Introduction

Now just take a moment to hear all of these spectacular sounds. Truly wonderful things can happen if you listen to the garden. – Amaya Longley, Grade 6

Each summer, Treasure Valley students line up at The Cabin to play with words, but more importantly, to listen, to imagine new possibilities. Through feedback from local writers, they learn that writing is an act of listening, of making space for new worlds to happen or new questions to be asked. They learn that good writing oten occurs by listening to the ambiguity within emotions, that listening can develop your voice, that it gives you a superpower to say the things that only you can say. At parks, classrooms, and gardens, they learn to listen to the imaginative potential around them, in the mysterious eye of a condor, the icy taste of blue, an overheard conversation, or a new enchanted realm. This potential speaks to the sense of curiosity that writing camps help to foster. Each camp I teach, I am continually amazed at my students’ thoughtful, imaginative writing. With an explorer’s eye, I see young writers crat innovative stories, poems, and plays. In them, I see that the vastness outside us cannot match the vast wilderness in ourselves. This was a challenging year, and in this anthology, I see young writers grappling with complicated issues, but I also see a celebration of life’s vibrant possibility.

– Hannah Rodabaugh, Teaching-Writer

CAMP FIRE

WRITING CAMPS 2021