Call for Participation: Science Writing
Boot Camp (writing for children) - Highlights Foundation, Honesdale, PA
Contact: Andy
Boyles, Science Editor of Boyds Mills Press and
Highlights for Children magazine
Highlights for Children magazine
Phone: (570) 251-4557
E-mail: contact@highlightsfoundation.org
Science-Writing
Workshop Trains Children’s Authors
NORTHEASTERN PA – In a workshop titled “Science
Writing Boot Camp,” award-winning professionals—authors, editors, and a
photographer—will teach the craft of writing for children in the areas of science
and nature.
The workshop will be held by the Highlights Foundation from April
19 to 22, 2012, near Honesdale, PA.
“Kids need great writing that takes them into the realm of
science,” says workshop leader Andy Boyles. “It’s a huge challenge to create
books and articles that capture kids’ imaginations and give them insight into
how science works. We’re here to help writers take on that challenge.”
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 photography instruction.
The faculty includes accomplished professionals.
Catherine D.
Hughes is science editor for National
Geographic KIDS and NG Little Kids
magazines. She has authored two books in a popular new series for preschoolers:
National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Animals and NGLK
First Big Book of Dinosaurs. A third book, NGLK First Big Book of
Space, is scheduled for publication in October 2012.
Sally M. Walker is the author of many popular nonfiction
books and series for children of all ages. Her name is often found on nonfiction
award lists, librarians’ best-in-science lists, and teachers’ bookshelves. She
is best known for writing Fossil Fish Found Alive: Discovering the
Coelacanth and Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and
Colonial Maryland.
Scientist, photographer, and author Doug Wechsler will present the basics of nature photography. He is
the director of VIREO (Visual Resources for Ornithology) at the Academy of
Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. As part of his job, he explores rain forests
to photograph native birds. Wechsler’s books
include the award-winners Frog Heaven:
Ecology of a Vernal Pool, Bizarre
Birds, Marvels in the Muck: Life in
the Salt Marshes, and many others.
Laurence Pringle has written more than one hundred books for
children about animals and insects as well as humanitarian and environmental
issues. Among his many honors and awards, he has received a lifetime
achievement award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
In 2006, Larry was awarded the Guggenheim Foundation fellowship for
science writing. His new book, Billions
of Years, Amazing Changes: The Story of Evolution, debuts as a result of
this fellowship.
Andy Boyles is science editor at Highlights magazine and its trade-book division, Boyds Mills Press.
He has worked with Jack Myers, Sarah C. Campbell, Pamela Kirby, Laurence
Pringle, Dougal Dixon, Sandra Markle, Doug Wechsler, 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.
The Highlights Foundation, Inc., 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.
