step by step
My two-month residency at Weeksville Heritage Center will begin in one week! We’ve set up a new blog and this is the official press release. On Friday I had some photos taken in the historic 1930s house, and right now I’m working on a flyer to advertise my writing workshop for adults—Magic & Memory: An Exploration of African American Historical Fantasy. Next step: developing the curriculum for my middle grade writers. Please spread the word!
Weeksville Heritage Center
Contact: Stephanie Cunningham
158 Buffalo Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11213
(718) 756-5250
media@weeksvillesociety.org
Zetta Elliott to be Writer-in-Residence at Weeksville Heritage Center
Dr. Zetta Elliott will be the inaugural Writer-in-Residence at the Weeksville Heritage Center for Spring 2015.
Weeksville Heritage Center, a museum charged with keeping the original spirit of the historic African American community alive, seeks to heighten family literacy in our community through innovative and impactful educational programs. Our newest initiative, Turn the Page, is an essential tool for promoting self-discovery, personal expression, and empowerment in Brooklyn.
As Writer-in-Residence, Elliott will teach historical fiction writing classes for children and adults. She will also present on her own historical novels at public schools within the Weeksville district. Elliott will host a literary salon during Poetry Month and will read from her new novel at a community reading in May.
Elliott has worked with children for twenty-five years and is the author of thirteen books for young readers, including the award-winning picture book Bird. Her time-travel novel, A Wish After Midnight, was published by Skyscape in 2010. The sequel, also set in Civil War-era Brooklyn, will be completed during the residency along with a specially commissioned picture book for children.
Born in Canada, Elliott moved to NYC in 1994 after graduating from Bishop’s University. She earned a PhD in American Studies from New York University in 2003. Elliott is an independent scholar who has taught at Ohio University, Louisiana State University, Mount Holyoke College, and Borough of Manhattan Community College. She currently conducts school visits for the Brooklyn Public Library.
As Writer-in-Residence, Elliott will have access to the research materials of the 5th of July Resource Center for Self-Determination & Freedom. She will also have a desk in the Education and Cultural Arts Building to work on her next novel and to meet with community members. Her appointment begins March 15 and ends May 16, 2015.
The position of Writer in Residence was established with a grant from the Malka Foundation.
For further information contact Tia Powell Harris, President and Executive Director of the Weeksville Heritage Center, at (718) 756-5250 or tia@weeksvillesociety.org.
