A Feast of Words - Fall 2006 - Department of English - Virginia Tech

All Write @Virgnia Tech 2006 by Ennis McCrery
When we think about summer camp, that
bastion of summer fun, certain images and
memories instantly spring to mind: cookouts,
bug bites, crafts, swimming, archery,
and…creative writing?
For the second year, the All Write @Virginia
Tech Creative Writing Camp sent out a
call for young writers to bring their camping
gear (in this case, a legal pad, pencil, and a
few clever metaphors) and to set up camp
on the Virginia Tech campus. The turnout
was strong, with more than 70 kids between
the ages of 8-18 participating, including
many students who had attended the camp
last summer.
The young writers and their families were
welcomed to campus by Nikki Giovanni,
whose inspiring keynote address asked students,
“What’s the story?” She encouraged
students to look for the stories in their own
lives and in the world around them, urging
them to avoid taking things at face value. In
addition, Giovanni spoke of the need for artists
to trust their own voices and to embrace
their own, unique perspectives.
Campers exercised their creative voices
in daily workshops with creative writing
faculty, where they wrote fiction, poetry,
and creative non-fiction pieces and learned
to revise and refine their work. Following
the workshops, students participated
in theme-based specialty classes taught by
faculty and MFA students. Topics for these
classes included poetry self-portraits, writing
and photography, blues poems, text and
movement, writing and music, writing about
animals, and writing and film.
“One of the most valuable aspects of the
camp is that it gives students the chance to
work on the basics of creative writing in small
groups,” said instructor Katie Fallon. “These
small groups foster a sense of community
among the students--each of my students
worked on at least three collaborative pieces.
A supportive creative writing community is
important for writers of any age.” Fallon,
who teaches freshman composition and
creative writing courses to Virginia Tech students
during the school year, found the young
Nikki Giovanni signs autographs for campers after the keynote address.
writers she worked with to be more open to
collaboration than her college students, an
experience she called “refreshing from an
instructor’s perspective.” Also refreshing
for Fallon was the kids’ energy and level of
engagement. “It was a challenge to keep up
with them!” she said.
For the young writers, the camp presented
an opportunity to exercise their imaginations
with more freedom than they are often
allowed in their schools’ standardized, testdriven
curricula. “It gave me a chance to
open my mind a little more,” said Stuart,
a rising third grader. Other students noted
that they enjoyed being able to write about
their own interests, rather than in response
to specific assignments. “It was fun,” said
a student in Robin Allnutt’s class of rising
seventh and eighth graders.
Campers shared their interests and creative
work on the last day of camp at readings
attended by friends and family. Following
the readings, the writers and their guests
celebrated the camp’s creative community
at a pizza-and-cake reception.
The week was an overwhelming success,
thanks in part to generous scholarship
donations from English faculty and local
residents. The All Write staff would also
like to thank English major Michelle Billman
for producing a segment on the camp
for WVTF.
2006 Virginia High School Poetry Contest Winners
Sponsored by the English Department
Judge Tiffany Trent, Instructor of English
First Place: “the truth”
Kelly Knapp
Western Albemarle High School, Crozet
Second Place: “Tattoo Followers”
Mary E. Shreve
Grayson County High School, Independence
Third Place: “Behind a Curtained Window”
Rutledge Long
Episcopal High School, Alexandria
Fall 2006 13