The Art of Writing Comics: A Writing Camp

~ Excerpted from an article on FresnoStateNews.com. Click here to learn more about other youth camps offered at Fresno State.

Fresno State offers a variety of youth summer camps, including one called the Art of Writing Comics: A Writing Camp, for grades six through nine.

Offered by the San Joaquin Valley Writing Project in conjunction with Fresno State, the Art of Writing Comics will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. July 17-20 in Room 153 of the Kremen Education Building.

The workshop combines narrative writing and art in comics for writers and artists. Students will write a memoir in comic form. This genre allows students to develop writing proficiency by lessening stress levels and fostering engagement.

“This is the second year we’ve offered this workshop,” said Dr. Kathleen Godfrey,  an English professor at Fresno State. “The workshop grew out of a study group focusing on using graphic novels and developing visual literacy in the classroom led by Dr. Alison Mandaville from our English department. The workshop will feature hands-on work, both in writing and drawing – students need only be interested, they don’t have to be experts.”

The comic memoir also helps students develop visual literacy skills, pairing the consideration of writing choices with design and illustration. In addition to instruction on writing, a portion of the day will focus on learning to draw, which encourages students to think about their writing and story in an abstract way.

Instructor Molly Yates, an English teacher at Bullard High School, is a San Joaquin Valley Writing Project teacher consultant who uses comics to inspire deep thinking.

The cost is $175 per child (with a $25 fee reduction for siblings). A limited number of scholarships are available for kids who would not be able to participate otherwise. Only 25 applicants will be accepted.

INFO: Email Dr. Kathleen Godfrey, kgodfrey@csufresno.edu about scholarships, and myatesweber@gmail.com for camp information. Register at http://bit.ly/1Tt1Qab.