But these are not your average young writers, and their stories covered everything from the sadness of heartbreak to a camping trip gone hilariously wrong and yes, even a bit of horror fiction for good measure.
Each of the writers – aged 14 to 18 – had just competed the week-long Sage Hill Writing Experience program under the instruction of author Kristine Scarrow, whose most recent book The Gamer’s Guide to Getting the Girl is one of the featured novels during the Festival.
“It was excellent,” Scarrow said when asked for her opinion of the writing she’d seen through the week and during the Read-Out in the Art Museum theatre.
“This was my first time as the instructor, and I felt it was an absolute privilege to be with these kids for the week. The level of talent blew me away and their ability to create in ways that adults get limited by. I felt like it opened up my own creativity as well, so they taught me as much as I’ve taught them… It’s been an absolute blast and I’d love to come back again, it was just terrific.”
Program participants had to apply for the program months ago, submitting a writing sample and hoping to be selected for the camp. For the Moose Jaw stop – Sage Hill also runs writing experiences in Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Swift Current – a total of 11 writers were chosen, taking part in instructional sessions from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day leading up to the Festival of Words. The Read-Out offered the young writers a chance to present their material in public, some for the first time.
“It’s a great experience, they have an opportunity to showcase their work and hopefully it’s something that helps them develop a life-long love for writing,” Scarrow said.
