WORDS WITH WINGS EXTRACURRICULAR CLASSES
Free classes/workshops for students in grades 3-12 beginning the last week of September.

This fall we are pleased to be able to offer a variety of extracurricular writing workshops and classes both in-person and on Zoom. Whether your student is enrolled in the Montana Digital Academy, taking classes in a hybrid model online and in person, or homeschooling, these classes will give students a chance to express and share their interior lives through creative writing. The classes are all taught by one of our professional writers and will be modeled off our 12-week poetry residencies.

In-person classes will be held at Greenough Park or Fort Missoula and will be primarily held outside. Classes will be moved to a nearby indoor location during inclement/cold weather. Students and instructors will need to wear masks and abide by social distancing during in-person classes. All classes are limited to ten students.

Classes Offered:

All offerings are 8 weeks long for 1 hour a week unless specified.

3-5th Grade:

The Poetry of Music and Movement // Caroline Keys // Wednesdays at 3p.m starting 10/14// Greenough Park/1042 Monroe St.: Explore dramatic expression and storytelling through sound and creative movement.
Outdoor Writing // Emily Withnall // Mondays at 4p.m. starting 9/28 // Greenough Park/1042 Monroe St.: Students will be reading poetry from Montana poets and others who write about the natural world. We'll spend time observing the outdoors and using most of our senses to describe things. We will then write our own poems about the outdoors. Sharing with the group will be encouraged but not required.
Poetry // Mark Gibbons // Tuesdays at 3p.m. starting 9/29 for 6 weeks // ZOOM: This class will explore a variety of different poetry forms with an opportunity for young writers to share their work with their peers.
6-8th Grade:

Poetry// Julie Stevenson// Thursdays at 4:15p.m. starting 10/1 // Fort Missoula: Students will gather to write, share, and study a variety of forms of poetry. We will read widely from the work of contemporary and classic poets. We'll look closely at concerns such as detail, imagery, imagination, word choice, meaning, order, and rhythm. We'll practice being writers and thinkers and consider how poetry relates to the world in which we live.
Fiction// Caroline Patterson // Wednesdays at 4:15p.m. starting 9/30 // Greenough Park/1042 Monroe St.: We'll work with characters from the wilds of memory and imagination to develop short fictions.
Penning the Pandemic // Emily Withnall // Thursdays at 3p.m. starting 10/1 // ZOOM: This class will be open to a range of genres, from journaling to poetry to fictional re-imaginings of 2020. We will read some writing about the pandemic at home and afar, racial justice, natural disasters, and more. Then, using writing prompts as a guide, we will explore our thoughts, questions, and feelings about this year of major events on the page.
9-12th Grade

Fiction // Robert Lee // Thursdays at 3p.m. starting 10/1 // Fort Missoula: This class will introduce some of the main concepts of fiction through reading some short pieces that demonstrate strongly one or more of those concepts and then offering a prompt so students can practice dialogue, developing characters through actions and other concepts. We will look at works by several well-known authors.
Nonfiction / /Emily Freeman // Wednesdays at 4p.m. starting 9/30 // ZOOM: In this class, we'll explore the wonderfully diverse world of nonfiction writing. Students will read and discuss short pieces of published prose, and complete in-class writing exercises (with sharing optional, but encouraged!) on different topics, in a variety of styles.
These classes are free and open to all students. If you'd like to give back to MWC, feel free to donate using one of the optional add on donations.



About The Missoula Writing Collaborative
Each year we teach over 2,000 kids to love to write. Founded in 1994, we teach literary competence, critical thinking, cultural awareness, and artistic joy through creative writing. We place writers in school classrooms to show young people the power of words and help them find their voices as writers.

Register Now