November 17 and 18, The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow will host writer Kindall Gant’s workshop Ekphrasis to introduce and explore the use of ekphrasis in poetry. But Gant isn’t WCDH’s only special guest. They will also be welcoming 13 students and 3 teachers from Bentonville West High School’s West Writers.
West Writers is a student group that seeks to unite opportunities for writers on the BWHS campus through programming such as summer writing camps, a Creative Writing elective course, and Yawp, one of the state's top student-produced literary magazines. West Writers aims to create a culture at BWHS that prioritizes and celebrates the written word in all its forms.
Zachary Jostad, BWHS educator and Yawp advisor, said, “We want to provide students the opportunity to interact with a variety of writers in a variety of settings and contexts, and we are thrilled to work with The Writers’ Colony and Ms. Gant over the course of these two days."
The Writers’ Colony is also inviting some of the writers who will be in residence to meet with the students for lunch so they can meet a variety of writers from poets to playwrights to novelists.
Executive Director of The Writers’ Colony, Tara Cloud Clark, said, “Providing educational opportunities outside the classroom and supporting teachers is incredibly important to me, so I’m thrilled we get to welcome West Writers as part of our efforts to nurture writers from all backgrounds.”
The Ekphrasis workshop is full, but keep an eye out for more workshops being developed for 2023. And keep an eye on the West Writers program. Who knows what will come from these teachers’ and students’ incredible work.