Young Writers 99-00

By: Kristen Schulze

This year I was fortunate to be chosen as one of the participants of Young Writers. Thi program meets six times a year at Bates, featuring presenters from different fields of writing. Groups from schools such as Lisbon, EL, and Oak Hill, meet at the Chase Lounge in the morning and have sessions until lunchtime. Then they continue until about 1:45, when groups return to school.

Presenters this year have had a variety of writing information to share with students. The latest program featured a Creative Writing teacher from UMF, who taught us several poetry technniques. Before that, a Franco-American author discussed the merits of his writing process with short stories, and the use of one's own heritage in writing.

A representative from National Public Radio gave an excellent lesson on how to write for radio, using sound effects and voice clips in addition to a narrator. Earlier in the year, students used their creative writing skills to make their own infomercials and each group presented their infomercial by the end of the day. Their products ranged from vodka to an evangelist's message.

Students wrote newspaper stories during the second meeting of Young Writer's. Each group wrote their own version of a news story, while experimenting with how to leave out information that we weren't given, just as in the real world. The first presenter this year was our own Doc Townsend, with such enjoyable activities as, "What would you do/not do for a million dollars?" and "What common things have you never done?" He also went over different writing styles and had students write a five part autobiographical piece.

A compilation of work from the participants of this year's Young Writer's will be made after the final session. This year's program has been an enjoyable experience. It's not just about getting out of school for the day or gorging yourself at the Bates cafeteria. So, if you get a chance to sign up for next year, go for it. You'll get to talk to people in the writing profession and get a better idea of what they do, and you will also meet students from other schools and hear some of their work.