Devon McNamara: Writing Workshops and Spoken Word Presentation

Devon McNamara, Associate Professor of English and Irish Literature at West Virginia Wesleyan College and a published poet, will offer several writing workshops on Saturday, February 16^th, as part of the Arts in Education program at the Randolph County Community Arts Center. Following the day of workshops, McNamara will read from a collection of her own work, including her manuscript DRIVING, as well as the writing of the workshop participants.  The 7 PM presentation is part of the RCCACC Spoken Word Series.

McNamara's work has appeared in The Christian Science Monitor, The Hiram Poetry Review, Boston's Dark Horse, The Laurel Review, Trellis, and other publications.  She has participated in twenty years of Poets-in-the-Schools programs in seven states, including West Virginia, and conducted workshops in reform facilities, prisons, summer arts camps, and adult education programs.

Her work with young people includes spontaneous writing exercises with color, music, and movement, and her work with adults includes memory and story telling exercises as well as experimenting with form. McNamara believes "Loving and writing poetry is an inborn right of us all," and her workshops and readings prove it!

McNamara will present two workshops for school-aged students. A morning writing workshop for students in grades 3 through 5 will run from 9:30 AM until 10:30 AM.  Students will learn about creating images with words, rhyming, fun words and story telling.  Activities will include spontaneous writing exercises with color, music, and movement. A late morning writing workshop for middle school and high school students will run from 11:00 AM until noon. Students will learn composition skills and gain confidence in their writing abilities.  Activities will include memory and story telling exercises as well as experimenting with form. Tuition for both of these workshops is $10 and pre registration is required.

A three-hour afternoon workshop for adults will run from 1:00 PM until 4:00 PM.  This workshop is designed to help students better access their own creativity, gain creative writing skills, and develop confidence and proficiency in their writing. Tuition for this workshop is $30 and pre registration is required. Ms. McNamara will be reading from some of the writings from these workshops during her evening reading at RCCAC.

To register for the workshops call the RCCAC office at 637-2355, email info@randolpharts.org or stop by the RCCAC office. Pre registration for the workshops is required.  Doors will open at 6:30 for the 7 PM reading.   The evening reading is   a free event.

The Randolph County Community Arts Center, a non-profit organization promoting and supporting the arts in Randolph County and the surrounding areas, is located at the corner of Randolph Avenue and Park Street in Elkins.  Local contributors support RCCAC’s arts education program with additional financial assistance from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.