Sessions

The following sessions will be offered (in alphabetical order, by presenter name):

Tom Bill

Loss & Resilience: The Miraculous Story of Austen Hatch

Overcoming adversity

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Stephanie Bosits and Chris Klaube

Building Interactive Maps: Geography Meets Code

In this hands-on tech session, students will be introduced to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and programming basics as well as how these two are intertwined. Using various open source mapping technologies, students will learn to access local data online as well as how to analyze and extract pieces of that data to display via their own web mapping application.

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Nina Cally

Chill Skills: Meditation

Slow it down! Take a breath! Learn how to chill-out and feel absolutely at home in your own skin! Take that test with confidence, sleep better and discover your warrior power.

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Juliana Cavanaugh

Dance & Storytelling: Movement Tells the Tale

Students will learn how choreographers and dancers use music and motion to create tone and tell a story through dance. Using clips of dance pieces in various genres, we will analyze what stories the dancers are sharing with the audience. Students will also have the opportunity to learn some dance motions that incorporate storytelling.

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Alex Chan

Rhythm and Rhyme: Appreciating Poetry Through Hip-Hop

When it comes to poetry, is the Wu-Tang Clan really that far removed from William Blake? In this session, we will discuss the musical qualities of poetry and the poetic qualities of rap music. Attendees will gain a greater understanding of how figurative language, rhythm, and repeated sounds connect poetry and hip-hop.

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Jonathan Chung

Behind the Business of Books

A behind the scenes look at how a book gets into your hands

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Marie Collins

From Idea to Novel: How the Magic REALLY Happens

Getting an idea for a novel is easy. Writing a novel is HARD. To produce a readable draft, you have to blend creative processes, like imagining, brainstorming, & freewriting — which are fed by feeling, intuition, & gut — with practical processes, like outlining, mapping, research, charting, diagramming, deep questioning, character analysis, world-building, and lists (which are fed by your brain). You may not need all of these strategies, but trust me: The first time you find yourself in the weeds, you will reach for them like life preservers!

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Marie Collins

Create a Character With Me (& Get Your First Novel Off the Ground)

You need two things to launch a novel: A character and a conflict. Is there a story you want to read but can't find? Why not write it yourself?! In this session, you will work alone, or in pairs of your own choosing, to create a character and develop a conflict. When you finish, you will be one step closer to a workable idea for a future novel.

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Susan Conlon & Amanda Chuong

Lights, Camera, Action!

Short films are a great place for prospective filmmakers to get started and getting your films into film festivals even better. Find out more about film festivals, including how to submit your film and get it accepted.

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Kerry Cullen

How to Make a Literary Magazine

In the first 15 minutes, each student will write a poem or short story. Then, they will pair up and turn their work into a literary magazine. Each pair will come up with a unifying theme for a magazine, give an elevator pitch, (softly) edit each other's submissions, and design their own magazine together. If there's extra time, I'll show them some literary magazines and we'll talk about their themes/pitches/design

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Matt de la Peña

We Need Diverse Books

Matr de la Peña was the first Hispanic author to win the Newbery Medal. He will talk about talk about his involvement in the movement to promote diverse books and characters. He will talk about why it is meaningful to him and why it is important--and empowering--to young readers.

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Matt de la Peña

Finding Inspiration, Writing with Passion

Matt de la Peña talks about inspirations for his work , including sports, the mixed-racial experience, working class stories, and more!

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Keith DeCandido

Managing Your Career as a Writer

Writing professionally isn't just about putting down words, it's also about marketing, submitting, finances, time management, and other fun stuff that nobody ever mentions in a creative writing course. Award-winning, best-selling author Keith R.A. DeCandido, who has been a freelance writer for two decades, gives you the inside scoop on how to manage your career.

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Teresa Diaz

Animation, Art & Design

Explore the careers in an animation studio and those of professional artists. Areas covered: career titles/descriptions, sample projects, software demonstration.

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Corey Drake

Shuffle Along: Zombie Tropes in Films & Video Games

Through portrayals of zombie tropes in film and video games, this session will explore Freud's concept of the uncanny. Why do we fear the shuffling undead?

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Dave Hallinan

CONcast: Podcasting at South

You have listened to podcasts. Try your hand at making one! Learn about what goes into crafting a great podcast with SHRHS's resident podcaster, Mr. Hallinan.

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Scott Hanna

Visual Storytelling and Graphic Novels

Teaching some of the universal language of visual storytelling, and the methods of creating graphic novels.

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Brian Herrera

Does It Matter Who Plays the Part?: A Conversation about the History of Casting

Performing artists routinely bend, twist and break all kinds of rules to create the imaginary worlds they bring to life on stage. Why, then, has the American entertainment industry so struggled to meaningfully address questions of equity, diversity and inclusion? In this lively and interactive discussion, we will undertake a critical, creative and historical overview of how artists have sought to transform American entertainment as both industry and creative practice and, in so doing, have sometimes become advocates, activists, and agitators.

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Melissa Hofmann

Gender & Sexuality in Media Fandom

Explores how issues of gender and sexuality influence our perceptions and experience of fandom culture and the media we consume and create, from writing and reading fanfiction and meta to campaigning against queerbaiting and for better representation of women and LGBTQ+ identified people.

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Debra Johnson

Bringing Words to Life Through Film

Film making: From script to screen and what's involved.

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Deborah Lamer

Social Media for Book Enthusiasts

Social media is more than just a tool for sharing selfies. It can be a valuable networking tool that allows you to connect with people of similar interests from around the world. For book enthusiasts, using social media is an exciting way to connect with authors, participate in book talks, and even create content. In this session we will explore various social media platforms and their applications designed for enriching your reading and writing experiences.

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Robert Maggio

Words & Music: Songwriting & Collaboration

A hands-on session guiding participants through the process of writing songs (both words and music) for a variety of genres, including pop/rock, musical theatre and choral.

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Ruth Mazujian

Book Journaling: Crafting Your Reading Experience

Craft your own book journal to keep track of your reading, rate your reads, and make recommendations to friends and family. Continue your reading self-expression—and Zen out—with crafting and coloring bookmarks.

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Dana O'Neil

Sports Writing

Dana O'Neil will discuss how she broke into the sport journalism business, her experience at ESPN, the inspiration for her book, and her current projects.

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Pamela Ptak

The Art of Advertising

Writing an effective advertising campaign, developing catchy ad copy, and successfully selling a product AND an idea all comes from talent, experience, and artistry. Drawing upon her years of professional experience with some of the world's top advertising agencies in New York City, Pamela Ptak discusses what it takes to succeed and how her experience and talents STILL inform her work today.

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Christine Reilly

Knowing Your Characters

A creative writing craft talk where we discuss getting to know our characters.

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Craig Roth

Blockchain & Cryptocurrency: What is It?

This session will focus on the emerging technology of blockchain and the potential impacts on society. The potential uses of blockchain for financial, social , and data transfer and verification.

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Paul Semegran

Comics and Superheroes

The history of comic book heroes will be examined and related to the changes in our society, with an emphasis on the changes of topics presented in comics in the period from WWII through the Nuclear age and the drug era.

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Dawn Stevens & John Zidzik

The Illustrated Book

In this double-session presentation, students will be creating a block print to illustrate an art quote. All student art will be compiled to create a book for each artist to take home.

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West Amwell Police Dept.

First Responders: First Things First

A real-world look at a career in law enforcement & first responders. What does it take to be one of the first to run towards danger and disaster? How can you prepare for a career as a first responder? Professional wisdom and experience is shared from the front lines.

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Phys Ed Dept.

Team Building: Cooperative Games

Students solve challenging problems & puzzles...without words!