Writing for Kids 101 (Tina Tocco)

This class will meet online for six sessions starting, Tuesday, June 3 from 1:00 to 3:30 PM.

Description:

Have you always wanted to write stories for kids, but never knew where to start? This class will let you get your feet wet in this fun genre. Don’t be nervous about sparking your creativity! We’ll use weekly in-class prompts — everything from starter sentences to images, magical objects to inanimate objects — to help you generate new work in every session. In addition, you’ll receive (completely optional) take-home exercises to keep you writing during the week. Expect to write to at least one prompt in every class and to comment on your classmates’ pieces. Since this workshop is generative, we’ll stick to positive feedback and optional sharing to keep everyone’s experience relaxed and fun. Come explore the children’s writing genre while generating the beginnings of multiple stories (maybe even some you’d like to build on). We'll even read published children's stories or novel excerpts, as time permits. New writers and writers new to the children’s genre are welcome. This class is geared towards writing for middle grade (ages 8-12) and young adult (ages 13-18).

About the Instructor:

Tina Tocco is a Pushcart Prize nominee. Her work has appeared in New Ohio Review, River Styx, Crab Creek Review, Roanoke Review, Hobart, Passages North, Potomac Review, Portland Review, Harpur Palate, and Italian Americana, among others. Tina’s writing has also been featured in various anthologies, including The Best Small Fictions 2019 (Sonder Press, 2019), Best Nonfiction Food (Woodhall Press, 2020), and The Haunted States of America (SCBWI-Henry Holt, 2024). A recipient of multiple awards, Tina was a finalist in CALYX’s Flash Fiction Contest and longlisted in The SmokeLong Quarterly Grand Micro Competition. She earned her MFA in creative writing from Manhattanville University, where she was editor-in-chief of Inkwell, the university’s national literary journal.