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Teaching through writing |
BIOGRAPHY
Patick Flores-Scott is the author of three acclaimed young adult novels and a veteran of fifteen years teaching in public schools. As a teaching author, he has developed and implemented writing workshops for all ages in schools, libraries, for community arts organizations and writing conferences. Patrick recently earned his MA in creative writing at Eastern Michigan University, where he also did a deep dive into the role of the teaching artist in a master’s level course in the theatre arts program. His career in the arts began with a BA in Drama from the University of Washington in 1993, after which he taught improv to incarcerated teens for the Theatre Inside program at Echo Glen Children’s Center, and wrote and acted in plays, including, The True History of Coca-Cola in Mexico, produced in regional theatres across the country. Patrick enjoys photography, making pizza and improv just for fun. He lives with his amazing partner, two quirky teens, a beagle and a shepherd, in a music-filled house in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
At its most exhilarating, creative writing is play, an ongoing series of experiments with the goal of scratching that universal itch to tell a great story. We are born to tell stories. But not everyone thinks of themself as a writer. For the longest time, I didn’t. Secretly, I was an extremely focus-challenged and struggling reader. The struggle with reading created self-consciousness and fear around writing. As an adult, I finally learned that success in writing...isn’t about a great first draft, it’s about engaging in an extended process of play and experimentation....