Ready, Set, Write

Grades 4-5. 60 min. Registration required. Guided by award-winning author and educator Laura Shovan, writers will draft the opening scene for an original short story or novel. We will share examples from our favorite books to figure out what makes an exciting and effective scene before diving into a fun fiction prompt. Leave with the beginning of a story to continue developing on your own. Books by Laura Shovan will be available for purchase and signing. Please come with a book that has an opening scene that drew you in as a reader. Registration begins October 1 at 6:15 pm. Laura Shovan is an author, educator, and Pushcart Prize nominated poet. She wrote the award-winning children's novels The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary , Takedown , and the Sydney Taylor Notable A Place at the Table (co-authored with Saadia Faruqi), which was recently selected for New York Public Library’s Reading America: 250 Years, 250 Books list. Her latest poetry collection is Welcome to Monsterville . A veteran poet-in-the-schools, Laura is a Writing for Children and Young Adults faculty member at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She mentors teen writers in the Navigating the Margins author program. You can find out more about Laura at www.laurashovan.com .