Word Play: Writing Poetry for Children

	Workshop Description
	Date: October 14 - 17, 2004. Begins Thursday at 6:00 p.m. with dinner; ends on Sunday with lunch. Designed For: Writers interested in developing stronger poetry skills by discussing, writing, revising, and working on the craft of poetry. Maximum Capacity: 14 participants
	If your dream is to attend a retreat immersed in poetry, here's your chance! This workshop focuses on the essential elements of poetry and the importance of language. We will use all of the senses to explore this unique form of writing: observation, optional nature walks, journaling, quiet writing, shared writing, and group discussions. We will also focus on free verse and rhyme, experiment with creative writing exercises, examine the work of well-known poets, and participate in one-on-one critiques.

	Workshop Faculty
Rebecca Kai Dotlich		Rebecca Kai Dotlich Accomplished children's poet, frequent speaker at IRA and NCTE national and local conferences, and former writer-in-residence in the Dekalb County School District in Northern Indiana. Rebecca Kai Dotlich is an award-winning poet who has published numerous children's poetry books, including When Riddles Come Rumbling; Lemonade Sun: And Other Summer Poems; Sweet Dreams of the Wild: Poems for Bedtime; Away We Go!; What Is Round?; What Is Square?; and What Is a Triangle?. Dotlich has extensive experience speaking about poetry at various venues, including the Buffalo Writing Conference and the Kentucky Bluegrass Writing Project. In addition, she has been a poetry advisor for Creative Classroom magazine.
Wendy Murray		Guest Faculty - Wendy Murray Wendy is editor of Wordsong, the poetry imprint of Boyds Mills Press. She has worked in the publishing field for twenty years, most recently serving as an editorial director at Scholastic Teaching Resources. In her ten years at Scholastic, she held a variety of positions, including editor of the poetry column at Instructor magazine, working with columnists Jack Prelutsky, Paul Janeczko, and Bernice Cullinan. Among the hundreds of language arts books she edited for Scholastic, many were poetry books, including the best-selling Kids’ Poems by Regie Routman and Favorite Poetry Lessons by Paul Janeczko.
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