{"id":32,"date":"2014-11-22T19:49:50","date_gmt":"2014-11-22T19:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rdavidbeales.com\/portfolio\/?p=32"},"modified":"2015-03-31T22:19:04","modified_gmt":"2015-03-31T22:19:04","slug":"creative-writing-classes-at-the-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rdavidbeales.com\/portfolio\/2014\/11\/22\/creative-writing-classes-at-the-library\/","title":{"rendered":"Creative Writing Classes at the Library!"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>Several years ago I taught several fantasy\/sci-fi creative writing classes at ASSETS Middle School in Honolulu.\u00a0 Now that I\u2019m back in NJ,\u00a0 I\u2019ve decided to begin offering the writing workshops at a few NJ public libraries starting this spring.\n

$\"This$ <\/p>\n

There were two classes I really loved to teach.\u00a0 The first was a broad literature review based upon the Hero\u2019s Journey narrative structure that Joseph Campbell used to demonstrate the common themes in human mythology.\u00a0\u00a0 We read\/watched selections of everything from The Hobbit<\/em> to Princess Mononoke<\/em>.\u00a0 (We also read some actual mythology.)\u00a0 Students then used their understanding of the story structure to write their own hero\u2019s journey, and we all had a lot of fun using our imaginations.<\/p>\n

\nThe second was a more focused analysis of a single book, Arthur C. Clarke\u2019s Childhood\u2019s End<\/em>.\u00a0 This is a sci-fi classic that addresses a variety of questions about who we are as human beings by describing our encounter with an alien race.\u00a0 It is a popular book for English classes.\u00a0 We finished the class with a viewing of the movie Contact<\/em>, an adaptation of Carl Sagan\u2019s novel that describes a different kind of encounter with alien life.<\/p>\n

In order to provide a place to advertise these classes, I\u2019ve begun working on a website for the Center for the Speculative Arts, which will eventually provide a place for registration and class listings.\u00a0 Right now I\u2019ve only got a mockup in place.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.centerforthespeculativearts.org\/cftsa.html<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll post again when the class offerings and dates are solid and I look forward to some great writing workshops!<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"