Art Sparks: A Night to Inspire

On September 25th, The Iowa Youth Writing Project and Prompt Press came together at Iowa City’s Goosetown Cafe to celebrate the collaboration between Iowa artists and young writers from The Iowa Youth Writing Project.

Over the spring and summer, 17 Iowa artists donated their works of art to The Iowa Youth Writing Project and Prompt Press. Throughout the summer months, K-12 students participating in the IYWP’s week-long writing camps responded to the art, cultivating articulate, reflective, witty, and genuine responses.

The evening commenced with a delicious reception provided by Goosetown Cafe and a silent auction where IYWP volunteers, interns, and educators mingled with students, parents, and artists. Those in attendance were able to admire the art and written responses that hung together in the cafe as well as a booth displaying some of the beautiful work from Prompt Press.

Following the reception and silent auction, students bravely read their responses to an encouraging crowd. Bidders who won the silent auction were able to take with them the written responses that were read that evening.

Overall, the proceeds from the art auction were estimated to be at a whopping $2,700. This money will directly benefit the IYWP’s weekly and summer writing workshops, their Junior High Writing Conference, and purchase supplies for over 400-plus student writing kits for over 400-plus aspiring student writers.

 

Advertisements

YOUTHQUAKE – THE IYWP SUMMER CAMP PUBLICATION

After compiling all the awesome writing pieces from all the campers over the summer, we from the IYWP publication team are proud to present YOUTHQUAKE, the IYWP summer camps digital publication. Not does it only contain all the masterpieces our campers have created over their respective camps, we have included group photos of the campers, and videos for the camps that are more animated in their works. Click YOUTHQUAKE 2018 to check out their writings, photos and videos!

The Art of the Comic Medium Camp

By IYWP Intern Rebecca Jefferson

This week at Comics Camp with IYWP workshop leaders Joanne and Calvin, students explored the art of graphic novels, traditional comics, and webtoons alike.

Our class discussed every decision made by comic illustrators from color to style, and how each can impact the reader’s experience of the story. By discussing students’ favorite comics, they were able to pinpoint techniques which could help them in their own comics. On the drawing side of things, they learned different techniques like stippling, hatching, cross-hatching, and shading to add dimension to their work. On the story side of things, students learned how to prepare storyboards and coordinate their illustration style with the overall mood of the work.

But that’s not all, we also discussed the myriad of jobs involved in the comic industry. It takes a village to raise a comic book, as the ideas are bounced around by a writer first. Later, a penciler takes those storyboard ideas and brings them to life through drawings. After that, an inker goes over the lines of the pencil drawings in ink and shades and colors them. Lastly, a letterer adds in the dialogue either digitally or by hand. When all that is finished, the book can finally go to the publishing stage.

Sounds like a ton of work, right? But our students were able to experience it all in one week!

Yesterday, Joanne and Calvin introduced them to the final reality of the comic world: deadlines.

Students got right down to work the minute camp started to finish inking their pencil drawings, so their polished work could be included in the class “zine” (a small comic book, much like a chapbook of poetry) which will serve as our camps anthology. As they all raced toward the finish line, students urged each other on through tough panels (ones that required a mind-numbing amount of inking) while showering praise on each other’s work.

Our class made a variety of comics: comics based off of Calvin and Hobbs or other artists they admire; some silly and some serious, but in the end each student presented an engaging and thought-provoking piece of work!

 

Summer Camp Blog: Work from Write for Robots and Rewriting the Classics.

For our penultimate blog post of the summer, we are featuring work from two amazing camps: Rewriting the Classics and Write for Robots. In Rewriting the Classics, our teen campers took a look at a few of the classics that have shaped contemporary literature and gave those classics a modern twist. In Write for Robots, our younger campers spent the week building small sets and writing plays that would be acted out by little, glowing robots.

Next, week, we will be featuring work from Sci-Fi Worlds, The Art of the Comic Medium, and The City is Poetry, The City is Yours.

Excerpt from: The American Family, ripenbaum

by Ella R.

Left to do the real work – the work that only an old baby boomer business man could process. So he started gathering important things: food, water, money, the first aid kit, the spare tire (wait, that can go back), the money, the survival stuff, the caviar, the book Frank (the stereotypical & literal middle child) insisted on bringing. Personally, Harold would rather shove it own Frank’s throat. After all, without it, this wouldn’t be happening.

For almost a year now, Frank had picked up a book – ha – more like picked up an obsession. Anyways he loved this book: Switzerlandianese Family Rosenbon or something for his birthday, Viv – Harold’s charming wife decided that they should rent a wooden boat and take him to where they think it happened. THINK. Harold doesn’t use stuff unless it’s at least 94.8% likely Believe me, he knows where “think” can get you.

Untitled

by Jacqueline

Once upon a time there was 100 rats and she ate all the 100 rats well first she had to use her camouflage if she wanted to eat all the rats she had to use her camouflage to eat them all and hid behind the tree and she had a problem she got fat and she found out that its hard to catch rats and she thought that she wasn’t friendly and when rats came she didn’t eat them.

IYWP Summer Reading at Prairie Lights

July 25^th is the Summer Reading!

Summer is ending soon, although the IYWP will have camps through July, we will be putting on a celebratory Summer Reading at Prairie Lights Bookstore this Wednesday for all the participants in any of our summer camps. This is your chance to read your work for your peers and parents in a professional atmosphere!

The night will kick off with a reception from 6pm-7pm and the reading will go from 7pm-8pm, any students are welcome to read their work! As Summer comes to a close, we hope to leave everyone with great memories and great writing, we hope to see you there!

Write Down, Speak Out Performs at the Englert Theater TONIGHT

By IYWP Intern Rebecca Jefferson

Throughout this week I’ve worked alongside my fellow IYWP interns and Negro Artist Caleb Rainey in the Write Down, Speak Out: Slam Poetry workshop, where students were given the chance to explore the art of performing written work.

The camp has been building up to this all week; Today at 3pm-4pm in the Englert Theater the Write Down, Speak Out Crew will be performing the poems they’ve worked on this week!

With engaging prompts like: “write something you’re afraid to write about,” or, “what have you learned most recently that changed your perspective?” Students and volunteers alike found themselves pushing the limits of their writing to it’s boundaries.

Of course, the heart of our workshop was in performing, where students were invited to analyze how they can utilize the qualities of their voice, natural gestures, and movements to elicit emotions from an audience.

So, without further ado, I invite you to spend an afternoon with us at the Englert, see you there!

Summer Camp Blog: Work from Word Wizardry and Heroes and Monsters: Exploring World Mythologies through Writing.

This week, we will be featuring work from two fantastic fantasy camps: Word Wizardry and Heroes and Monsters. In Word Wizardry, our campers created their own potions, spells, and magical creatures in the vein of the Harry Potter universe. Heroes and Monsters was part of IYWP’s cooperation with the community of Kalona and featured work inspired by mythology from every corner of the world.

Our featured image this week is a piece of work from the Word Wizardry camp by Stevie W.

To the Quidditch Cup

by Clara M.

My dad had gone early this morning to pitch the tent. My mom and I would go after lunch. I couldn’t contain myself. I begged my dad to go with him. My mom had to drag me away (apparently I had to clean up the house). Lunch was 3 hours away. That was the longest three hours of my life. We got a message from my dad saying the tent was pitched and it was safe to go. I took the soft powder and stepped into the fireplace. Then I was there it was amazing the tent was huge. This time tomorrow I’ll be in an even bigger place. This year the Chuddly Cannons play the Irish. The game was intense the next day, but the Cannons won!!! My family celebrated all night.

The Discovery of the Legendary Forest.

by Harper

At their house. They were kind of bored. So they said “We want to take a walk.” Then their mom said “That’s ok,” so they took a walk. When they were walking they saw a big house made out of logs. And then they decided to go in it. Then when they went in, they saw a cat that was abandoned and then they started to look into all the rooms. They saw two bedrooms. There was a big attic. They saw some old tools for building things. And then they decided to build a small house for the cat. And then the cat went into the little house. They though there wasn’t a lot of stuff for the kitty so they put in some furniture. They went outside for a while and they saw some frogs near a little pond. They used sticks to make little houses for them. On of the frogs was gonna fall out so one of the kids held out their hands to stop it and a little wood made an elevator for the frog. They realized the forest was legendary so that’s how they got some magic powers. For a couple more days they lived in the log cabin and once in a while they visited home and had fun with magical powers.

The End!!