Games, writing activities and story-shares to grow the writer within.
From the writer and producer of the Tales from the Moosiverse podcast comes The Writer’s Hut: Live interactive workshops to grow the writer within. Our upcoming and past courses are listed below. For September 2021, FOUR courses are offered – three 6-week classes, and one single-session primer on how to create your own podcast!
The purpose of these workshops is to grow the writer/storyteller. These classes will NOT cover writing mechanics like spelling or grammar. There are no grades or work submissions; just activities and sharing to equip and support individuals’ growth and development as writers and storytellers. Each group of 10 or fewer kids will develop a supportive community, allowing kids to hear and be heard.
Each series will involve some writing at home between classes (amount of writing is flexible depending on child’s interest). These LIVE workshops take place on Zoom. Other than a computer, kids will only need something to write on and something to write with. Some younger writers may prefer to use dictation on a mobile device or computer to get their thoughts in writing, which is great!
Upcoming Programs
Ages 8-12:
Storylab: Writing Time Travel Stories That Make Sense!
In Storylab: Writing Time Travel Stories That Make Sense!, students will explore different kinds of time travel stories – why they work, how they work, and what rules different writers use – all while telling some stories of their own, with peer support and feedback.
We’ll look at some classic time travel stories including Back to the Future, The Time Machine, Doctor Who, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Groundhog Day, Avengers: Endgame, and our very own Tales from the Moosiverse. It is not necessary to be familiar with any of these stories ahead of time. We will explain the story and what it illustrates about time travel; we will not play any clips.
Topics include:
- Story-growing games
- Types of Time Travel Stories
- Story of the Week: What, How, and Why
- Time Travel Tool of the Week
- Storytelling tips
- Writing support and feedback
- …and more.
Full program dates (all 9-10am EDT):
- Wednesday, September 8
- Wednesday, September 15
- Wednesday, September 22
- Wednesday, September 29
- Wednesday, October 6
- Wednesday, October 13
Cost: $72 per child.
To register, visit our Outschool course page.
Storylab: The Story-Growing Exploratorium
Each person has stories to tell and tales to write. Storylab: The Story-Growing Exploratorium helps participants tap into their own writing voice, glimpse some stories they might write, and play around with various story forms, all while telling some stories of their own.
Topics include:
- Story-growing games
- Story Tool of the Week
- Types of characters
- Story arcs
- Storytelling tips
- Story formats (comic books, audio etc.)
- …and more.
Full program dates (all 3-4pm EDT):
- Wednesday, September 8
- Wednesday, September 15
- Wednesday, September 22
- Wednesday, September 29
- Wednesday, October 6
- Wednesday, October 13
Cost: $72 per child.
To register, visit our Outschool course page.
Storylab: Creating Your Own Podcast
In this single-session class, students will learn skills for writing, recording, producing, and distributing a podcast from the creator of the narrative children’s podcast Tales from the Moosiverse. Students will be equipped with skills, tools, and resources to take their own first steps into the podcasting world.
Tales from the Moosiverse has released more than 50 episodes over four seasons, with 30,000 downloads to date. But even if you’ve never listened to Tales from the Moosiverse, this class is suitable for anyone interested in the world of podcasts – whether you want to create a narrative or an interview/discussion podcast, or if you just want to learn more about how your favorite podcasts are made!
Available sessions:
- Friday, September 10, 12-1pm EDT
- Friday, September 10, 2-3pm EDT
- Friday, September 10, 3:30-4:30pm EDT
- Friday, September 17, 1-2pm EDT
- Friday, September 17, 2:30-3:30pm EDT
- Friday, September 17, 4-5pm EDT
Cost: $12 per child.
To register, visit our Outschool course page.
Storylab: The Hero Within
Storylab: The Hero Within is a weekly workshop-style class where participants engage in games, activities and story shares to grow the writer – and the hero! – within. This class builds on Storylab, but can be taken independently by anyone interested in stories and heroes; taking part in the first Storylab class is not a pre-requisite.
Topics include:
- Story-growing games
- Story Tool of the Week
- The Hero’s Journey
- Planning a story
- What makes a story believable?
- Storytelling tips
- …and more.
Full program dates (all 4:30-5:30pm EDT):
- Wednesday, September 22
- Wednesday, September 29
- Wednesday, October 6
- Wednesday, October 13
- Wednesday, October 20
- Wednesday, October 27
Cost: $72 per child.
To register, visit our Outschool course page.
Past Programs
Ages 8-12:
Storylab: What Makes a Hero Super?
Storylab: What Makes a Hero Super? is a weekly workshop-style class where participants engage in games, activities and story shares to grow the writer and the hero within, learn from fictional and real-life heroes, and create stories about their own super hero!
Topics include:
- Story-growing games
- Hero of the Week
- What makes a super hero work?
- Learning about the heroes in your life
- Idea shares and peer feedback
- Storytelling tips
- …and more.
Each person has stories to tell and tales to write. This workshop helps participants tap into their own writing voice, glimpse some stories they might write, and play around with various story forms, all while telling stories of their own about their very own super hero, and creating crossover stories with other heroes created in the same class!
Storylab: Building a World Together
Storylab: Building a World Together is a weekly workshop-style class where participants engage in games, activities and story shares to grow the writer within, and over the course of the 8 sessions, to build a shared story-world together! This class can be taken by anyone interested in stories and heroes, with no pre-requisites.
Topics include:
- Story-growing games
- World-building Tool of the Week
- What makes a story believable?
- Idea shares and peer feedback
- Storytelling tips
- …and more.
Ages 10-14:
World-Building: Creating a Believable Universe
World-Building: Creating a Believable Universe is a weekly workshop-style class where participants engage in games, activities and story shares to grow the writer within, while exploring what makes a believable universe in stories – a world that feels real and engaging, even if the ‘rules’ are very different than those in our real world!
Topics will include:
- Story themes
- The “ordinary world”
- Setting the “rules”
- Suspension of disbelief
- Jumping the shark
- Believable characters
- …and more.
Writing the Hero’s Journey
Participants will craft compelling stories within this interactive workshop. Each day will focus on a writing topic of the day. Participants will then have in-class time to put this writing topic into practice in their own writing. Each workshop will end with a writers’ circle time to hear and be heard with the other writers in the group.
Topics include:
- The hero’s journey
- Character archetypes
- “Writing a brick”
- Audio storytelling
- Hooking a reader/listener
- Comic book writing
- …and more.
Tales from the Moosiverse 