Ronnie's Awesome List presents a guest article by Karen Benke, creative writing instructor and author of, "Write Back Soon!" Join her WBS Release Party at Book Passage in Corte Madera this Saturday, October 3, 3:30-5pm.

* Special pre-class given prior to Release Party, 2-3:30pm. Tickets still available through Book Passage. Call (415) 927-0960.

You know how it is, your child complains that he (or she) doesn't want to write, isn't in the mood, has no clue what to write about, or just DOESN't GET what the big deal is about writing.  You worry.  You fret.  You keep trying to get him to engage with the page. You want the connection between reading and writing to be made.  You want your child or student to succeed and feel confident about writing.  And yet somehow it always feels like a struggle.  Well, it doesn't have to be like this.  For the past 20+ years I've been playing on and off the page with students ages K-adult, helping them loosen the grip of the critic and just fool around with words.  

That's what poets--aka "makers"--do, after all.  We play and experiment and surprise ourselves.  Using experiments from my three creative writing adventure books, we'll play ourselves so we can take home (or back to the classroom) our favorite writing experiments to share with our reluctant writers.  RIP THE PAGE! Adventures in Creative Writing (Roost Books, 2010) is aimed at 2nd -5th graders.  

I lead poetry workshops for with the California Poets in the Schools program for 20+ years and many of the examples for RIP THE PAGE! (RTP) came from hours writing with students and finding out what they enjoyed most.  An interactive book that invites you to tip words on their sides and write with magic word tickets. 

RTP! is in a third printing and is now used at the college level to de-tramatize incoming freshmen!  LEAP WRITE IN! was written for 6th-8th grade students to let them experiment with accessing their heart-space, play with excavating mini memoirs, taking surprise-yourself surveys, and leaping off lofty lines.  

WRITE BACK SOON! Adventures in Letter Writing is the newest in the series that includes imaginative ways to slip away from the screens and pen a note or letter to a friend or family member and then send it via an envelope and a stamp.  If you're a teacher or a parent--or an adult who wants to loosen your own grip with the critic and play with a pen for a change, then this is the workshop for you.  

Join Karen at the Write Back Soon! Release Party for Educators, Parents and Kids. Space is still left in this October 3rd workshop from 2-3:30 p.m. There's also a launch party for WRITE BACK SOON! immediately following from 3:30 - 5 p.m. Contact Book Passage at (415) 927-0960.

Karen Benke has taught and led workshops to creative writers of all levels and ages for the past 20+ years and will give away her tried and true secrets to unblock and enjoy the process of picking up a pen and engaging with the page. Find her on Facebook or her website at KarenBenke.com.