By TENA L. COOK, Chadron State College
CHADRON – Five Chadron State College students attended the Story Catcher Writing Workshop and Festival July 19-22 in Gunnison, Colorado. The CSC Dean’s Council and Dean Jim Margetts assisted with funding the students’ travel according to Dr. Matt Evertson, Professor of English.
“It was a successful workshop and our first time on the road,” Evertson said.
The students are Kyla Mitsos of Rapid City, S.D., English Education; Erin Hayhurst of Scottsbluff, Neb., English; Caleb Twite of White River, S.D., Theatre and Creative Writing; Jarret Buchholz of Arnold, Neb., Theatre and Creative Writing; and Rebeka Scheiderer of Hotchkiss, Colo., English.
Buchholtz, who won a peer award for his entry in the open mic event, said the atmosphere of the workshop was supportive and positive.
“Everyone's experiences shape them differently and anything can become a powerful story if told properly. Activities like this show us that we can succeed. We met several hardworking authors who all have been successful, and they shared with us that we too can make it. Also, events like this allow us to form connections with fellow writers, all at different parts of their writing journey,” Buchholtz said.
Twite said workshops like Story Catcher provide different outlooks.
“It allows me to see different things. Whether that be directly with writing or in life as a whole. Seeing the world from different perspectives gets me in a creative mood,” Twite said. “This was genuinely an awesome trip.”
Mitsos said she gained the insight that she doesn’t need to scrap an entire idea when it’s not working.
“Sometimes you just need a new perspective. Events like these help me understand what I want to teach my future students to make them stronger writers and truly enjoy it,” Mitsos said.
Hayhurst said the collaborative environment among the instructing authors and fellow workshop participants inspired her.
“Talking with and even just being around other creative-minded people really helped me generate ideas for my writing. Events like this are incredibly helpful to me in understanding the career field I'm going into. Events that bring creative people together are great opportunities for learning new techniques and expanding on the skills one already has. Story Catcher has been a wonderful experience both years I've gone, and I hope I have more opportunities like it in the future,” Hayhurst said.