Good storytelling allows us to lose ourselves in different worlds by immersing us so thoroughly in the creative imagination of others that we momentarily suspend our disbelief.

In this two-day, weekend workshop, you will write immersive flash fiction – no more than 500 words! – that uses the best storytelling tools available. Take an idea from your own culture or lived experience, build on a comic or illustration you’re already working on, or compose a creative glimpse into a completely imagined world. Whatever your inspiration, you will learn to help your audience suspend their disbelief through great writing that eliminates clichés, uses active language, and develops compelling, unforgettable visual scenery.

You will meet with the teacher and fellow students live on Zoom from 10-11 AM on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday the teacher will guide you in fiction writing, and on Sunday students will share their work with each other and receive feedback. Additional readings, resources, and feedback will be available on the learning management system, Canvas.

ALL TIMES ARE LISTED IN U.S. EASTERN TIME ZONE.

Learning Objectives:

• Improve your ability to write descriptively        
• Improve your ability to avoid passive voice      
• Improve your ability to think critically about your own writing

Teacher Information:

Brian Heston is a faculty member in PAFA’s undergraduate liberal arts program with over 20 years of experience as a published writer and teacher. Learn more about him here: https://www.pafa.org/staff/brian-heston.  

Need based scholarships are available, apply here: https://form.jotform.com/202453611644146

Parent/Guardian must fill out Student Information & Release form BEFORE first day of class.

International students are welcome! However, the registration process is different to support international payment systems. Please reach out to precollege@pafa.org to register as an international student.

The architecture of Chicago is distinct from the architecture of New Orleans. The city of Boston is made of brick, while stucco is found in Miami. The architecture in the United States is as diverse as its people and tells the history of war, migration, and American identities.  

This is an introductory course for teens on American landscapes and architecture. We will explore the international influences and distinctly American elements of landscapes and public structures found across the United States. We will examine public parks, cemeteries, theaters, and government buildings to give students a firm understanding of iconic American architecture.

This 5-week course will meet weekly for 1.5 hours on Zoom for seminar style, discussion-based learning. Additional resources, assignments and communication are on the learning management system Canvas. Students will be required to do weekly readings or viewings to prepare for the class sessions, and a cumulative object study assignment that involves light field research and willingness to try basic drawing (all drawing levels welcome).

ALL TIMES ARE LISTED IN U.S. EASTERN TIME ZONE.

Students may take this course in combination with “Public Art in America: From Monuments to the Monumental” to earn 1.0 college credit, or this course can stand alone as a no-credit course.

Learning Objectives:

• Students will participate in discussions about art, architecture, and public space that will improve their course discussion skills to better prepare them for college seminar style learning.      
• Students will leave the course with the skills to conduct a digital presentation.      
• Students will learn to generate knowledge from field research.      
• Students will be given the introductory skills to conduct detailed object study. Object study is a corner stone in the study of art and material culture and builds patience while it trains the eye.      
• Students will leave this course able to recognize and identify how history, culture, and conflict have shaped the physical nation around 

Teacher Information:

TK Smith is a Philadelphia based writer, art critic, and curator. Smith is currently a Ph.D candidate in the American Civilization Program at the University of Delaware. He received his MA in American Studies and his BA in English and African American Studies from Saint Louis University, http://www.afampublichumanities.udel.edu/2020-2021-scholars/.

Parent/Guardian must fill out Student Information & Release form BEFORE first day of class.

Persuasive writing is essential in many fields. Researchers, policy makers, advertisers, critics and visual artists all must convince others to adopt their point of view, often in writing. 

For this two-day, weekend workshop, you will practice taking a position and supporting that position in an op-ed. To be persuasive, you cannot just write what you feel  -  you must educate yourself on the issues surrounding a position by finding and employing credible sources and then conveying information in a way that elicits an emotional response from your audience.

To practice this skill, we will focus on an ongoing cultural debate: is graffiti art or vandalism?  How we answer this question has huge ramifications for real people and communities. Writing a clear and persuasive answer will require students to take a position and defend it convincingly. Students are also free to develop an op-ed on another topic they are interested in.

You will meet with the teacher and fellow students live on Zoom from 10-11 AM on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday the teacher will guide you in op-ed writing, and on Sunday students will share their work with each other and receive feedback. Additional readings, resources, and feedback will be available on the learning management system, Canvas.

ALL TIMES ARE LISTED IN U.S. EASTERN TIME ZONE.

Learning Objectives:

• Improve your ability to differentiate between informed and uninformed opinions       
• Improve your ability to use source material to support a thesis
• Improve your ability to write grammatically correct prose

Teacher Information:

Brian Heston is a faculty member in PAFA’s undergraduate liberal arts program with over 20 years of experience as a published writer and teacher. Learn more about him here: https://www.pafa.org/staff/brian-heston.  

Need based scholarships are availble, apply here: https://form.jotform.com/202453611644146

Parent/Guardian must fill out Student Information & Release Form BEFORE first day of class. 

International students are welcome! However, the registration process is different to support international payment systems. Please reach out to precollege@pafa.org to register as an international student.