Young writers attend 5th annual festival

More than 300 aspiring writers, actors and artists descended on the Glenn County Fairgrounds Thursday to attend the fifth annual Young Writers Festival.

The event, put on by the Glenn County Office of Education, outgrew its previous venues, Coordinator Anna Lane said, so the fairgrounds was the place to go this year.

Students learned illustration, improvisational acting, storytelling, poetry and how to do digital stories during the daylong festival.

They came from around Glenn County including Elk Creek, Hamilton City, around Orland and Princeton, Lane said, with only Willows schools opting out this time.

The fourth through eighth graders heard from a diverse group of experts who offered workshops around the fairgrounds in their areas of expertise.

Children's author Mina Javaherbin shared pictures of her native Iran and her family before they emigrated to the United States 30 years ago.

"I am showing you these pictures so you can see people around the world have normal lives with their families and rose gardens," she said, during an introduction to the festival.

Javaherbin now lives in Los Angeles but recalled watching American astronauts land on the moon back in 1969 on a black and white TV set in her home in Tehran, Iran.

She said her stories look at universal experiences most people can share around the world. They include laughter, food, friendship, sports and more as the world grows smaller through the Internet, Twitter and Face Book.

Her books also have been translated into numerous languages - especially the one called "Goal" that focuses on soccer, so she stressed the importance of knowing about different cultures - especially since the U.S. is filled with people from so many different places.

Presenter Teresa Lightle, with the Butte County Office of Education, did a workshop on "Digital Storytelling."

She showed television images of the U.S. moon landing, a British report on the loss of the World Trade Center in 2001 and an interview with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Lightle added digital stories are good for exploring historical events and people and presenting both sounds and images.

However, one important aspect of digital stories is the "gift of voice," she said.

King's story would not have been nearly as poignant if someone else had told it, Lightle explained.

An audio recording by comedian Bill Cosby also illustrated the impact of the voice since he talked about a playground without any visuals. -using inflections to illustrate his points.

Book illustrator Elizabeth Gomez introduced the children to the works of Salvador Dali and the concept of "surrealism".

Before the youngsters began drawing birds, dogs and other creatures, Gomez discussed how dragons are made from the parts of other creatures like lizards, bats, snakes and more.

Butte College drama instructor Dawn McConnell conducted an improvisational workshop in Flaherty Hall where students could pretend to be anyone they wanted.

During one skit, a boy asks another in a red jacket for his autograph, and the young man responds with a forceful "No, Go away - Security," which received praise from McConnell.

Dance as a story form also got covered by Brigit Hull with the Chico Country Day School.

Hull asked the young people to form the shapes of circles, triangles and peacocks during one exercise, and also discussed how music can indicate drama, fright and other themes.

Veteran storyteller Michael Katz also returned to review his craft and showed the children how changes in expression or standing still can get people's attention.

Teacher Amanda von Kleist did a workshop on poetry and there was even a section on using iPads.

The day ended with an awards ceremony for students whose pre-submitted work was judged by a panel of librarians and other educational professionals.

Winners received ribbons, Barnes and Noble gift certificates and certificates for writing poetry, narratives, journalism and other writing, Lane said.

Contact Rick Longley at 934-6800 or rlongley@tcnpress.com.