The Open Bus: A Drop-In Writing Workshop for Kids

From August 2019 – June 2020, Greenville Wordsmiths will offer “The Open Bus,” a drop-in writing workshop for kids ages 6-14. The workshop series will take place in The Wordmobile, a converted school bus/classroom parked at Hampton Station in Greenville. SC Humanities supported this project with a Mini Grant.

The goal of The Open Bus is providing free, high-quality creative writing education to students during non-school hours. Participants will be exposed to a wide variety of forms, with freedom not encountered in a typical classroom. Guest artists will lead the workshops on a different theme each month.

Upcoming workshop themes and dates are:

Saturday, August 17, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Humor Writing with Katie Burgess

Saturday, August 24, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Humor Writing with Katie Burgess

Saturday, August 31, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Humor Writing with Katie Burgess

Saturday, September 7, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Playwriting with Katie Jones

Saturday, September 14, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Playwriting with Katie Jones

Sunday, October 6, 3:00-4:00
Songwriting warm-up with Adrienne Burris

Friday, October 11, 3:30-5
Songwriting with Glory Day Loflin

Friday, October 18, 3:30-5
Songwriting with Glory Day Loflin

Monday, November 4, 3:30-4:30
Digital Poetry with Vanessa Levin-Pompetzki

Monday, November 11, 3:30-4:30
Digital Poetry with Vanessa Levin-Pompetzki

Monday, November 18, 3:30-4:30
Digital Poetry with Vanessa Levin-Pompetzki

Saturday, February 15, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Short Stories with Carolyn Lee Adams

Saturday, February 22, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Short Stories with Carolyn Lee Adams

Saturday, March 7, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Food Writing with Beth Brown Ables

Wednesday, March 18, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. (for home school students)
Food Writing with Beth Brown Ables

Friday, March 27, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Food Writing with Beth Brown Ables

Friday, April 6, 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Haiku with Michelle Grover

Friday, April 20, 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Nature writing with Michelle Grover

Other monthly themes will include food writing and writing a thriller. The dates of the workshops from January – June 2020 will be posted here, as they are determined.

The workshops are free and open to kids ages 6-14. There is no pre-registration, but spaces do fill quickly. The Wordmobile will be located at Hampton Station (1320 Hampton Ave, Greenville, SC 29601). For more information about The Open Bus and about Greenville Wordsmiths, visit https://www.greenvillewordsmiths.com/ .

The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c) 3 organization is governed by a volunteer 20-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually.