Classes for Teens

Hugo Classes for Teens are Saturday workshops for teen writers who want to delve into particular subject areas such as the short story, the novel, free-form poetry, zines, spoken word, reviewing, flash fiction, screenwriting, playwriting and creative nonfiction, to name just a few. Workshops are held on the quarter system (fall, winter and spring).

Spring Quarter – March 6-April 10, 2010
Spring quarter registration for Hugo Classes for Teens has begun. To register, or for more information, call 206-322-7030 or email margotcase@hugohouse.org.

The Roots of Poetry
For many poets of this generation, hip hop informs both the way we see the world and the ways in which we write about it. This class will look at the influence hip hop culture has on our poetry—using elements of music, dance, graffiti and free-styling as springboards for great writing. Not everyone wants to be an MC, but we all can move the crowd though carefully crafted poetry.
Instructors: Aaron Counts & Matt Gano
Meets: Saturdays, March 6, 13, 27, April 3, 10, 1-3 p.m.
Tuition: $50, pay-what-you-can

Aaron Counts is a poet and teacher with roots planted in the golden era of hip hop. His writing has appeared on pages, stages and t-shirts around the country, including ego trip's "Big Book of Racism," ColorsNW and the Seattle Times.

Matt Gano is a 3-time member of the Seattle Poetry Slam Team and won the 2008 Final Slam. He works as a teaching artist for the organizations Writers in the Schools and Arts Corps as well as Youth Speaks Seattle.

Screenwriting
Want to see your writing on the screen? This class will take you on a journey through the art and science of penning a screenplay. Part style, part format, part discovery, the techniques we’ll explore will give you confidence to see your script unfold in preparation for production. Whether you’re adapting an existing tale or creating one of your own, we’ll analyze stories for structure and pacing, study effects you can create and examine the dynamic tension between the moving image and the written word.
Instructor: Ethan Delavan
Meets: Saturdays, March 6, 13, 27, April 3, 10, 1-3 p.m.
Tuition: $50, pay-what-you-can

Ethan Delavan is a filmmaker, media arts teacher and stage director, who has created work for KCTS/9, as well as stages and screens around the country.

Out of Line: The Nontraditional Essay
School probably has you convinced that the word “essay” means “tedious writing assignment on a boring topic,” but in reality, “essay” means “to try.” In this class we will experiment with fun and funky approaches to telling true stories. We’ll write letters to inanimate objects, interview ourselves, make lists of things we hate and use a box of “treasures” (antique spectacles, a plastic cowboy, a Scrabble tile—and more!) to help us break from the straight-ahead linear approach. Each week we’ll read other writers’ experiments and try our own. At the end of the class you’ll have at least five short creative essays in hand—none of which will look like anything you’ve ever written in school.
Instructor: Wilson Diehl Strote
Meets: Saturdays, March 6, 13, 27, April 3, 10, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Tuition: $50, pay-what-you-can

Wilson Diehl holds a B.A. from Swarthmore and an M.F.A. in creative nonfiction from the University of Iowa. Her work has appeared in The Iowa Review and The Paterson Literary Review. Currently she’s working on a book of essays and a collection of poetry.

The Moment That Changes Everything
Despite what your English teacher taught you, a good climax to a story doesn't always come at the end. In this class we'll study when and where the turning point of a story takes place, and how its position (at the beginning, middle or end) changes the mood of a story completely. We'll look at vignettes, short stories and longer works to find when and how writers achieve that pivotal moment, and if the story ends there.
Instructor: Cienna Madrid
Meets: Saturdays, March 6, 13, 27, April 3, 10, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Tuition: $50, pay-what-you-can

Cienna Madrid is a local writer and humorist whose articles have appeared in The Stranger, Arcade Journal, SubTerrain Magazine and the Boise Weekly. She is a Hugo House writer-in-residence and a newswriter for The Stranger.

The Chapter Book (grades 6-8)
In this class, we'll invent a country, discover a hero of that country and write the story of his or her heroic exploits. We'll encounter disasters, both natural and magical, learn the vulnerability of a villain, engage in dialogue with nosy neighbors, delve into the deep recesses of the hero's past and enjoy the climax of the conflict. We'll write, share and revise, then cut and paste our ideas until they form an entire, complete book.
Instructor: Jeanine Walker
Meets: Saturdays, March 6, 13, 27, April 3, 10, 1-3 p.m.
Tuition: $50, pay-what-you-can

Jeanine Walker's novel manuscript was a finalist for the James Jones First Novel Fellowship and earned her a Barthelme Memorial Fellowship. She has published work in Cimarron Review, Cream City Review, Gulf Coast, Tusculum Review and Web Conjunctions.