Fine Lines Summer Camp
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David Martin, Editor and Creator of Fine Lines, thanks the UNO English department for its support over the years. This year, the Fine Lines Summer Camp was held at the Milo Bail Student Center, June 20-14, 2016. This was Fine Lines 17th camp. There were a total of 189 campers, ranging from 3rd grade to college and beyond.
Fine Lines creates summer writing camps for students of all ages who find peace in language. Our camps are places where writers of all abilities share stories, essays, poems, art, dance, and songs. These small writing communities become centers of metaphorical wisdom.
This year, campers met Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 12:00. The day usually began with a lesson, followed by a guest speaker, then questions and answers, some reflective writing exercises, and ended with campers sharing their readings in the Ballroom. The guest presenters were Ross Snyder, who plays the French horn in the Omaha Symphony; the band Escape from Alcatraz; Kitty Brougham, a hobby-writer; Julian Adair, owner of Adair Dance Academy; and Michael Campbell, singer/songwriter.
Martin believes that there is a spirituality in performance. There is a holiness in creative composition. There is freedom in communication. He states, “We like people who color outside the lines and write outside the box. We like people who think in original ways. We like people who know what creativity is and how to reach it. We like people who celebrate intuition. Our campers are these people, and they are in the write/right place in our Fine Lines camp.”
Fine Lines supports increasing literacy in this community. It is a big job and takes a team effort to achieve these goals. UNO’s English Dept. is part of this team. We look forward to next year’s camp - #18.
Feedback from Campers
“I am writing you a tiny letter from the Crimea, looking at the wonderful Black Sea and the mountains. I wanted to thank you for my last publication in Fine Lines. It is a big honor to be a part of this project. I hope that your summer camp went well. I will attend next year. I wish you a good summer!” Katya D.
“Great week. Great camp. We did it! You started it! Thanks for everything, David. The younger writers, in particular, just blew me away in 2016! Elena, the cancer survivor, is startlingly wise beyond her sweet years. Just wow. I am so glad that my family and I cut short our vacation in Argentina to attend. This was a memorable experience.” Maria H.