Kim Blevins

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT KIM BLEVINS

What the heck is a Writing Experience Guide? Lemme tell you what it isn\'t. “Workshop leader” brings up thoughts of surviving the boring PD that most of us have sat through.(Did I get called into the principal’s office for live tweeting about how unengaging the “How to Engage Your Students” workshop was? That might have happened.) “Writing teacher” brings up high school and while there are many wonderful high school English teachers (I was one and you can’t tell me otherwise), there are just as many not so great ones. I definitely do not want to be connected to Mr. Hand-Out-A-Worksheet from your freshman year. So Writing Experience Guide it is. That means I can craft writing experiences for you personally, for a small writing group, or your organization who want to have some fun writing. Yes, I did say fun. I have honed my fun skills in the most dangerous place for an adult, in front of thousands of teenagers the last two decades. I know how to cut the B.S, share the important parts in a way that won’t make you want to stab your eyeballs, and get you started writing a personal story that you’ll want to share. Because that’s the whole point, story connects us as humans. And AI can’t even come close. I saw it in my classroom when students learned that their lives were rich with important stories, a grandfather’s paint-splattered overalls as he made Saturday morning pancakes, the sparks of a welding gun. I saw it in my educator workshops at Write to Learn, the Missouri ELA conference. Beleaguered teachers entered the room warily, usually also wearily, to find themselves an hour later wishing for a few more minutes to write. I saw it at R.A.W. Adult Storytelling, the open mic I started because all the open mics began at 8 p.m. when teachers, and other early bird careers, are winding down for sleep. And yes, we started at 6 and ended at 8 so people could be in their jammies by 9. But that wasn’t the magic. The magic came from the bonds created from stories, from the death of a beloved cat, to hiking the Narrows at the end of a marriage, to the latest dating escapade. Without meaning to, I made a place that transcended the seven-minute stories we shared. It’s the one thing I can say I’m really good at, creating experiences for humans to share their stories. I kinda wish I could dance or sing, or draw or play the guitar, but this (and I’m a pretty good writer) is my gift. I’d love to plan a writing experience for you, and/or a few of your friends. Check out my website Organicwriting.org or message me here on LinkedIn.