Screenwriting Scribes, 9-12th grade
Students will learn the basics of screenwriting for film, including staging scenes, generating dialogue, and developing action. Students will explore a wide variety of work from carefully curated screenwriters and will participate in writing activities, craft exercises, and experiences designed to inspire their imaginations. This camp will be facilitated by Peter Mountford, a published local writer and educator. The week will culminate with a reading and/or presentation of student work.
This camp is for students entering 9th-12th grade in Fall 2022 and will take place IN-PERSON at our facility in Capitol Hill. Be sure to read our COVID-19 Policies before registering for this camp. Scholarships are available by application. Questions? Please email youth@hugohouse.org.
SJ Chiro
Peter Mountford
Peter Mountford is the author of the novels A Young Man's Guide to Late Capitalism (2012 Washington State Book Award in fiction), and The Dismal Science (a NYT editor's choice). His work has appeared in The Paris Review, Southern Review, The Atlantic, The Sun, Granta, and The Missouri Review. He is currently on faculty at Sierra Nevada University's MFA program, teaches at Creative Nonfiction, Hugo House, and is a writing coach and developmental editor. Peter's former students and clients have gone on to publish numerous books and stories and articles, and include two NYT best-selling novelists (Tara Conklin and Rachel Griffin).
Teaching Style and Philosophy: I believe the best I can do for students is help free them from the tyranny of talent and the whims of inspiration, which are fair-weather friends. Instead, I want you to hone your personal aesthetic, and to develop an authorial voice, and most importantly develop fluency with the elements of craft. One you can control what's happening on the page with ease, producing publishable work is no longer a mysterious fluke, but a familiar and non-scary process.
Website: petermountford.com
Ramon Isao
Ramón Isao is a recipient of the Tim McGinness Award for Fiction, as well as fellowships from Artist Trust and Jack Straw Cultural Center. His stories appear in such journals as The Iowa Review, Ninth Letter, Moss, and Hobart, and his screen credits include ZMD and Dead Body. He holds an MFA from Columbia University and serves as Fiction Editor at New Orleans Review.
