Two Maple Ridge sisters will be sharing the spooky side of writing with some local kids at the upcoming My Campfire Stories sessions.
These two-hour events will see Gina Armstrong and Victoria Vancek, founders of Haunted History BC, help guide children through the writing process and unlock their inner creativity.
“One thing we noticed when we started sharing spooky stories and legends, particularly when our book, Evenings & Avenues—Hauntings in the Outskirts, came out, is how young readers or audience members at our readings became excited at the mention of ghosts, mysterious creatures, and even true crime,” said Vancek.
“As kids, we all remember reading ghost stories and mysteries like Nancy Drew, and Hardy Boys, and Goosebumps. We have learned from our younger readers that they enjoy being a bit spooked, like many of us when we were kids—and we still do! The allure of a chilling, haunted tale is something we can all relate to. Ghost stories evoke a sense of adventure.”
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Through this workshop, children between the ages of nine and 12 will have the opportunity to try their hand at writing spooky stories, which can then be shared with everyone else at the end of the session.
“Kids we know or encounter often end up telling us their spooky stories,” said Vancek. “And the younger ones, especially, love to make up their own stories. The art of storytelling is very powerful.”
“One of our main goals, when we created Haunted History BC in 2017, is that we wanted to engage audiences of all ages,” added Armstrong. “We noticed that our topic of all things spooky appealed to everyone, including younger audiences. One day Victoria and I just came up with the idea for the campfire stories workshop.”
Together, the sisters will provide the children with everything they need to write their own story, including helpful writing prompts, a flashlight, and a custom spooky notebook.
“This is new for us but we think kids will enjoy it,” said Vancek. “If it goes well, we’d like to take it to other museum locations and maybe even some schools as a fun event.”
My Campfire Stories will be held at Haney House on March 17 and 18 from 10 a.m. to noon. Children between the ages of nine and 12 are invited to attend, with the workshop costing $15 per person.
Both days will involve the same workshop, so participants only need to register for either the Friday or Saturday one.
More information is available at http://mapleridgemuseum.org/my-campfire-stories/.
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Have a story tip? Email: brandon.tucker@mapleridgenews.com
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