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Daily
Itinerary
On this page you can read day by day what happened at camp in 2005. Scroll down for session 2.
LIVING LANGUAGE CAMP 2005 CAMP ITINERARY
JULY 18 * DAY1 The first day of camp will be focused on getting to know each other, setting out our rules and guidelines and getting started with our free writing techniques and our first book discussion group. We’ll learn about morning pages, journals, and walking in the world as a writer. In the second half of camp we’ll explore our senses of taste and smell including a honey tasting and many eccentric gastronomic/olfactory stimuli. We’ll move into an hour of writing and dictionary diving at the end of camp as we create our “language lamps” exploring the power and delight in the wonderful world of words! Bring: At home:
JULY 19 * DAY 2 We’ll begin with our “morning pages” and hear each others work in preparation for our “writer’s workshop.” We’ll be look at IMAGE today as we focus on the writing maxim, “Show don’t tell.” We’ll be looking at image in film as way to understand how images work and together we’ll discover whether a picture truly is worth a thousand words. Our book group discussion will focus on Laurie Halse Anderson’s, “Speak.” After Lunch we’ll welcome our first guest Flesche Tuller MA and continue our discussion of some of the issues Anderson presents, such as: What does it mean to “fit in?” What are we willing to do to be accepted? What does our culture tell us about how we need to be? How do we learn to like or dislike parts of ourselves and others? We’ll use writing and language to express our personal observations. We’ll experiment with makeup, talk about clothes and take a closer look at “girl” magazines. We’ll use excerpts from films such as Kandahar, and Mean Girls, and books such as Blubber by Judy Blume and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares to inspire us as we discuss and write about our own experience of being a girl. Bring: Guests:
JULY 20 * DAY 3 We’ll begin with our morning pages and simple writing exercises. Campers will share writing from the previous assignment. Today we’ll move into essential elements of the craft of writing: metaphor, diction, allusion, detail, and honesty. We’ll begin talking about and reading poetry and we’ll experiment with writing in poetic forms such as haiku, sestina and pantoum. Reading the work of poets such as Rumi, Hafiz, Emily Dickinson, and Kahlil Gibran, we’ll examine the connection between language and the realm of spirit. Our book group will focus on Sandra Cisneros’ “House on Mango Street” where we’ll examine the craft of writing short-shorts and prose poems. We’ll also look at the way Cisneros uses detail, setting, sensory information, and voice to create such authentic characters. After Lunch we’ll be creating poems in the forms mentioned above. Then we’ll paint them on silk to create our “poetry flags.” Bring:
DAY 4 * JULY 21 After our morning pages campers will explore the language used in various print media. From the tabloids to fashion magazines, to the wall street journal we’ll look at the different applications and cultural power of language. We’ll use these sources along with dictionaries, thesauri, and rhyming dictionaries to create word lists as we get to know language for the joy of its sound, rhythm and meaning. We’ll begin to create the camp “Word Box” and write using words as “raw material.” Today’s book group discussion begins with the Secret Life of Bees. We’ll take a close look at Lily Owens and the women in the pink house. What exactly is the “Black Madonna” and why are they rubbing honey all over it? We’ll examine Kidd’s use of sensuality in her writing and discuss the way she creates believability and credibility in the minds of her readers. Our first guest today will be Danielle Drake MFA. Danielle is an amazing writer and an award winning performance poet.” She just finished a series of writing about the “Dark Madonna” and was recently a presenter at the Graduate Theological Union’s Dark Madonna Conference. She is a teacher and facilitator with “Youth Speaks.” Danielle will perform for us, talk about the process of taking her work from the pen to the stage, and answer our questions about this style of writing. After Lunch we will welcome our second guest, Susan Levitt. As the author of several books, including “Introduction to Tarot” and “Teen Feng Shui” Susan is well versed in the art of translating the mystical and metaphysical into language. Susan will teach us about palmistry and teach us how to read each others palms. We’ll talk and write about the connection between our bodies and our destinies, exploring topics such as free will, archetypes and images. Bring: Guests: At Home:
DAY 5 * JULY 22 After our morning pages we’ll gather for a writing workshop. We’ll discuss effective ways to help each other improve our writing. We’ll practice by workshopping an anonymous poem together and then move into reading our own writing to the group and giving and receiving feedback. Campers will discover the valuable insights to be gained by their writing peers and the importance of a writing community. Our Book Group today will focus on J.K Rowling’s “The Prisoner of Azkaban.” We’ll discus the craft of plot, setting, and flow of time in a novel which this book makes fabulous use of. We’ll talk about the difference between the genres of fiction, magical realism, and fantasy. We’ll use Rowling’s writing to inspire us to create fantastic characters and settings of our own where anything goes! After Lunch we’ll talk about creating believable characters through voice, action, thought, desire and conflict. Then we’ll work in pairs to create unique characters in strange situations. We’ll continue our exploration of our senses and their contribution to our writing by exploring our sense of touch in a blindfolded exploration of shape and texture. We’ll begin preparing and practicing for our reading on the last day of Camp. Bring:
DAY 6 * JULY 25 After our morning pages we’ll gather to read selections on “taste” from Diane Ackerman’s “A Natural History of the Senses.” We’ll sample foods to inspire us as we write about sour, sweet, salty, and spicy. We’ll look at writing about the powerful associations we have with food such as Laura Esquivel’s “Like Water for Chocolate,” Ruth Reichel’s “Tender at the Bone” and poems about food and cooking. We’ll talk about “hunger” “appetite” and look at the way each of our featured authors uses these as driving forces in their writing. We’ll be joined by our guest, professional chef Habib Cutolo today to create a gourmet lunch together using ingredients gathered from the garden and take breaks to write about the process. Then we’ll create our “language cakes.” Each girl will join with a partner to frost and decorate a layer cake with crazy colored frosting and then use icing tubes to write on her cake with “sweet words.” After we photograph the girls with their cakes we’ll eat them and send home the leftovers! Bring: Guest:
DAY 7 * JULY 26 We’ll begin by exploring poems by Mary Oliver, Gary Snyder and others that beautifully portray the wonders of the natural world. Using free association we’ll write about oceans, deserts, forests and use leaves, roots, bark and flowers to spark our language. We’ll move outside and begin to create our poetry planters by painting and designing individual pots. Each camper will choose her colors and use her language and poetry to decorate the pots. Then we will fill them with colorful flowers and annuals. After Lunch we’ll walk to the foot of Wildcat canyon (just 2 blocks away from camp) and be met by our guest naturalist and educator Jessica Shepard. Jessica will take us on a guided hike into Wildcat Canyon and teach us about the flora and fauna of our beautiful Bay Area. Using the language she teaches us we’ll take breaks to practice journaling in detail about our observations of the natural world. Back at camp for the final half hour we’ll cool down and have our last meeting about the reading on Wednesday. Bring: Guest: At home:
DAY 8 * JULY 27 After our morning pages we’ll gather for our closing circle. Girls will have a chance to appreciate each other and the help they have given each other as an artistic community. We’ll spend the next hour looking at the poetry in the music we hear every day. Then we’ll have our final writer’s workshop, and practice for the reading in the afternoon. After lunch we’ll begin to set up for the reading and performance to which family and friends are warmly invited! We’ll have snacks and family and friends will have an opportunity to see what the girls have created and view photos of the work they’ve been doing (and take some home!) then listen to each writer share a piece or two that she has created. The reading begins at 1:30 and aims to conclude at 2:45. Girls will take home all projects today. Bring: Guests:
LIVING LANGUAGE CAMP CAMP ITINERARY AUGUST 1 * DAY 1 The first day of camp will be focused on getting to know each other, setting out our rules and guidelines and getting started with our free writing techniques and our first book discussion group. We’ll learn about morning pages, journals, and walking in the world as a writer. In the second half of camp we’ll explore our senses of taste and smell including a honey tasting and many eccentric gastronomic/olfactory stimuli. We’ll move into an hour of writing and dictionary diving at the end of camp as we create our “language lamps” exploring the power and delight in the wonderful world of words! Bring: At home:
AUGUST 2 * DAY 2 We’ll begin with our “morning pages” and hear each others work in preparation for our “writer’s workshop.” We’ll look at IMAGE today as we focus on the writing maxim; “Show don’t tell.” We’ll look at image in film as way to understand how images work and together we’ll decide whether a picture is truly worth a thousand words. Our book group discussion will focus on Alice Hoffman’s “Green Angel” After Lunch we’ll welcome our first guest Flesche Tuller MA and continue our discussion of some of the issues Hoffman presents such as: What do our names say about who we are? How have we experienced loss in our lives? Who are the people in our inner circle? Then we’ll move into a literary exploration of what it means to be a “girl.” Looking at the messages in our culture, we’ll examine some common “fairy tales,” experiment with makeup, talk about clothes, and take a closer look at “girl” magazines. We’ll look at excerpts from films such as Kandahar, and Mean Girls, and books such as Blubber by Judy Blume and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares to inspire us as we discuss and write about our own experience of being a girl. Bring: Guests:
AUGUST 3 * DAY 3 After our morning pages campers will explore the language used in various print media. From the tabloids to fashion magazines, to the wall street journal we’ll look at the different applications and cultural power of language. We’ll use these sources along with dictionaries, thesauri, and rhyming dictionaries to create word lists as we get to know language for the joy of its sound, rhythm and meaning. We’ll begin to create the camp “Word Box” and write using words as “raw material.” Today’s book group discussion begins with the Secret Life of Bees. We’ll take a close look at Lily Owens and the women in the pink house. What exactly is the “Black Madonna” and why are they rubbing honey all over it? We’ll examine Kidd’s use of sensuality in her writing and discuss the way she creates believability and credibility in the minds of her readers. Our first guest today will be Danielle Drake MFA. Danielle is an amazing writer and an award winning performance poet.” She just finished a series of writing about the “Dark Madonna” and was recently a presenter at the Graduate Theological Union’s Dark Madonna Conference. She is a teacher and facilitator with “Youth Speaks.” Danielle will perform for us, talk about the process of taking her work from the pen to the stage, and answer our questions about this style of writing. After Lunch we will welcome our second guest, Gayla Reiter MA, CHT. Gayla will teach us about palmistry and show us how to read each others palms. We’ll talk and write about the connection between our bodies and our destinies, exploring topics such as free will, archetypes and images and the mysterious “sixth” sense. Bring: Guests:
AUGUST 4 * DAY 4 We’ll begin by exploring poems and writings by Mary Oliver, Gary Snyder, Thoreau, Dickinson and others that beautifully portray the wonders of the natural world. Using free association we’ll write about oceans, deserts, forests. We’ll use leaves, seashells, roots, bark and flowers to spark our language. We’ll move outside and begin to create our poetry planters by painting and designing individual pots. Each camper will choose her colors and use her language and poetry to decorate the pots. Then we will fill them with colorful flowers and annuals. After Lunch we’ll walk to the foot of Wildcat canyon (just 2 blocks away from camp) and be met by our guest naturalist and educator Jessica Shepard. Jessica will take us on a guided easy hike into Wildcat Canyon and teach us about the flora and fauna of our beautiful Bay Area. Using the language she teaches us we’ll take breaks to practice journaling in detail about our observations of the natural world. Bring: Guest: At home:
AUGUST 5 * DAY 5 After our morning pages we’ll gather for our first writers workshop. We’ll discuss effective ways to help each other improve our writing. We’ll practice by workshopping an anonymous poem together and then move into reading our own writing to the group and giving and receiving feedback. Campers will discover the valuable insights to be gained by their writing peers and the importance of a writing community. Our Book Group today will focus on J.K Rowling’s “The Prisoner of Azkaban.” We’ll discus the craft of plot, setting, and flow of time in a novel, which this book makes fabulous use of. We’ll talk about the difference between the genres of fiction, magical realism, and fantasy. We’ll use Rowling’s writing to inspire us to create fantastic characters and settings of our own where anything goes! After Lunch we’ll talk about creating believable characters through voice, action, thought, desire and conflict. Then we’ll work in pairs to create unique characters in strange situations. We’ll continue our exploration of our senses and their contribution to our writing by exploring our sense of touch in a blindfolded exploration of shape and texture. We’ll begin preparing and practicing for our reading on the last day of Camp. Bring:
AUGUST 8 * DAY 6 After our morning pages we’ll gather to read selections on “taste” from Diane Ackerman’s “A Natural History of the Senses.” We’ll sample foods to inspire us as we write about sour, sweet, salty, and spicy. We’ll look at writing about the powerful associations we have with food such as Laura Esquivel’s “Like Water for Chocolate,” Ruth Reichel’s “Tender at the Bone” and poems about food and cooking. We’ll talk about “hunger” “appetite” and look at the way each of our featured authors uses these as driving forces in their writing. We’ll be joined by our guest, professional chef Habib Cutolo today to create a gourmet lunch together using ingredients gathered from the garden and take breaks to write about the process. Then we’ll create our “language cakes.” Each girl will join with a partner to frost and decorate a layer cake with crazy colored frosting and then use icing tubes to write on her cake with “sweet words.” After we photograph the girls with their cakes we’ll eat them and send home the leftovers! Bring: Guest:
AUGUST 9 * DAY 7 We’ll begin with our morning pages and simple writing exercises. Campers will share writing from the previous assignment. Today we’ll move into essential elements of the craft of writing: metaphor, diction, allusion, detail, and honesty. We’ll experiment with writing in poetic forms such as haiku, sestina and pantoum. Reading the work of poets such as Rumi, Hafiz, Emily Dickinson, and Kahlil Gibran, we’ll examine the connection between language and the realm of spirit. Our book group will focus on “Number the Stars” by Lois Lowry. We’ll examine key elements of this novel such as setting and historical narrative. We’ll also look at the way Lowry writes about groups and creates strong connections between national, spiritual and personal identities. After Lunch we’ll be creating poems in the forms mentioned above. Then we’ll paint them on silk to create our personal version of “poetry flags.” Bring: At Home:
AUGUST 10 * DAY 8 After our morning pages we’ll gather for our closing circle. Girls will have a chance to appreciate each other and the help they have given each other as an artistic community. We’ll spend the next hour looking at the poetry in the music we hear every day. Then we’ll have our final writer’s workshop, and practice for the reading in the afternoon. After lunch we’ll begin to set up for the reading and performance to which family and friends are warmly invited! We’ll have snacks and family and friends will have an opportunity to see what the girls have created and view photos of the work they’ve been doing (and take some home!) then listen to each writer share a piece or two that she has created. The reading begins at 1:30 and aims to conclude at 2:45. Girls will take home all projects today. Bring: Guests: |
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