From April 6 – 14, Adam Gidwitz, Bank Street alumnus and bestselling author of A Tale Dark and Grimm and other children’s novels, worked intensively with 9s/10s students in the School for Children on their novel writing as part of Bank Street’s Dorothy Carter Writer-in-Residence program.
Throughout the two-week period, Adam guided students in writing, sketching, and revising their own stories, encouraging them to pay special attention to sensory details, building suspense, and “making the reader care.” The work culminated in an event in which students presented snippets of their polished stories before a standing-room-only audience of School for Children parents, faculty, and staff.
“These kids were some of the most eager, energetic, earnest writers,” Adam said. “They were so enthusiastic to get back to their writing, to improve upon their writing, to find out what was good about their writing but also what could have been better or more effective.”
Adam is the second Dorothy Carter Writer-in-Residence, which honors the life and legacy of Dr. Dorothy Carter, children’s book author, Broadway actress, and the first African-American member of the Bank Street College graduate faculty.
“Adam has demonstrated how to be a passionate, engaged and excited teacher,” said Greg David, 9s/10s teacher in the School for Children. “We try to do that every day, but Adam did it in a fresh way that was really inspiring.”