HuckleBerry
Center for Creative Learning
Andrew Holyfield
Hi everyone! My name is Andrew. I graduated Summa Cum Laude at UC Riverside in 2016, with a B.A. in Creative Writing. While there, I completed the Honors Program, published a thesis, was an editor for both the campus Research Journal and Honors Program literary journal, joined the Writing Program as a Teaching Assistant, and completed three MFA courses, all with a 4.0 GPA.
Tutoring started for me in the campus Writing Program, in which I tutored eighteen students per week. Around that same time, my younger brother, diagnosed with Aspergers, started college. I tutored him during his four-year journey to receive his Paraprofessional Certificate.
Nerdy as it sounds, I love Grammar and read often (in-between Netflix binges). Until my time at UC Riverside, I abhorred reading and preferred the trusty summaries from Spark Notes. I know English and writing can be both challenging and boring, but perhaps all a struggling student needs a little help and positive reinforcement. If that sounds like you or your kid, I'd love to help.
I’m a published songwriter with 20+ years experience in the music industry.
The Writer's Lab
Ages 11+
Requirements: Required homework each week. Please plan on at least an hour of homework each week. Students must be willing to participate in both collaborative work and in sharing their own creative writing!
Homework:
Homework assignments will center around continuing the weekly revisions from the class work. There will be a final project as well.
Fall: Creative Writing 301
Creative Writing 301 will encapsulate all discussions of craft, with a higher emphasis on technique, craftsmanship, and reference to published authors so student writers will begin to identify technique from professional writers. The beginning of the Writers Lab, this will be a fall class that will then transition into the non-fiction/poetry in the winter, and The Revision Process in the spring, opening up to younger ages.
Winter:
Non-fiction & Poetry is a workshop & discussion-based class, split into two halves. In the first 5 weeks, students will learn and write in the various forms of non-fiction writing (Biography, Auto-biography, Memoir, & Journalism). The latter 5 weeks will discuss various forms of poetry (e.g. Sonnet, Pantoum, Limerick, Haiku, Ode etc) and poetic devices (Alliteration, Assonance, Enjambment, Figurative Language etc).
Spring: The Revision Workshop
This class will breakdown my core fundamentals of the revision process: Line Edit, Structural rearrangement, Omission, & Addition. With a better understanding of how to implement these skills, each writer should look for opportunities in strengthening his/her writing and ultimately build the confidence in one’s ability to produce high-level written content. This class will take the minimalistic approach (i.e. less is best) to writing.
Contact
Andrew Holyfield