"I highly recommend Catherine's course. She provides a useful overview of the various categories of children's books and the elements of storytelling. She also gives detailed feedback on your writing and is particularly helpful with plot development. I enjoyed every class we had." –Julie Sternberg, a former student whose delightful early chapter book, My Bibi is forthcoming with Amulet Books! "Catherine's workshops motivated me to write consistently and provided me with literary tools and techniques that enhanced my work. I especially benefited from her insightful critiques. I highly recommend her class to both aspiring and established writers. She's also resourceful about the business of writing and publishing." –Renee Watson, author of a forthcoming picture book A Place Where Hurricanes Happen (Random House 2010) and a novel, Serenity's Prayer (Random House) Catherine offers the following weeklong course in writing June 8th though 14th at Rosemont Writer's Retreat in Philadelphia. Link to the Rosemont Class here. Exploring Young Adult and Crossover Fiction We will explore fiction for teens and crossover, a hot new market, where books can appear on both adult and teen shelves. All are welcome: from writers eager to experiment to those with an entire draft. That piece you assumed was adult might be best suited for YA. Students will workshop, read selected excerpts and do writing sketches. We also discuss plot, voice, market trends, agents and how to write that perfect query letter. Participants will be asked to submit a short piece or chapter to the Conference by June 1. About the Rosemont Writers' Retreat Located on a 56-acre campus in an attractive, historic suburban community, Rosemont College is a peaceful sanctuary located just minutes by train from center city Philadelphia. Each day will begin with an elective yoga session. At 10:30 each day Rosemont College and Philadelphia Stories will be hosting the Writers and Readers Series in the Humanities, featuring in-depth conversations with some of our featured faculty, along with an opportunity for you to ask specific questions about craft and process. Afternoons will be spent in an intense three hour workshop run by an instructor who is not only an accomplished writer in their own right, but also an experienced teacher. Workshops will be limited to no more than twelve participants, ensuring that each author will have plenty of critique time. Nightly faculty readings and receptions will offer plenty of networking opportunities, but the emphasis will be on immersing yourself in the writing life and your own work. Full access to the Rosemont computing and fitness facilities will be available. Manuscript Consultations For the serious aspiring writer of teen and mid-grade fiction, Catherine does manuscript consultations. Fees based on page length. Contact her to discuss your project. For more info contact Catherine at info@catherinestine.com