Creative Writing Scribes, 5-6th grade

In this exploratory camp, students will develop their creative writing abilities by experimenting in a wide variety of prose and poetry. Students will examine works from carefully curated authors and will participate in writing activities, craft exercises, and artistic experiences designed to inspire their imaginations. Camp sessions will be facilitated by two local artists: Samar Abulhassan is a published poet and educator, and Karen Finneyfrock is a poet, novelist, and educator. The week will culminate with a reading and/or presentation of student work.

This camp is for students entering 5th & 6th grade in Fall 2022 and will take place online using Zoom and Google Classroom. All camps will break for lunch from 12-1pm each day. Scholarships are available by application. Questions? Please email youth@hugohouse.org.

*Note – all Scribes Summer camps are in Pacific Standard Time

Samar Abulhassan

Samar Abulhassan is a Jack Straw Writer, and holds an M.F.A. from Colorado State University. She’s worked in California public schools for seven years. Born to Lebanese immigrants and raised with multiple languages, she is a 2006 Hedgebrook alum and the author of six chapbooks, including Farah and Nocturnal Temple. Samar has worked with Seattle Arts & Lectures’ Writers in the Schools since 2008. Samar also recently participated in the 2018 Skagit River Poetry Festival. In 2016, Samar received a CityArtist grant to aid in completing a novel-in-poems reflecting on memory, longing, and the Arabic alphabet. Samar often finds inspiration in images and places and replicates these techniques in her teaching. She has explored Pike Place Market and the Seattle waterfront, both of which influenced her work.

Karen Finneyfrock

Karen Finneyfrock is a poet and novelist. She is the author of two young adult novels: The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door and Starbird Murphy and the World Outside, both published by Viking Children’s Books. She is one of the editors of the anthology Courage: Daring Poems for Gutsy Girls, and the author of Ceremony for the Choking Ghost, both released on Write Bloody press. She is a former Writer-in Residence at Hugo House. Learn more on her website: http://www.karenfinneyfrock.com.