Critclub a Few Days In

Something I’m trying to do this year is pay things forward as much as possible. Recent technological upgrades means I can now fit more than 8-9 people in a class (can now handle up to twice that many, which is more suited to some classes than others), so I figured one way to do that is to make more class slots available to people who couldn’t otherwise afford the class.

So, each class now has three Plunkett scholarship slots, the third of which is specifically reserved for QUILTBAG and POC applicants. Everyone is encouraged to apply, but I want to make sure it’s getting to a diverse range. The only qualification for a Plunkett is this: you would not be able to afford the class otherwise. Just mail me with the name/date of the class and 1-3 sentences about why you want to take it.

I have had several classes lately with no Plunkett apps, so I want to stress this: please take advantage of them if you’re a writer working on your craft. You will be helping me by ensuring that I have interested people to teach to.

That said, here’s upcoming classes if you want to look them over:

Classes Offered April-June 2017

• Creating an Online Presence for Writers, Saturday, June 3, 9:30-11:30 AM Pacific Time
• Description and Delivering Information, Wednesday, April 26, 4-6 PM Pacific Time
• Fantastic Worldbuilding with Fran Wilde, Saturday, April 8, 9:30-11:30 AM Pacific Time
• Literary Techniques for Genre Writers I, Saturday, April 22, 9:30-11:30 AM Pacific Time
• Flash Fiction Workshop, Wednesday, April 12, 7-9 PM Pacific Time
• Moving from Idea to Draft, Saturday, May 6, 9:30-11:30 AM Pacific Time
• How to Rewrite, Edit, and Polish Your Fiction, Wednesday, May 3, 4-6 PM
• How to Write Steampunk and Weird Western, Saturday, May 13, 9:30-11:30 AM Pacific Time
• Story Fundamentals, Wednesday, April 19 4-6 PM Pacific Time OR Saturday, May 27
  9:30-11:30 AM Pacific Time OR Wednesday May 31 7-9 PM Pacific Time
• Writing Your Way Into Your Novel, Saturday, April 29, 9:30-11:30 AM Pacific Time

If you don’t know about DonorsChoose, it’s a great program that lets you support individual classroom projects. I sponsored one in honor of my aunt Nona. Here’s the lovely thank you note I just got.

Dear Cat Rambo,

Thank you so much for your donation to my classroom. Having copies of Persepolis: The Story Of A Childhood has had a dramatic impact on my students as they finish their eighth grade year.

When the students received copies of a book that they were actually interested in, they felt like they were the ones in charge of their learning experience. The decision to design a unit around Persepolis was student driven. Earlier this year I noticed that students were coming to class regularly asking questions about the Middle East and Islam. In student interest surveys, the class overwhelmingly expressed a desire to learn more about these topics. So when students got copies of Persepolis, they felt as if their voices were being heard. When I started the unit, I noticed a big increase in student engagement. “I felt lucky!” Eighth grader De’jean Williams said when the class received the books. “Adults hardly ever listen to us- it’s nice when they finally do.”

The Persepolis books have provided students with a window into life in the Middle East. Students are beginning to understand the complexity of the forces shaping the region. They are deeply engaging with questions about the role of government, culture and religion influencing a society. Middle school is the time when students are first beginning to shape their world-view. Reading Persepolis is helping students in this process. As the United States gets more and more involved in the region, I am so glad that my students understanding of the region is growing.

Thanks again for your generous donation! You are truly making a difference in the lives of young people!!

With gratitude,
Ms. Founds

Want to see students reading diverse, interesting, informative reading that features protagonists like them? Find programs doing just that and help them.