A: I’m glad you asked. A writing marathon is a day-long experience where writers gather together in small groups to write and then share their writing. Think, free-writing with the world as your prompt! The purpose of FHS Writes! is to provide a cross-section of 10^th – 12^th grade students with an off-campus creative writing experience that will lead to publication of an anthology. No experience in free-writing is required, but applicants who have experience with this type of journaling will be given preference.

 Q: What does the day look like?

A: Shortly after arrival at FHS, we will travel together to downtown Covington. Small groups of students, accompanied by chaperones, will spend the day writing and sharing their work in several different venues (restaurants, parks, coffee houses, stores, etc.). You should expect to bring between $10 and $20 for refreshments. This is a small group activity; however, there will be plenty of time for individual writing and reflection. Each participant will be provided with a map featuring suggested writing spots. We will meet up at the end of the day to travel back to FHS in time for dismissal.

 Q: What are the requirements for participating?

A: Requirements for participating in FHS Writes! are as follows:

1. In preparation for FHS Writes!, all participants will attend lunchtime or after-school orientations to prepare for the experience. These orientations will take place the week before the marathon. Exact dates will be given in the acceptance letter, and you will receive your field trip form at this time.
2. After FHS Writes!, you will prepare a piece that you wrote on the marathon for publication. This can be an essay, poem, short story, reflection – any type of writing that comes out of your writing marathon experience. All participants will receive a copy of the anthology at reduced cost. The anthology will include writing from both the Fall and Spring marathons, and will be published before the end of the school year.

Q: Sounds awesome! How do I sign up?

A: There are only 60 spots available and students must be in grades 10, 11, or 12. Applications are available in rooms 602 (Steigman), 605 (Mayfield) and 610 (Paul). You can also download an application here. Fill out an application and submit it to Ms. Steigman in room 602 by Thursday, February 10. Participants will be notified of their acceptance by Thursday, March 3. 

 If you have questions, please ask your English teacher or see Ms. Steigman in Room 602 between classes, after school, or at lunch duty outside the auditorium on Wednesday. You may also email questions to ellen.steigman@stpsb.org but please be aware that the district firewall blocks some web emails like hotmail, yahoo, and AOL. If your email is not answered, that means that it was not received.

THANK YOU to the FHS PTSA for providing funding for FHS Writes!

Submitting Journal Entries for publication

When you applied to FHS Writes, you learned that the second stage of this project is the production of a literary journal – an anthology of works by our FHS Writers and chaperones. Please select one or two pieces of what you feel to be your best writing from the marathon for publication in this journal. Submissions can be prose, poetry, or anything in between.

 All entries should be single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, one inch margins.

 Heading: The header for all journal entries should be in the top left-hand corner. The header is three lines:

1. Your name

2. The location in which the writing took place (Covington Cemetery, Bogue Falaya Park, St. John’sCoffeehouse, etc.)

3. Title of work (optional! You don’t need to have a title!)

Example:

 REFLECTIONS: We would also like to have a section titled “Reflections,” so if you are willing, please submit thoughts about the marathon day as a whole and how you feel the experience impacted you as a writer, a student, and a person in general. This doesn’t need to be long – anywhere from a sentence to a paragraph is great. The heading for “Reflections”  is your name.

WHO ARE YOU? Last, but not least, we need biographical information from all authors. Tell us who you are in 25 words or less. Example:  Joe “Ima” Writer is a sophomore. He is a member of the Creative Writing Club and Key Club and is on the varsity fencing squad.

 Deadline: Submit all work by Sunday, April 10. The sooner, the better. We want to get the journal to print and out to everyone as soon as possible. Please submit your pieces just as you want them; we will not be editing for spelling or content. To submit your pieces, go to turnitin.com and add the following class: 

Class ID: 3925535      

Enrollment password: writer

 If you do not know how to use turnitin.com, either ask a friend to show you or email your pieces directly to FHSWrites@gmail.com

 I will be reporting to the PTA on April 12 about FHSWrites, so if you would like to send them a thank-you note, please bring it to me and I will deliver it.

ARTWORK: Please either scan and send your artwork to fhswrites@gmail.com or bring the original to Mrs. Paul in 610.