HP Literary Festival
February 23, 2024
First, choose your class period
Then take a look at past presentations below
Note, however, that enrollment ended on Feb 22, 2024.
Building with Concrete: Replacing Abstract Language with Sensory Details in Poetry
In this generative, 45-minute workshop we'll work to transform concepts—such as anger, liberty, beauty, and greatness—into poems that feature tangible and sensory details. We will determine the texture, the smell, and the shape of these concepts in order to bring them to life on the page. After discussing one or more examples from poems written by contemporary poets, each participant will be invited to choose their own concept and to share ideas about the physical qualities they might assign to it. We will end the workshop by allowing a few minutes for everyone to begin working on their own “concrete concept” poems. A handout will be provided; participants are additionally asked to bring a pen or pencil and scratch paper.
SpeakerMag Gabbert
Dr. Mag Gabbert has a Ph.D. in English, with a focus on creative writing, from Texas Tech University, an MFA in creative writing from The University of California at Riverside, and a BA in English from Trinity University. Her debut full-length poetry collection, which was published in 2023, won the Charles B. Wheeler Prize in Poetry from The Ohio State University and its affiliated literary magazine, The Journal. Dr. Gabbert is also the author of two chapbooks, and her poems and nonfiction essays can be found in many nationally and internationally recognized magazines and journals, including The American Poetry Review, The Paris Review Daily, The Missouri Review, Poetry Daily, The Hopkins Review, and The Massachusetts Review. Her awards include a 92NY Discovery Award from the 92NY Unterberg Poetry Center, a Pushcart Prize, and fellowships from The Kenyon Review Writers’ Workshop, Idyllwild Arts, and Poetry at Round Top. She teaches at Southern Methodist University.
Excused School Sponsored Absence
This is to be used in place of a workshop if you have an excused school sponsored activity during this class period. You will need to provide the appropriate paperwork to your Attendance Officer to verify your absence.
Speaker*** Excused School Sponsored Absence
From a Brain Trickle to a Brainstorm
One of the questions authors get asked most is, “Where do you get your ideas?” And while everywhere is the most common answer, it’s not exactly helpful. In this workshop, we’ll discuss how to ethically steal ideas from our favorite books and movies, the world around us, and our own lives. Students will walk away with a worksheet of their own personal “rabbit holes” they wish to explore further in their writing, as well as strategies to turn those interests into fully realized characters, scenes, and plots.
SpeakerAshley Schumacher
Ashley Schumacher is the young adult author of Amelia Unabridged, Full Flight, and The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway and has a degree in creative writing from the University of North Texas. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s either singing Disney songs, finding new and exciting ways to pester her family, or trying to find her inside voice, which has been sadly missing since birth. She lives in a small town north of Dallas with her husband, son, and a few too many books. Ms. Schumacher’s books, Full Flight and Amelia Unabridged will be available for purchase on the evening of February 22 during the Keynote Speaker Event and on February 23 in the HPHS Library during workshop presentations.
Music Marketing for Storytellers: Promoting a Pop-Rock Band
Get ready to dive into the world of music marketing! In this workshop, you'll use your storytelling skills to become the marketing brains behind a real Dallas pop rock band. Learn the basics of promotion, create TikTok campaigns, plan live events, design merch, and more.
SpeakerLizzie Combs & Sarah Galaro
Sisters Sarah Galaro and Lizzie Combs are Dallas-based writers and marketers. Together, they have formed Tabletop Marketing. Sarah has over a decade of experience as a brand marketer and quarterback of national campaigns. Complementing her is Lizzie, combining experience as a strategist at a New York-based agency with a background in the arts. Tabletop offers full-stack marketing, crafting comprehensive solutions with a special emphasis on strategic planning and brand development. In addition to their work as marketers, Sarah and Lizzie are involved in the Dallas arts community. Sarah regularly contributes to Arthouse Dallas' creative writing and poetry workshops. Lizzie has had several original plays and monologues featured in local and national festivals.
Telling Stories With One Line
In this workshop, we will examine a few examples of powerful song titles and attempt to get to the root of their impact. We’ll also talk about what it takes to search for the words that so perfectly express not only what we want to say but also connect a seemingly wide world into a single audience. Students are encouraged to bring a pencil and paper for a writing exercise.
SpeakerMichael Gomez
Michael Gomez is a Dallas-based songwriter, composer, performing artist (Late Native), and producer. After graduating from Southern Methodist University, Michael focused on guitar and performance at the London Music School (LMS) in London, England. As an artist he has collaborated on multiple recording projects with notable producers and musicians such as Chris Bell (Erykah Badu, U2, Eagles), Warren Huart (Aerosmith, The Fray, Mutemath), Gary Parks (Wall of Orange), and drummers Blair Sinta (Alanis Morrissette, Annie Lennox, Stevie Nicks) and David Palmer (ABC, Rod Stewart). He has also collaborated with remix artists such as Nebbra and Epic Empire. In 2009, Michael founded RoomFour Guitar Studio which provides students of all ages and abilities the chance to explore guitar, songwriting, and production in a positive learning environment.
Full Presentations
Editorial Cartoons & Illustration: Visual Storytelling With a Twist
In a wide range of forms, editorial cartoons and illustrations have provided an engaging alternative for commenting on the issues of the day for centuries. This workshop will provide students with a broad understanding of the world of editorial cartoons and illustration, including historical context and recent implications, rounded out by some hands-on cartooning. Areas covered: – A short history of the craft, illustrated by examples leading to where the field stands today. – The many challenges of being a cartoonist/illustrator in today’s ever-evolving media landscape. – How visual storytelling can drive businesses and other organizations – Attendees will be taught creative tools in an interactive cartooning session.
SpeakerKarl Wimer
Karl Wimer is an award-winning cartoonist and illustrator, published in books, magazines, and newspapers across five continents. Karl’s been a syndicated cartoonist for WoodyPaige.com, Mile High Sports Magazine, Denver Business Journal, and Central European Business Weekly.
An American Association of Editorial Cartoonists member, Karl’s cartoons have won multiple 1st Place Awards (Society of Professional Journalists, Colorado Press Association, and others). His work appears annually in the Best US Editorial Cartoons of the Year, in USAToday, NPR, Fox News, and in economics textbooks.
His background (BA History/Yale, MBA/Kellogg, Grad Degree/London School Economics), business experience (28 years as a successful marketing executive), sports bonafide (2-sport college athlete: football, All-America in lacrosse, successful coach at many levels), and international interest (several years living and working in places as varied as Prague and Bangkok), all find their way into his art.
Everything I Ever Needed To Know About Writing I Learned From the Beatles
What can the world's most popular rock band teach us about writing? Plenty, it turns out. This workshop will use the Beatles' music and lyrics as a guide to understanding the creative process.
SpeakerMichael Merschel
Michael Merschel's three decades in journalism included 12 years as books editor for The Dallas Morning News. In that role, he interviewed authors such as Khaled Hosseini, Kwame Alexander, Michael Chabon, Maria Semple, Norton Juster and Susan Orlean. Also, Judy Blume retweeted him once, and he won't stop talking about it. Mike is also the author of the novel "Revenge of the Star Survivors," which won the Texas Institute of Letters’ award for best middle-grade book in 2018. Before that, he contributed to public radio’s "A Prairie Home Companion" and composed an out-of-office reply that was mentioned in The New York Times and featured on NPR. Learn more at merschel.net.
Humor and Humility as a Super Power
I share my experiences as a working actor so that they can serve as a grid for difficult situations in any field. Being in the entertainment industry is not an easy choice. Much is expected of high school students these days in any field. My experiences in the entertainment industry serve as an example of how to deal with difficulties that we all encounter along the way, regardless of what field we choose.
SpeakerNellie Sciutto
Nellie Sciutto is an actor and host who moved to Dallas by way of New York City and Los Angeles. She began studying at the Actors’ Studio after graduating from Yale University and promptly headed out to the west coast. She has worked with many directors, including Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott and William H. Macy. She is known for her roles in The Aviator, The Departed and Shutter Island.
As an on-air host, she has worked at HGTV, E! Entertainment, The Style Network, ABC News, ABCNews.com, NY1, CCTV America, CCTV Beijing, LTV East Hampton and currently with CBS 11 Dallas and WFAA Dallas.
Nellie has written for HBO, Comedy Central, E! Entertainment and Oxygen TV.
50 Moments, her first book, is a re-cap of her Hollywood adventures – good and bad. At the end of the day, this is a book about underdogs, which all of us are in some aspect of our lives.
Stories in sports: Going beyond the box score to cover the game
Whether we know it or not, stories and narratives are the main reason we care about sports. This workshop will go over how sports writers craft and create those stories, from high school games on Friday nights to even a Super Bowl. This workshop will go over how to report and execute those stories and why it matters to the games and those who play them.
SpeakerBen Baby
Ben Baby provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. In 2020, he also started covering boxing for ESPN. Prior to ESPN, he covered Texas A&M and college athletics for The Dallas Morning News. He has also worked at the San Antonio Express-News and started his career as a full-time journalist in 2011 at the Denton Record-Chronicle. He is from Grapevine and graduated from the University of North Texas.
Telling Your Story: How to Craft Distinctive Personal Essays for College Applications and Beyond
Writing a personal essay that will attract the attention of college admission officers isn’t as easy as it sounds. It involves telling your personal story in a way that’s engaging, surprising and memorable. That involves using a variety of literary techniques – metaphor, pacing, interior monologue, reconstructed dialogue, and other aesthetic strategies of fiction to enable your personal essay to resonate with your readers. Getschow will use a few selections from his published personal essays and from other writers to illustrate some literary devices and strategies that can be employed to transform otherwise ordinary prose into literature.
SpeakerGeorge Getschow
George Getschow, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, worked for The Wall Street Journal as a reporter, bureau chief, and Mexico correspondent for 16 years. He was a Pulitzer Prize jurist in 2017 for General Nonfiction and for feature writing in 2013 and 2014. He was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters in 2012 for “distinctive literary achievement.” He’s won numerous awards for his essays, long-form narratives and investigative stories for magazines and newspapers in Texas and across the country. He’s the editor of Pastures of the Empty Page, a collection of essays by prominent writers, mostly from Texas, about Larry McMurtry’s life, legacy, and titanic influence on the literature of the West.
Visual Storytelling for Film and Television
Screenwriter Paula Goldberg introduces the basics of visual storytelling for film and television including idea generation, character, dialogue, structure, theme and screenplay format. This will be an interactive workshop exploring all the elements needed for creating visually compelling and goal driven stories.
SpeakerPaula Goldberg
Paula Goldberg is a screenwriter, educator and acting coach. She currently teaches screenwriting at UT Dallas and coaches actors in improv and scene study through her own creative studio, www.welltoldgoldstudio.com