Playing with Form in Writing at Morristown High School

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This past week, thanks to Arts By the People and Morristown High School, I led two creative writing classes in a workshop where we discussed finding inspiration from non-traditional forms.

We started out by listening to some blues music, then we talked about working within the tradition of a given form, but then escaping that form in interesting ways through play and improvisation. Sometimes this can break us out of a creative rut and lead to new kinds of creative expression! We also talked about the practicalities of writing and I shared with them some resources that I hope will serve them well in the coming years.

It was a joy and an inspiration to work with the students, who were all very bright and creative. I encouraged them to not be afraid to express themselves through writing and to submit to journals, especially the Morristown High School’s own Tricorn Literary Magazine and ABTP’s The Platform Literary Magazine.

It was an honor and a privilege to be able to lead these workshops and I hope to do more in the future! Thank you very much to Morristown HS English Department staff Jennifer Furphey and Brian Kievning for having me and Arts By the People visit the classroom!

-David Olimpio

Paul Rabinowitz