PRESS RELEASE — Thursday, December 1, 2011
For Information Call Anne Peterson at 208-373-7368
or Bob Evancho at 373-7369
Teenage Writers Experience the Outdoors At Unique Camp in New OUTDOOR IDAHO Episode
— Airs Thursday, December 8, at 8:00/7:00 p.m. MT/PT— Repeats Sunday, December 11, at 7:00 p.m. MT/PT
OUTDOOR IDAHO attends a unique camp for young writers at Harriman State Park where participants share a love of writing and nature on the Henry's Fork of the Snake River in eastern Idaho.
Amid wildlife and the whir of anglers' lines on the storied fly-fishing stream, the 35 Idaho teenagers and four workshop teachers draw inspiration from the 11,000-acre park.
The new show, "Writers at Harriman," premieres on Idaho Public Television Thursday, December 8, at 8:00/7:00 p.m. MT/PT and repeats Sunday, December 11, at 7:00 p.m. MT/PT.
"For me writing is just like another emotion, and when I was a little, I had a lot of emotion I needed to get out," says Jessy Forsmo-Shadid, a junior at Kuna High School. "Sometimes I wish I had a bigger imagination so I can get out of this world. For me, I think writing should be about getting out of this chaotic world."
The students write about their impressions, thoughts, and experiences. They learn to use images to convey feelings and emotions. They use the natural world surrounding them in their writing, or simply as a calming backdrop for their thoughts. They also work on a project for the park. And, they get to know each other.
"I write almost every day, whether it is in a journal, a poem, a short story, or even a song if the time is right," says Kaleigh Moore, a 2011 graduate of Kuna High School. "I want to meet people who are also interested in writing and who don't think of it as some torture for them. You can talk about it with people who actually like it."
Idaho Public Television producer Marcia Franklin said she first heard about the camp when it was in the development stage. "And even then, I thought it would make a great OUTDOOR IDAHO documentary, not only because of the setting and its effect on the students' writing, but also how the camp transforms the students' own life stories," Franklin says.
Teacher and poet Chris Dempsey of Boise says: "To teach writing in this setting is an incredible gift."
Franklin and videographer Jay Krajic profile several students both before camp and during the six-day experience, as well as convey the setting and history of the park itself.