Fairy Tales enchant us; they remind us to take a fresh view on daily life; and while many Andersen's tales are filled with sorrow, their beautiful and vivid imagery never ceases to amaze us. We will examine the works of Hans Christian Andersen from the perspective of creative writers, learning from this timeless storyteller. In one meeting, Pilar Barrera will lift up Andersen’s tales which demonstrate different themes or specifics of his craft. Then students work on their own stories, learning by experimenting with Andersen’s techniques. In the following meeting, Sparrow Alden will facilitate a workshop-style discussion of our original tale-telling work; we'll encourage one another as writers and appreciate one another as readers, then the cycle repeats. Our goal is to complete the month with a deeper appreciation for the tales we all love and a folder with one to four good drafts of original tales.

Course Outline:

Week One
• Session 1: Intro to Andersen’s Classic Tales
• Session 2: Writers’ Workshop
Week Two
• Session 3: Andersen’s Tales of Personification
• Session 4: Writers’ Workshop
Week Three
• Session 5: Andersen’s Larger than Life Themes
• Session 6: Writers’ Workshop
Week Four
• Session 7: Andersen’s Darker Side
• Session 8: Writers’ Workshop
*Note: For more information about the supportive Collaborative Feedback Method in SPACE Creative Writing, please check out our video here: Collaborative Feedback Method .