Workshops for Children's Writers and Illustrators
Chautauqua ConferenceWorkshopsFaculty and BiosWriters TipsScholarshipsAbout UsContact Us
     
 
This workshop is co-sponsored by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.
  Workshop Description Back to Founders Workshop Main Page
 

Date: April 23 – 27, 2008
Arrive Wednesday, April 23, at 6 PM for dinner. An optional tour of HIGHLIGHTS FOR CHILDREN® and Boyds Mills Press is available for early arrivals.
Depart Sunday, April 27, after breakfast.

Designed For: Nature writers wanting to get out in the field, sharpen their skills in observation and writing, and receive expert critiques from publishing professionals.

Workshop Tuition: $895

Maximum Capacity: 15 participants

 
 

Sharing your sense of wonder about nature with children takes special skills. It takes an alert mind, a keen sense of observation, and a passionate heart to translate nature’s language into words that come alive on a page.

  • Guided field trips with seasoned naturalists
    Immerse yourself in a pristine natural environment.
  • Instruction on keeping a field journal
    One of the foremost nature journaling teachers will show you how to use notes from the field to enliven your nature writing. (Journals will be provided.)
  • Techniques to sharpen your powers of observation
    Learn how to see—then write about—nature with a trained eye.
  • Critique of your written work
    Get feedback from professionals on how to improve your writing.
    (Participants are encouraged to send a complete manuscript or work-in-progress before the conference begins, preferably by March 30, 2007. Optional daily writing assignments may be completed in longhand.)
  • One-on-one opportunities with children’s publishing experts
    Get the inside scoop on the world of children’s publishing from editors and nature writers in the know.

"I could walk into a forest and describe with great detail the sights, smells, sounds, etc . . . but I had no idea what I was missing, 'til now."--Donna H. Bowman
Click here to read Donna's article about her experience at last spring's Writing from Nature workshop.

Click here to see galleries of photos taken by participants from previous Writing from Nature workshops.


  
General Workshop Information Request an Application for this Workshop
  Workshop Leader


Mark Baldwin

 Mark Baldwin
Principal author of the Natural History Atlas to the Chautauqua-Allegheny Region, Mark has
devoted the past sixteen years to the development of nature education programs for the Roger
Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. As director of education, Mark works with teachers
throughout the country to infuse nature studies into their curricula. He is president of the
Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy and vice president of the American Nature Study Society.
  Guest Faculty

Andy Boyles		 Andy Boyles (Workshop Facilitator)
A lifelong interest in science led Andy to his position as science editor at Highlights for Children and Boyds Mills Press. From dinosaur fossils and rain forests of Madagascar to environments closer to
home, Andy’s encounters with the natural world and those who study it are recorded in countless
interviews and articles. A member of the National Association of Science Writers, he has received
numerous writing and editing awards.

Kathleen Hayes

Kathleen Hayes
Kathleen Hayes, currently editor of Highlights High Five™, has taught graduate courses in early childhood education at Bank Street College, worked with New Jersey public school teachers to create hands-on, outdoor science projects, and was the primary consultant and project manager of Bank Street’s collaboration with Macmillan/McGraw-Hill’s 2008 science program (PreK-2 materials). She also coauthored Classroom Routines That Really Work for Pre-K and K Teachers, (Scholastic, 2002) and has written science leveled readers for Macmillan/McGraw-Hill and Time for Kids.

Paul Kowalczyk
 Paul Kowalczyk
Paul is a longtime forester with deep firsthand knowledge of the Pennsylvania woods. As
manager of the forest surrounding Boyds Mills House, he directs efforts to maintain the forest as
a healthy habitat for wildlife as well as a source of timber.

Solon Morse		 Solon Morse
Solon is an ecologist, illustrator, and Web-programmer on the staff of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute. His primary interests lie in community ecology, conservation, and education. He has participated in a number of large-scale research projects in the Midwest, which examined the impacts of forest management on migratory birds and other wildlife. Currently he teaches several courses for the Peterson Institute and—with John Wiessinger—is developing the Electronic Naturalist, an online nature education resource.

Ed Wesely

Ed Wesely
Ed is director of the Butterfly Barn Nature Center, which overlooks the Delaware River, where he rears and releases about 400 monarch butterflies each summer. Ed’s environmental education background provides the foundation for his many outreach activities, including numerous publications, lectures, and guided field tours. He is currently developing a natural history Web site.