Twain times 12: Young authors visit Hannibal

High waters did not diminish the high hopes of the 12 young authors who spent the past week in Hannibal for the second Annual Mark Twain Young Authors Workshop, a program designed to introduce aspiring writers to the life and techniques of our own Samuel Clemens.  Despite parents’ concerns over the rising Mississippi, the 5th – 8th grade scholarship recipients traveled from ten states to participate in the workshop, sponsored by the HATS (High Achieving Talented Students) Program at Stetson University (DeLand, Florida) and the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum.  The twelve were selected from 400 applicants based on a three-page creative writing submission.  The program is co-directed by Cindy Lovell (education coordinator) and Henry Sweets (curator) of the Mark Twain Museum who evaluated the 400 applications before selecting the final twelve.
The students read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer just prior to arriving in Hannibal and learned how Twain drew upon life experiences to create his timeless works. Their visits included the museum properties, Cardiff Hill, Mark Twain Cave, Rockliffe Mansion, local cemeteries, Sam Clemens’ birthplace in Florida, Missouri and an evening with “Mark Twain Himself” at Planter’s Barn. The students were saddened that they were unable to ride the Mark Twain Riverboat due to the high waters, but all intend to return someday.  Adam Williams of Arkansas was especially disappointed since he is wrote about the river for a virtual tour the young authors are developing of Hannibal.  “I was looking forward to seeing Jackson’s Island and some of the other sights of the river,” he said.  “I’d like to come back with my family and show them how high the water rose.”
In addition to the Mississippi River, the young authors brought other historic sites to life for their virtual tour project, which will be posted on the museum’s website as a response to the many teachers around the country who regularly contact the museum asking for such a “tour” of Clemens’ hometown.  Richard Plunkett of New York researched and wrote about the Huckleberry Finn house.  “There is a garden out back, and the old beams inside make it feel authentic.  I really enjoyed finding out that Huck was based on a real person, Tom Blankenship.”  Claire Sincox of Illinois enjoyed the writing workshops throughout the week.  “Sharing ideas with other writers was fun and helpful,” she said, “especially when we traded shoes and tried to observe details each other just by examining their shoes.  Emily Schwenneker of Missouri agreed.  “I loved the shoe thing!”  Adam Lefton, a writer and publishing professional who traveled from New York City to work with the group, put the authors through their paces during workshops on dialogue, character development, and creating conflict in their stories.  “Reading manuscripts is what I do for a living, and I am highly impressed with the quality of their writing,” Lefton said.  “One of my favorite workshops was when we traded sentences and got to work on someone else’s ideas,” said Rachel Thornton of Indiana.  “It was challenging but fun.”  Sam Weitzman of Ohio agreed saying, “Every night at the dorms I would beg to play the sentence game.”
The other young authors included David Wang (Illinois), Jordyn Pair (Michigan), Cassidy Alexander (Florida), Max Sopher (New Hampshire), Cullen Burling (Connecticut), and Haley Johnson (Missouri).  Chaperones included Amy and Brett Bottorff, teachers who worked with the young authors as part of a graduate course at Quincy University, and Catherine Hartshorn, a graduate of Stetson University and a Florida teacher.  “This was my third trip to Hannibal,” Hartshorn said.  “My first was two years ago when I attended the teachers workshop that Henry and Cindy presented at the museum.  Last year I chaperoned the young authors, and I plan to come back every year and help.  As a teacher, it’s exciting to see such talented and dedicated students writing so enthusiastically.  I think Mark Twain would be proud.”  More information about the Mark Twain Young Authors Workshop can be found online at http://www.stetson.edu/hats/MarkTwainYoungAuthors.php

Editor’s Note: The young authors visited the offices of the Hannibal Courier-Post to get some advice on interviewing and writing on deadline, and their stories were featured in the June 28 edition of the newspaper.