DWP/VLP creative writers’ camp
by Michelle Rogge Gannon, University of South Dakota
The Dakota Writing Project and the Vermillion Literary Project (VLP), a USD student organization, are coming together to plan and host “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: A Creative Writers’ Camp.” The camp, which will be held October 14th in Old Main on the University of South Dakota campus, is open to area high school students who have a genuine interest in writing and who have been nominated by their school administrators or teachers.
Sara Kniffen, a leader in the VLP, came up with the idea originally. She, Annie Christain, a 2006 DWP teacher-consultant and VLP leader, and Michelle Rogge Gannon, a DWP co-director and VLP faculty advisor, have been working together to shape this one-day camp, which will include workshops with writing professionals who are also DWP teacher-consultants. Workshop writers include Associate Professor Dennis Sjolie (USD–English) focusing on fiction; Assistant Professor Timothy Duggan (USD–School of Education) focusing on songwriting; teacher-consultant Sue Morrell (Wagner–English) focusing on poetry; and PhD student Annie Christain (USD–English) focusing on performance. There will be an open reading at 4 p.m., which parents, educators, and the general public are invited to attend.
The camp’s name “A Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” was, in part, inspired by this quotation from writer Charles Baudelaire: “To handle a language skillfully is to practice a kind of evocative sorcery.” This quotation appears prominently in the letter and brochure that were mailed to area high schools. DWP teachers are welcome to nominate promising high school students who are interested in writing in a variety of genres, including fiction, songwriting, and poetry, as well as performing their work. No experience is required, but students are expected to attend and participate in the entire camp, which is held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. central on Saturday, October 14th, 2006.
The $20 fee per student includes all workshops, a camp t-shirt, a copy of the VLP 2006 literary magazine, and break snacks. Students should bring $8-10 for lunch. The number of participants is limited to twenty, with registration first-come, first-serve. Registrations should be postmarked by September 8, 2006. For details about the camp, the workshop writers, and a registration form, visit http://www.usd.edu/orgs/projlit/camp .
