Education | Literacy & Language

The Weeksville Quill: An Exploratory Creative Writing Program
In-school or After-school Residency, Grades 3-12
Students publish a Weeksville-inspired historical, creative fiction anthology. They learn about the historical significance of Weeksville and the community’s relationship to the African American experience in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They also complete surveys and program evaluations. Developed and operated according to the participating school or other organization’s schedule, students curriculum focuses on:

• creative writing, composition skill development and self-expression rooted in diverse literary genres (e.g., historical speculative fiction, poetry and creative writing) Students create poetry and short stories while engaging in an interactive editing process with their instructors and peers. Participants compile a portfolio of their work, which is especially useful for future specialized programs and/or high school and college applications.

• historical literature, film reviews and critiques through introductions to classic fiction and science fiction such as works by contemporary writers of color such as Octavia Butler, Walter Mosley, Tananarive Due and Samuel Delany. For our younger writers, the focus is on poetry and creative writing literature.

• instruction and mentoring by established professional community-based writers, poets and authors. Instruction also incorporates historical Weeksville site visits and learning.

• FEE: Varies according to length of residency.
  Minimum residency is 8 weeks (16 sessions).
• SS: 1.1, 1.3
• ELA: E3b, E1c, E2a, E2b, E2c, E2d, E4a, E4b, E5a, E5b, E2f, E3a, E3c
• ARTS: 3, 4