The 2018 W.I.N.D. wrapped up it’s sophomore year last night with a session on publishing and looking at publishing opportunities for the works written during the summer.
Over the course of two months, the W.I.N.D. participants who gathered from nine different high schools and colleges worked on a lot and achieved even more. Feedback was a regular occurrence at every session, but we also heard from educator and YA author Kelly Coon about building characters, we turned a crazy idea about Soundcloud rappers into a fully developed pilot for a TV dramedy about some kids in Kentucky trying to start a Krautrock band, we learned the value of perspective and point-of-view by studying Robert Olen Butler’s Intercourse, we explored the depths of our memories with TBAWP facilitator Bob Swartz, we balked at Hallmark poetry and wrote verse that actually meant something, we journeyed to Cuba and New Jersey with memoirist and poet Amarilys Gacio Rassler, and finally we became a group of friends with a shared passion. Actually, that last part happened pretty quickly, in a class full of sharing and laughter and a few late night post-class jaunts to Steak ‘N Shake and Taco Bus.
Like last year, W.I.N.D. will be continuing during the school year, if a bit more informally, with a monthly meet-up and feedback session. Everyone is looking forward to getting together again and for the great things to come at the Fall Conference.
