NORTHEASTERN PA – In a workshop titled “
Nature Writing Boot Camp,” award-winning authors, illustrators, and editors will teach the craft of writing nature books and articles for children.
The workshop will be held by the Highlights Foundation from April 16 to 19, 2012, near Honesdale, Pennsylvania.
“Kids need great reading in nature subjects,” says workshop leader Andy Boyles. “In the tradition of Rachel Carson, John Burroughs, and Jean Craighead George, we need to help kids develop a lasting connection with nature. We’re here to help writers succeed in that work.”
Through presentations, one-to-one writing critiques, and ample writing time, the faculty will help authors propel their writing careers to new heights. The workshop will also feature nature-journaling techniques for improving observational skills and recording details.
The faculty includes accomplished professionals.
Dianna Hutts Aston is the author of many books for children, including the award-winning An Egg Is Quiet and A Seed Is Sleepy, both illustrated by Sylvia Long. The Moon Over Star, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, received a Coretta Scott King Honor Award in 2009. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama chose The Moon Over Star to read at an inner-city school in Washington, D.C., in February 2009.
Robert Hynes has been illustrating nature subjects for both children and adults for decades. During this time, he has created more artwork for the National Park Service, National Geographic Society, and the Smithsonian Institution than any other illustrator in the United States. His illustrations are also found in the Skipping Stones award-winning title for Exceptional Multicultural and Nature/Ecology Books, Muskrat Will Be Swimming.
Nature-journaling expert Mark Baldwin will lead nature walks centered on the techniques of nature journaling. He is education director of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History in Jamestown, New York. An avid naturalist and educator, Baldwin has been keeping nature journals for twenty years. Since 1990, he has taught his craft to more than 3,000 students, teachers, and amateur naturalists.
Andy Boyles is science editor at Highlights magazine and the company’s trade-book division, Boyds Mills Press. He has worked with Jack Myers, Sarah C. Campbell, Pamela Kirby, Laurence Pringle, Dougal Dixon, Sandra Markle, and many others.
The workshop will be held at the home of the Highlights for Children Founders, situated in scenic northeastern Pennsylvania. Surrounded by a 1,300-acre forest, the property is home to whitetail deer, timid black bears, and a variety of birds and other wildlife—a naturalist’s delight.
“Nature Writing Boot Camp” is cosponsored by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History (RTPI) of Jamestown, New York, and the Highlights Foundation, Inc., of Boyds Mills, Pennsylvania.
RTPI is a national, nonprofit nature-education organization with headquarters at the birthplace of world-renowned artist and naturalist Roger Tory Peterson (1908–1996). Dedicated to preserving the collections and legacy of Dr. Peterson, RTPI’s mission is to create passion for and knowledge of the natural world in the hearts and minds of children by inspiring and guiding the study of nature. The mission reflects the belief that people who develop awareness and passion for the natural world will become committed to its preservation.
Roger Tory Peterson saw himself first as a teacher. He used his exquisite skills in painting, photography, and writing to bring the wonders of nature to everyone. Workshop leader Mark Baldwin continues this tradition, emphasizing that “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.”
The Highlights Foundation created its Founders Workshops to raise the level of the offering of writing and illustrating for children. A variety of programs are presented for all levels of writers, from those just getting started to those who are published but wish to hone their skills. These workshops are led by successful, supportive authors and editors determined to help writers achieve their goals.
Limited to thirty participants, the intimate setting is unique. Participants are housed on-site in fully-furnished and comfortable rustic cabins.
For more information, contact the program assistant, Jo Lloyd, at 570-253-1192 or jalloyd@highlightsfoundation.org.
