Children’s Literature as a Model for Grown-Up Writers: A Writing Workshop with Boise City Writer-in-

Name: Children’s Literature as a Model for Grown-Up Writers: A Writing Workshop with Boise City Writer-in-
Start: 2026-06-27T10:30:00-06:00
Location: 2153 E Riverwalk Dr, Boise, ID 83706

Schedule

Sat, 27 Jun, 2026 at 10:30 am

UTC-06:00

Location

2153 E Riverwalk Dr, Boise, ID 83706 | Boise, ID

We hope you’ll join Boise City Writer-in-Residence Don Zancanella on June 27, 10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. at the Library! at Bown Crossing for Children’s Literature as a Model for Grown-Up Writers.
Books written for children often embody qualities all writers strive for: concision, clarity, immediacy, and verve. Guided by Don, participants will examine several works of children’s literature to explore how these qualities function on the page and why they’re so effective.
This workshop will offer how techniques commonly found in children’s books, such as economy of language, vivid detail, and emotional directness, can inform and strengthen fiction, poetry, essays, and other forms of writing for readers of any age.
Please note: this workshop is not about writing for children, but about using children’s literature as a lens to think more deeply about all kinds of writing.
No registration is required, but space is limited. This free workshop is geared toward writers of all levels and genres. Please bring writing materials, such as a notebook and pen.
ABOUT DON ZANCANELLA
Don Zancanella is the author of three novels: Concord, A Storm in the Stars, and Animals of the Alpine Front. He received the John S. Simmons/Iowa Short Fiction Award for his book Western Electric and has won an O.Henry Prize. Zancanella was born in Laramie, Wyoming, and has lived in Virginia, Colorado, Missouri, and New Mexico, where he taught at the University of New Mexico for nearly three decades. He lives in southeast Boise with his wife and their dogs.
ABOUT THE BOISE CITY WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE
Founded in 2023, the Boise City Writer-in-Residence is a collaborative program between the Boise City Department of Arts & History, Boise Public Library, and The Cabin. Funded by the City of Boise, these six-month residencies offer local writers dedicated time and a stipend to support their creative practice and connect them to the community through free monthly literary public programs and events. The Boise City Writer-in-Residence call for applications opens annually in the summer.