Red Oak Young Writers, llc

Where Are They Now?

Challenge yourself: Can you match the Red Oak “grad” with his/her current endeavors?

Answers below.

a.) Angela O.   b.)  Alex L.    c.)  Alison P.   d.) Travis J.   e.) Laurel P.     f.) Rashad H.

g.)  Mo M.    h.) Rai T.   i.) Courtney S.

1. English/Theater major @ St. Olaf College & working on scripts for a “St. Olaf version of something like A Prairie Home Companion”
2. studying Criminal Justice & International Studies at UW Platteville
3. “practicing imposter skills in the College of Engineering . . . and ignoring [her] calling as a language arts instructor” as she gives writing advice to fellow students
4. in seminary school in Brookline, MA
5. studying English at Ripon College
6. studying to be a 6-12th grade Social Studies teacher with plans to use his writing skills to become part of the educational, film and history communities
7. working toward a History degree at Coe College and using Creative Writing talents as the fiction editor of the school’s literary magazine
8. studying Psychology and Creative Writing at Purdue
9. studying Creative Writing & Psychology at Coe College, writing short stories and “re-booting” his novel

Answers:

1. i
2. a
3. h
4. b
5. g
6. d
7. c
8. e
9. f

Our teen writers at the Marian Center had a fabulous visit with Cayla Kluver, internationally published author of Legacy and two other forthcoming novels in her trilogy. Cayla’s enthusiasm for writing was infectious, and she shared plenty of useful information (see below) about her journey to becoming a published author. First step: Write something really good! Many thanks to Cayla (and her “manager”/mom, Kimberly) for making the trip from Eau Claire to be with us!

Please stop by the Oconomowoc Public Library on August 10th, 2011  at 1:00 for a book signing event sponsored by Books & Co.

Here are a few snippets from the take-aways they shared at the end of the day:

… It was nice to hear from an author around my age who has the same problems I do, and still is successful. It really assured me compared to adults who seem larger than life anyways.

…I liked that she said she got writer’s block sometimes, too, and that she has a hard time trying to find time to write.

…I found her journey to publishing very interesting and inspiring.

…Cayla was inspiring and relatible to someone like me…[her visit] was the highlight of the week so far. I can’t wait to read her book!

…Now I know it’s possible to get published.

…She taught me things about the publishing and editing process that made it a lot more clear to me.

…Her book seems interesting to everyone and not only geared toward one group of people. I’m hoping I can get my hands on it in the near future!

…I was impressed with her creating success on her terms, then receiving the awards/attention that led to an agent.

…It was encouraging to hear about her writing process.

…It helped me learn ways to get through some of the dry spells I sometimes get.