Our apologies, due to printing problems, the Idaho Writing Camps Anthology Release Party has been postponed. Please know that this is the last thing we wanted to happen and that we were so excited to share the anthology with you before the holidays; however, there was nothing we could do to foresee or avoid this problem. Also know that we value you and your families greatly. The event will now occur on Saturday, January 12th, 1-4pm and the schedule of events will stay the same. In addition, we are going to do our best to try and get copies of the anthology to Hyde Park Books before Christmas so that you can have the opportunity to pick one up and share it with your family over the holidays. Feel free to contact with any questions you have about the anthology and the new event date. Thank you for your understanding. The Cabin 801 South Capitol Blvd. Boise, Idaho 83702 208-331-8000 (t) 208-331-8334 (f) www.thecabinidaho.orgwww.virtualcabinidaho.com
 The 2012 Idaho Writing Camps
Words Work Wonders
Anthology Release Parties
Saturday, December 15, 1-4pm and 6:30PM
@ Hyde Park Books 1507 N 13th St.
Volume 1 Schedule of Events
Featuring writing from Word Play, Cabin Writers, Urban Ink, Writing Wild & Picture This
1:00 Anthology pick-up and Reading Sign Up
1:30 Reading
2:00 Anthology Pick Up and Reading Sign Up
2:30 Mini-Workshop with a Teaching-Writer
3:30 Reading
Volume 2 Schedule of Events
Featuring writing from The Workshop and Your Turn
6:30 Anthology Pick Up and Sign Up for Reading
7:00 Words Work Wonders Volume 2 Reading and Celebration
Each participant in camp gets one free copy of the anthology. Additional copies will be for sale by Hyde Park Books. Campers that live far away will receive their copy of the anthology in the mail. Campers that live in and around Boise, but cannot make it to the event can pick up their copy at the Cabin during normal business hours after the 15th.
As the 2012 summer intern for the Log Cabin Literary Center I was witness to brilliant works of writing, and I could not have imagined spending my summer any other way. The staff and teachers here are absolutely amazing, and I never would have dreamt for a brighter, more creative group of campers than the ones I got to work with each week. From the silly to the serious, the abstract to the concrete. I have never before seen a group of people turn the mundane into beautiful works of art. Lined paper was their canvas, words their instrument, and imagination their ink. If you or your kids have never been a part of one of the many programs this organization puts on, you are truly missing out. The City of Boise has vast resources at its disposal, and The Cabin takes advantage of nearly every avenue for instilling creativity, and helping foster the vast stores that each camper already brings with him/her. There is only one more week of camps before the summer writing programs are done, and editing the anthology begins. Happy writing!
Over the years, as The Cabin has grown, multiple camps have sprung up in different locations across the state. And although the Boise location continues to house the most students, the other three camp sites, Twin Falls, Hailey and Fort Hall, have become popular for the residents living in those areas.
 The group at Fort Hall consists of all the young writers living on the reservation. They spent a lot of time exploring different forms of art and then incorporating the end results into various poems and short stories.
 After four, fun-filled days of writing, the campers will get to choose two of their favorite pieces to be shared with the public. One will become a published piece of writing that will end up in the anthology that is printed at the end of all the camps, and the other will be read aloud to all the family, friends, and individuals that decide to attend the readings on the last day of camp.
Some of the pieces will make you smile at the sincerity of the young writers.
And others will you have doubled-over in laughter at the humor found in the some of the poems and short stories.
 The campers belonging to the Cabin Writers group spent most of their time working on different forms of poetry. Exquisite Corpse poetry was their absolute favorite. It is almost like a collaborative game where each poet will write a sentence and pass it on to the next person, with the previous sentence being the only one they have to give them an idea as to what the poem is about. Here is an example of one of the Exquisite Corpse poems the group came up with:
(1) My cat fell into the Pool.
(2) It was rescued by some zombies that were wearing pink princess PJ's.
(3) Similar to the ones Jersey Devils wear.
(4) The clothes he was wearing made him embarrassed.
(5) They were ugly.
(6) Much like yetis who have never received love.
It was quiet around The Cabin without the sound of pencils scratching and campers reading aloud their work this past week. But now that camps have resumed, writing is once again flourishing.
 Cabin Writers Camp
The campers wrote from the persona of inanimate objects, animals, and various people in history. While visiting the Lewis and Clark exhibit in the Idaho Historical Museum, one camper decided to retell the story from a saddle's point-of-view. Another camper decided to write a short story about the daily life of a Wallaby after spending time with them at the Boise Zoo.
 Writing Wild Camp
The Writing Wild camp focuses on nature and the five senses of perception: touch, taste, smell, sight and sound. Campers meet at the Foothills Learning Center located at Hull's Gulch, and engage in the nature surrounding them. They will explore the trails while learning about both indigenous and invasive plant and animal species, and apply this to their creative works of writing in the form of poetry and short stories.
The Black Widow and the Bee
Jonas Habig, Grade 4
Writing Wild
A black widow and a bee grew up in the same neighborhood. One day the black widow got hungry and
tried to kill the bee. The bee escaped and later asked the black widow why she tried to kill him. The black
widow answered, “I’ve gotten tired about your talk of what’s above the clouds and I haven’t had anything to
eat in days!”
Then the bee landed and said, “Why don’t you go to the store?”
The black widow answered, “Because I can eat you.”
And with no more to say the black widow jumped and ate the bee. 
Anonymous
Writing Wild
(1) Why does the rock choose to skip,
when it knows it must eventually sink?
(2) Why do trees choose to grow in the
choking ashes of their fallen brethren?
Urban Ink in Boise
 As the spring storms roll overhead, soon to be replaced by the clear blue skies and warmth of summer, Cabin writers witness the change and are armed with pencils and paper as they explore the outdoors and their imagination through the art of creative writing and poetry.
First to be captured are the writers from Kerri Webster's Urban Ink Camp. Yesterday, they took a trip next door to the Boise Public Library and engaged their sleuthing skills.
_Aptly using their observations, the young writers created fictional characters based on the people they observed within the library.
Start Thinking about Summer!
_ As spring is fighting its way here it’s time to, once again, start thinking about summer! Here is the 2012 Idaho Writing Camps Schedule. We are so excited to have the cabin air filled with young writer’s imaginations, words, and creativity once again! Register online and check out the brochure at www.thecabinidaho.org. Call us with any questions- 208.331.8000 CAMPTIMES: 9:00 am – noon = am camps 1:00 – 4:00 pm = pm camps Word Play- Grades 3-4 Engage the five senses and play with language as a path to writing imaginative poems and short stories. You’ll visit nearby parks, the zoo and learn fun activities to jump start your writing. Boise, The Cabin / am or pm / June 25-29, July 9-13, July 16-20, July 23 – 27 Twin Falls, College of Southern Idaho / am / June 11-15 Hailey, The Center / am / August 6-10 Cabin Writers- Grades 5-6 Discover how art, music, nature and your own inner voice lead you to stories and poems that only you can writer. Get ready to experience writing in an art museum, a rose garden or next to the Boise River. Boise, The Cabin / am or pm /June 25-29, July 9-13, July 16-20, July 23-27 Twin Falls, College of Southern Idaho / am or pm / June 11-15 Hailey, The Center / am or pm / August 6-10 Writing Wild: Grades 4-6 and 7-9 A week long adventure in Boise’s best backyards. Grab your pen and take a walk on the wild side. Explore the natural world, your own imagination, and the power of words as you find your own story in the great outdoors. Parents drop-off and pick-up students at the Foothills Learning Center in the Hulls Gulch Reserve. Boise, FoothillsLearningCenter Boise, FoothillsLearningCenter Grades 4-6 / am / Grades 7-9 / am / June 11-15 June 11-15 June 18-22 June 18-22 June 25-29 June 25-29 Picture This- Grades 6-6 and 7-9 Explore the connection between visual art and the written word. Through collage, comics, poems, stories, paintings, and pictures, you will learn to creat work that literally shows and tells. Boise, The Cabin Boise, The Cabin Grades 5-6 / pm / Grades 7-9 / am / July 30-August 3 July 30-August 3 August 6-10 August 6-10 Urban Ink- Grades 7-9 Explore cityscapes, coffee shops, public art, and natural spaces. Professional writers will teach you to create unique characters as well as develop your own writing voice. Boise, The Cabin / am or pm / June 11-15, June 18-22, July 9-13, July 16-20 Twin Falls, College of Southern Idaho / pm / June 11-15 Hailey, The Center / pm / August 6-10 The Workshop- Grades 10-12 Spend two weeks taking your writing to the next level. You’ll learn how to draft, critique, and revise poetry and fiction in a safe, yet challenging environment. Published authors will share the same writing techniques they use themselves. Boise, The Cabin: Am – 2 weeks July 18-29 July 30-August 10 Your Turn- Writing Camp for Adults Ever wish you could go to writing camp? Now you can! Your Turn includes all the elements that make Idaho Writing Camps unique, but geared especially for grown-ups. Spend a week working with a professional writer in a small group setting Write by the river, the Rose Garden, area coffee shops and art galleries. Find out why so many kids come home from camp happy and inspired. Boise, The Cabin / am / July 16-20
 _
Our Idaho Writing Camps anthology, Words Work Wonders, is back from Caxton Press and looking fabulous! There’s one free copy for every student who attended camps this year, and extra copies are available for $12 each. Stop by The Cabin anytime (Mon-Fri 9-5) to pick them up, or come to our anthology release party at Barnes & Noble this Saturday, December 10:
_We have a whole day of free events planned to go along with the anthology release, featuring a gift wrapping table, three one-hour Writing Workshops at 11am, 1pm and 3pm, and three one-hour Camper Readings at 12pm, 2pm and 4pm. You can order extra copies of the anthology by calling The Cabin at 208.340.2233 and we’ll have them reserved for you at the event. _In addition to the anthology release, December 10 is The Cabin’s Bookfair at Barnes & Noble, where 15% of every purchase will go to The Cabin. Just be sure to have your Cabin vouchers, or ask a volunteer for one at the event. Can’t make it to the store that day? You can make purchases online from December 10-15 by going to BN.com/bookfairs and entering Bookfair ID # 10602829 at checkout.
Now that writing camps are over it’s much quieter here at The Cabin. Branches of the “Poe-tree” stand empty, our sidewalk chalk art is washed away by sprinklers, the fridge shelves are no longer filled to the brim with Cabin water bottles. It’s sad to see this summer go but we had a fantastic time hosting more campers than ever: 432 eager young minds came through our doors, and this record enrollment allowed us to open more classes, hire additional teachers and offer a more diverse range of opportunities for learning and growing with words.
We received very helpful feedback surveys from parents, including some great suggestions for future improvement as well as many glowing responses. Here are a few of those parent testimonials that made us smile.
“My son Jay loved this camp more than any other he has ever taken! We are now writing stories and poems together as a family activity. I am SO IMPRESSED with the impact this camp has had on Jay. Please give a special thanks to Adrian. As a teacher, I appreciate his novel approaches to inspire students.” –John Rosato
“We always find the Log Cabin writing camps motivate our daughter to write, and this carries through the summer. It really inspires her imagination and gives her confidence to write short stories and poetry on her own after camp has been completed!...Log Cabin writing camp gives her the reason, and re-awakens the desire to write. Thank you for having such a great program, with great instructors, who give students the tools to open up that treasure chest of dreams and images, analogies and pretend creatures that oftentimes get locked away or shoved on a shelf at this age!” –Jennifer Brizee
“Ava has been more confident, expressive and passionate since this camp. She actually performed her poem (memorized) at a party the evening after camp was final. She didn’t tell us she was doing it – just jumped on the microphone and started to deliver her poem. It was so great!” –Gina Roberts-Wagner
“My daughter Quinn is still inspired and elated after taking a week long camp. I wouldn't change a thing. She loved every minute and said it is her favorite camp she has ever done.” –Darla McRoberts
“My daughter, who has typically been “afraid” to write, blossomed in the camp. Both instructors were talented and empowering in getting the creative juices flowing and creating a fun, exploratory, and safe environment for the students to experience and articulate thoughts and feelings in a most creative way. Addison was excited to write and share her stories each night after class. She was having so much fun with writing. One of the teachers, (Malia) had them hula during their break times and this had a most positive effect on their learning. It was better than I had imagined and I know that Addison will carry this new confidence and enjoyment of writing into her schoolwork this fall.” –Shelly Halling
We here at The Cabin are frequently amazed by the unusual, out-of-the-box writing activities our camp instructors come up with. From Malia’s hula storytelling lessons to a teaching assistant who came to class wearing a wedding dress for inspiration, this summer brought all sorts of surprises. Perhaps the most magnificently peculiar prop materialized on the final day of the final camp, when instructor Adrian Kien introduced us to Geofferey.
 Geofferey is a dismantled mannequin with three arms, 10 fingers, two mismatched legs, and, thanks to our Picture This campers, a lot of very intriguing marker tattoos.
 Probably the first time these kids have ever written on a fiberglass leg.  It's a mannequin manicure!  This camper might be speculating about why Geofferey's left leg doesn't match.  While Adrian’s campers worked on enhancing Geofferey, Kerri Webster’s Picture This students decorated the path and walls leading down to the Jean B. Wilson Room, welcoming parents, relatives and friends to the gallery show Friday afternoon.
 Follow the school of many-hued jellyfish!  Creating these cardboard picture-window books introduced campers to the concept of upcycling: repurposing materials that might otherwise be discarded and elevating them with the addition of art and writing.
Terra cotta flower pots served as canvas for another art-writing activity.
Thank you, Picture This campers and instructors, for sharing your fascinating creations with us!
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