News at Buckley
Upper School Writers Travel to Iowa
Heavy snowfall added an extra layer of literary coziness to this year’s annual trip to Iowa, which Upper School students embark on every year as part of Buckley’s partnership with the prestigious Non-Fiction Writing Program (NWP) at Iowa University.
Ever since 2016 (except for 2020, when the trip was canceled at the last minute due to Covid-19, and in 2021, when the program went virtual), roughly 20 students have traveled to Iowa City to engage in two days of sight-seeing and creative nonfiction writing workshops. The workshops are led by graduate students in the university’s NWP who apply to be “Buckley Fellows” by proposing a workshop to lead with those on Buckley’s trip. Every year, the workshop titles change, as do the fellows.
“Being in Iowa is important because it's liberating,” says English teacher Mitch Kohn, who developed the partnership with NWP’s then-director John D’Agata (now the department’s F. Wendell Miller Professor of English). “The students are willing to take risks with their writing; the atmosphere demands it. The students are in a new setting, working with workshop leaders who are new to them, and trying out new ways to write.
“This year's group, made up of juniors and sophomores, was so impressive,” Kohn adds. “Literally every student took part in the conversations and was willing to share some of their writing.”
This year’s fellows and workshops:
- Anti-Hero: The Essayist and the Pop Song, led by Spencer Jones
- How to Ask a Question, led by Wyatt Williams
- Writing from the Head and the Heart: Emotion and Memory in Creative Nonfiction, led by Fi Okupe
- B(l)ack Down South: How Writing Can Transform Perception, led by Grace Morse
- Ekphrastic Writing, led by Jesse Kraemer
“I really enjoyed the Anti-Hero workshop, which was about songs and artists that we hate to love,” shared junior Zach K. “I wrote about ‘Perfect,’ by Ed Sheeran, because it's super corny, but also a beautiful song. I would say my writing improved because we learned and analyzed different forms of writing, especially emotional writing, and how powerful and fulfilling it can be.”
Other News
List of 4 news stories.
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Kandice C. Finishes 23rd in State!
Read MoreNinth grade student Kandice C. finished 23rd overall in the California State CIF Championships, competing at Poppy Hills in Pebble Beach. -
Upper School Students Attend Opera Dress Rehearsal
Upper School students of Spanish 3 Honors, Spanish 4 Honors, and AP Spanish attended the dress rehearsal of the opera, El último sueño de Frida y Diego, and stopped for lunch at the Pueblo de Los Angeles on Olvera Street.Read More -
Little Shop of Horrors Makes Its Debut!
The fall musical, Little Shop of Horrors, debuted this week, with performances yesterday and today.Read More -
Trick-or-Treat at BOOckley
Read MoreIt's time to get ready for BOOckley! Halloween on Stansbury will be lots of skele-fun.
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