Jan Cheripko workshop

Hi everyone,

Jan Cheripko is going to be doing a workshop for writers at the Highlights Foundation focusing on Beyond Main Characters: An In-Depth Look at Your Supporting Cast and Transitional Scenes. Jan’s co-teacher is author Hannah Barnaby, and they’ll be joined by special guests Patricia Reilly Giff and Clara Gillow Clark. It’s a four-day workshop from March 29 to April 1, that includes critique sessions. Here’s a link to the Highlights Foundation website for more information Jan’s 2014 workshop: http://www.highlightsfoundation.org

Jan’s the real deal, a multi-talented writer, teacher, and editor. He was my editor for WILD COUNTRY and we’ve been friends and colleagues for many years. If you are interested in learning more about bringing your supporting characters to life, I can recommend this workshop.

David

Jan Cheripko workshop

Hi everyone,

Jan Cheripko and I go back a number of years. We met when I first began publishing with Boyds Mills Press and he was my editor on WILD COUNTRY, one of my personal favorite collections of poetry.

In addition to being a smart editor, Jan is a respected author as well as a teacher and former journalist. You may know of his books for young people: IMITATE THE TIGER; SUN, MOON, STARS, RAIN; RAT; BROTHER BARTHOLOMEW AND THE APPLE GROVE; and others. Here’s a link for more information about Jan. https://secureapps.libraries.psu.edu/PACFTB/bios/biography.cfm?AuthorID=77

Yesterday Jan told me about a Highlights workshop he has agreed to do and I thought it was something that many of you might find of interest. Without further ado I’ve printed the note from Jan below.

“Kent Brown and I were having breakfast the other day and we got talking about my workshop, “Breathing Life Into Minor Characters and Transitional Scenes.” I think, and Kent agrees, that this is a topic that a lot of authors are interested in, and we’d like to make it available. But to be honest, outside of my wife and daughter, very few people know just how wonderful I am. (Of course, on any given day, my wonderfulnesss isn’t so apparent to them, either.)

I haven’t had a book published in several years, because I’ve been spending my time teaching. I haven’t yet made it to be an answer to an author question on Jeopardy (Jerry Spinelli has, by the way.) But I do know this topic, and I do know how to teach it. So Kent suggested that we make this a pilot workshop. The Highlights Foundation has some grants available to any writers who are at any stage in working on a novel and who would like to focus on understanding and developing either minor characters or transitional scenes. It’s a three-day workshop, April 6-9, and the complementary openings include lodging at the cabins and great food. The workshop will be a combination of discussion, centering on studying both classical and contemporary literature; one-on-one mentoring looking at a conferee’s work in progress; and time to write. If you know of anyone interested, tell them to contact Jo Lloyd at 877-512-8365 or visit the Highlights Foundation Website at http://www.highlightsfoundation.org. Or, if they wanted to know more about it, they can email me at jancher@ptd.net or call me at 570-253-0473
Thanks.
Jan”

For the record, I’ve heard Jan speak about writing as well as a variety of other subjects. He has a standing quip about things being “adequate.” But that doesn’t apply to Jan. He’s quite good. If this workshop sounds like something you’d like to try, you won’t regret it.