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News Release
Contact: Kathy Wright, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
(815) 753-5200
May 19, 2004
NIU offers Creative Writing Camp for high school students
DeKalb, Ill.--Northern Illinois University is adding a Creative Writing Camp to its summer programs geared for high school students.
The camp is for students who have completed grades 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 and will be held from July 6 to July 11 on campus at NIU. During that time, students will live in a dormitory setting. Campers will write poetry, short stories and non-fiction prose while participating in writers' workshops and collaborating on a publication of their collected works to distribute to friends, relatives and teachers.
NIU's Matt Duncan will lead the camp. He holds a bachelor's degree in creative writing from Bowling Green State University, as well as master's degrees in English literature and communication studies from NIU. Duncan says his own creative writing began in high school, where poetry studies of e.e. cummings and Dylan Thomas "flipped the switch."
At BGSU, Duncan founded two independent literary journals and published works in 15 small-press journals. He has given more than 30 public readings of his writing at coffee shops and bookstores across Ohio, North Carolina and Illinois. He also has taught creative writing and advanced fiction at North Central College.
Duncan recommends that young writers read as much as possible. Hence, a portion of each day at the Creative Writing Camp will be devoted to independent reading of short stories and poems.
"Don't write about your own life, but write what you know," Duncan says. "Write about your friends, your observations. Keep a journal. All writing is creative--it doesn't have to be a specific form or genre."
In addition to the Creative Writing Camp, the NIU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers summer camps focusing on math, science, journalism/media and speech. For more information or to register, visit Summer Academic Camps at http://www.niu.edu/clasep or call (815) 753-5200. Early registration discounts are available until June 1.
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