FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

CONTACT INFORMATION

Name:           David M. Cohn                      E-mail:               dmcohn@highlightsfoundation.org

Mail:             The Highlights Foundation         Web site:  www.highlightsfoundation.org

                     814 Court Street                       Phone:             (570) 251-4556

                     Honesdale, PA  18431               Fax:     (570) 253-0179                

HIGHLIGHTS FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES SUMMER/FALL WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

Honesdale, PA - May 9, 2005 -  Writers and illustrators for children, published or not, will be excited to learn that the Highlights Foundation will be conducting ten workshops. Each workshop targets a specific need, ranging from understanding the unique requirements of writing and illustrating for children; to pinpointing and solving problems in manuscript development; to how to get a book, an article, or a set of illustrations published. Up to four semester units of graduate credit through Chapman University College may be earned.

This years workshops will be conducted by accomplished professionals who are experienced teachers. The first program, running from July 9 through 16, is Room to Create: A Working Retreat for Childrens Writers and Illustrators.  Seeing into Your Story, beginning on September 8 is a three-day event. It will be taught by author Carolyn Coman, winner of a prestigious Newbery Honor Award. Stephen Roxburgh, president and publisher of Front Street Books, will be Guest Faculty. Workshop number three, starting September 15, is Breaking into the Field of Childrens Book Illustration. It will be taught by illustrator Neil Waldman, winner of many accolades, including the Parents Choice Award. The end of September will see yet another major award winner, editor and author Carolyn P. Yoder, leading a workshop entitled Nonfiction - Its More than Just the Facts!  Rebecca Kai Dotlich, a much-recognized poet whose work has been featured on Reading Rainbow, will conduct Wordplay: Writing Poetry for Children in October. From New Zealand, Joy Cowley, a highly regarded author whose Mrs. Wishy-Washy is much loved throughout the world, will lead a retreat called Writing from the Heart: A Guided Writers Retreat in mid-October. Writing Your First Novel will be led by Sandy Asher in late October. Sandy was a recipient of the National Jewish Book Award in childrens literature in 1999 and has more than twenty-one books and two hundred articles, stories, and poems to her credit. Also on hand will be Guest Lecturer Wendy Schmalz, a literary agent with twenty-five years experience representing a wide range of authors. A Crash Course in the Business of Childrens Publishing will provide an overview of book and magazine publishing in the beginning of November. The workshop leaders will be Clay Winters, president of Boyds Mills Press, and Kent L. Brown Jr., editor in chief of Highlights for Children® magazine and publisher of Boyds Mills Press. Guest Faculty will include Larry Rosler, editorial director of Boyds Mills Press; Tim Gillner, art director of Boyds Mills Press; and Kim T. Griswell, coordinating editor of Highlights for Children. On November 10, the workshop Writing to a New Level: A Working Writers Workshop for All Muses, the Published and the Aspiring-to-Be Published will be led by the award-winning author of thirteen books for children, Susan Campbell Bartoletti. The final workshop for 2005 will be The Heros Journey: Bringing the Power of Mythic Structure to Your Writing. Kim T. Griswell and Marileta Robinson, senior editor at Highlights for Children, will examine the stages of a heros journey while, at the same time, looking at and solving problems in participants manuscripts.

Each of the Highlights Foundations workshop leaders and contributors will share his or her expertise, offer guidance, and provide one-on-one mentoring. The intimate programs, ranging in length from three to seven days and accommodating from eight to fifteen attendees, will be held at the home of the Founders of Highlights for Children near Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Honesdale is located 2^1/2 hours from New York City and approximately 45 minutes from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre airport.

Participants in these workshops will be provided with on-site lodging in individual guest cabins in a beautiful Pocono Mountain setting. Sessions will be held in the adjoining farmhouse, where meals for students and faculty are also served.

Applications will be reviewed and accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. These unique classes, with fees ranging from $495 to $995, fill up quickly.

These programs are designed for people with a passion for childrens literature. The Foundation strives to provide attendees with essential information in a collegial atmosphere that offers the possibility of durable friendships and contacts. These efforts are validated when former participants, such as Kay Winters of Richlandtown, Pennsylvania, offer feedback:  What a marvelous gift you have given the writing community!  . . . You are filling a real need to go beyond surface presentations and really get into the meat of various genres. 

NEW! Semester Units of Graduate Credit Available to Educators

Participants may earn up to four semester units of graduate elective credit for attending Founders Workshops. Professional development units are available through Chapman University College. For more information, visit: http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/pages/current/chapmanDescription.html.

The Highlights Foundation also provides a rich selection of Writing Tips, plus information about the Chautauqua Writers Workshop, on their Web site, http://www.highlightsfoundation.org. Begun in 1985, the Highlights Foundation is a public, not-for-profit 501©3 organization. Its mission is to raise the level of the offering of writing and illustrating for children.

Below is a list of the workshops. If you would like more information about a particular workshop(s), please contact Jo Lloyd, program assistant, at 1-877-512-8365 (toll free) or by e-mail at jalloyd@highlightsfoundation.org.

July 9-16
Room to Create: A Working Retreat for Childrens Writers and Illustrators 
Retreat Leaders: Enjoy the support and guidance of experienced professionals - an editor, an author, and a publisher.

September 8-11
Seeing into Your Story
Workshop Leader: Carolyn Coman
Guest Faculty: Stephen Roxburgh

September 15-18
Breaking into the Field of Childrens Book Illustration 
Workshop Leader: Neil Waldman

September 22-25
Nonfiction - Its More than Just the Facts! 
Workshop Leader: Carolyn P. Yoder

October 6-9
Wordplay: Writing Poetry for Children
Workshop Leader: Rebecca Kai Dotlich

October 15-22
Writing from the Heart: A Guided Writers' Retreat 
Workshop Leader: Joy Cowley

October 27-30
Writing Your First Novel 
Workshop Leader: Sandy Asher
Guest Faculty: Wendy Schmalz

November 3-6
A Crash Course in the Business of Children's Publishing 
Workshop Leaders: Clay Winters, Kent L. Brown Jr.
Guest Faculty: Larry Rosler, Tim Gillner, Kim T. Griswell

November 10-13
Writing to a New Level: A Working Writer's Workshop

Workshop Leader: Susan Campbell Bartoletti

November 18-20
The Hero's Journey: Bringing the Power
of Mythic Structure to Your Writing 
Workshop Leaders: Marileta Robinson, Kim T. Griswell