SHARED WORLDS BRINGS YOUNG CREATIVE WRITERS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE TO WOFFORD FOR...
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nnovative programming... interdisciplinary, experiential sessions filled with vitality and the sense of infinite possibilities... unfettered brainstorming and collaborating... a challenging environment for students to think in new and unexpected ways.... Shared Worlds is a residential summer creative writing camp designed for high school students who love to read and write science fiction and fantasy. “At Shared Worlds,” explains Noah Reveley-Hunt, a high school sophomore from New Hampshire who attended Shared Worlds this past summer, “groups of students create an imaginary world complete with geography, cultures, history and even fashion for the first week while attending classes with Wofford professors on law, religion, astronomy and alien DNA. Then, in the second week, we began writing fiction in the world our groups just created.” At the heart of the Shared Worlds experience is Creative Group Time (CGT), during which “students discuss, negotiate, and really listen to each other. They were almost constantly asking ‘what if?’ and speculating answers,” says Jeremy Jones, who conceptualized the camp. “For example, members of Steve Zides’ world group asked, ‘What if plants could walk?’ The group then generated more questions and extrapolated more possibilities. For instance, if plants could walk, then how would their relationships with humans be different? Seemingly small changes in a world have a ripple effect and lead to a variety of unexpected consequences.” At the end of the first week, each group had developed most of their world, and began to write stories that took place in that world.
(Above) Taylor Livingston and Noah Revely-Hunt and (Below) Chant’e Glass-Walley and Miranda Severance during Creative Group Time.
Professor Steve Zides surrounded by a class of professors and students. Left to right are Stephyn Duck, Lyndsey Werner, Christine Dinkins, Ben Dunlap and Zach Kuthe
But, as they quickly discovered, working in a shared setting requires negotiation, compromise and collaboration. “To me, these teens weren’t just creating fantastical settings,” says Jeff VanderMeer, the assistant director of Shared Worlds and the two-time World Fantasy Award-winning author of “City of Saints and Madmen” and “Shriek: an Afterword.” “They were part of a teen think tank, and part of the challenge was coming up with solutions to creative issues or questions. Solving those kinds of challenges will help them later on, no matter what career they choose as adults.” The 19 students who attended 2008 Shared Worlds came from California, Georgia, Illinois, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Japan. They brought with them enthusiasm and a wide variety of backgrounds and interests. “One of the interesting things about these kids,” says Ekaterina Sedia, the Russian-born novelist of “The Secret History of Moscow,” who visited Shared Worlds toward the end of the first week, “is that to them multiculturalism is a default, and they are influenced by media produced in other countries (especially Japan) to a great extent. Another endearing thing was that [by the time they arrived] they were already developing cultures based on China and India. I also liked that not everyone there wanted to be writers — there were aspiring artists and game designers, all the kinds of people who can actually use some world-building skills and team work.” When not in class or CGT, students gathered for a variety of activities geared toward team building and creative expression. Associate Professor of Biology Stacey Hettes led drum circles three times a week and talked about entertainment and listening to each other. A yoga instructor helped wake everyone up, and a graphic designer helped with manipulating images and adding graphics to the online wiki developed by each group. “Shared Worlds revolves around a deep and abiding belief that if teachers have faith in students, students will exceed expectations,” says Jones. The program took years to build, and the inaugural session ended all too quickly. “My favorite aspect of Shared Worlds was that it gave these creative students a chance to be with others like themselves,” says Dr. Christine Dinkins, associate professor of philosophy at Wofford, who was one of the primary instructors in the program. “Even if we had taught them nothing (and I think we taught them a lot!), that in itself would have been a wonderful gift to all of them.”
The next session of Shared Worlds is scheduled for July 19 through Aug. 2, 2009. Students will be able to choose creative writing, game-design or illustration as their area of focus for the second week. Novelist Holly Black, who is best known as the coauthor of the Spiderwick Chronicles, will be on campus for three days. Online registration and further information are available at sharedworlds.wofford.edu.
by Jeremy Jones
Fall 2008 • Wofford Today • 5