inspiring backdrop for writing, hiking, reading, chatting and, of course, eating! We started our journey at the historic dining hall of the lodge restaurant, where most of the group dined on buffalo dishes (tacos, open faced sandwiches, even cabbage burgers–all prepared with bison). We then took a drive to some scenic parts of the park, winding up at the Ice House pond area for some writing exercises and nature walks. We concluded the evening with a cookout at the picnic shelter near the historic parade grounds in the park. What a wonderful, inspiring day!

Day Four: Friday, June 13, FESTIVAL!

While we are certainly proud of all the wonderful programming we are able to offer at the Story Catcher Workshop, the focus of all we do will always be on the WRITERS who come from far and wide to develop and share their own stories–this is why we conclude each workshop with a day to celebrate the writing of our participants. This year we adapted our “open mic” event to a “table read,” where several volunteers shared their work–and we all shared our thoughts and ideas about continuing to make writing a vital component of our lives.

Wrapping up our workshop this year was a wonderful presentation from Ron Hull on his terrific memoir of his colorful and eventful life. “Everybody Has a Story to Tell” was a great way to finish up our event–Ron has a been an ardent supporter of the Mari Sandoz Heritage society and this workshop, and the anecdotes he shared from his book, and the background he provided on the writing process, were fitting words of wisdom to conclude the festivities!

SEE YOU NEXT JUNE!!!

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Story Catcher Workshop Is HERE!

What’s YOUR Story? 

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Download the Final Program 2014

Registration & Costs

Chadron State College Conferencing is pleased to sign you up! Registration will be available at the door on Tuesday, or in advance  by visiting their website:   http://www.csc.edu/conferencing/upcoming/storycatcher/form/index.csc

Workshop Sessions are open to all aspiring writers of all ages and abilities.

(We recommend that High School Participants be at the Junior level or above).

General Registration:  $150

  • All workshop participants must pay the general registration fee, which gains you access to all open workshops and special sessions over the four days.
  • There is no deadline for General Registration, and you do not need to sign up for any specific sessions in advance. However, EARLY REGISTRATION IS ENCOURAGED—as materials and notices will be sent out to registered attendees in advance of the workshop.
  • Students and Mari Sandoz Heritage Society Members Receive a 20% discount

Questions? Fill out the form below…

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Storycatcher Writing Workshop 2014 — SAVE THE DATE!!!

 June 10th –  13th    2014 

StoryCatcherWorkshop What’s YOUR story?

Set in the beautiful Pine Ridge Region of Northwest Nebraska, we present a mix of hands-on workshops, critical feedback and inspiring instruction from acclaimed authors and teachers who are passionate about writing and  can help you get published!

We offer advanced workshops on revising your fiction and non-fiction, and a wide variety of sessions focused on poetry, story telling, blogging, memoir, generating new material and submitting your work for publication.

We wrap it all up with a festival celebrating the work of everyone involved in the workshop, from published authors to beginners.

Affordable, friendly and accessible! Check back for more details, coming soon!

Tentative Schedule

 Tuesday, June 10th

(Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center Atrium)

  • Morning: Check in & Registration for Advanced Workshop
  • Afternoon: Check-in & Registration for General Workshop
  • Evening: Opening Ceremonies and Reception

Wednesday & Thursday, June 11th – 12th

(Chadron State College and/or Locations in Region)

  • Stand Alone Workshops will be offered throughout each day focusing on Invention and the Writing Process (Generative Workshops)
  • Advanced workshops focused on revision

AFTERNOON & EVENING ACTIVITIES

Meet at designated locations for field trips and activities in the afternoon (Fort Robinson State Park, Chadron State Park, Museum of the Fur Trade, etc. Writing excursions may be arranged, as well as nature hikes/writing retreats).

Friday, June 13  — WRITING FESTIVAL

(Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center Atrium—Open to the Public)

  • Booksellers, Vendors, Sessions with Publishers, etc.
  • Activities may include readings from session participants, talks by authors, publishers and others associated with writing.
  • A Keynote address by a noted Author

Visit our Blog Pages here for a recap of  the 2012 & 2013 Workshop, or click below for our FACEBOOK site with lots of additional images: https://www.facebook.com/storycatcherworkshop