Award-Winning Westport Author To Teach Beginners’ “Writing for Children” Workshop April 27

Westport writer Christine Pakkala, author of the three-book children’s series “Last But Not Least Lola” (Boyd’s Mill Press), will lead a workshop designed to teach aspiring children’s authors how to launch their writing careers. The three-hour class, “Writing for Children: An Introduction for the Absolute Beginner” will take place on Saturday, April 27 from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. at the Westport Writers’ Workshop (3 Sylvan Rd. S in Westport). Registration is open to the public, and pre-registration is required.

Pakkala is a former Fulbright Scholar who received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the prestigious Iowa Writers Workshop. But she attributes her recent publishing success to her association with the Westport Writers’ Workshop, where, since 2008, she has taken workshops, received coaching and mentoring, and honed her writing skills. It is also where she gained the confidence to advance on the path to publication success.

“I’ve had Pulitzer-prize winning writing teachers, but the best advice came from Westport Writers’ Workshop teachers Jessica Bram and Suzanne Hoover,” said Pakkala. “The showed me that writing is a process. And they taught me to first listen to myself, then listen to others.”

In addition to her multi-book deal with Boyd’s Mill Press, Pakkala was recently named first prize winner in the renowned Ladies Home Journal essay contest for her essay “Costa Rica.” This highly competitive national contest, which receives thousands of submissions per year, carries a $3,000 award plus publication in the June issue of the magazine.

Pakkala and her husband, attorney and author Cameron Stracher, moved to Westport with their two children in 2001 from New York City. She had been a seventh and ninth-grade English teacher at the Horace Mann School in Riverdale. Although Pakkala had long dreamed of becoming a published author and had penned a novel, memoir, and signed with a literary agent, her work had not been nationally recognized.

In Westport, Pakkala’s interest in writing for children took root when she began writing stories for her son’s kindergarten class. She wrote tales incorporating his classmates as characters then would visit his class to read her stories aloud.  Her son’s elementary school teachers, whom she found warm and welcoming, encouraged her. It was then that Pakkala’s quirky but beloved central character, Lola Zuckerman, was born, leading to her current middle grade fiction series, “Last But Not Least Lola.”

“Lola’s stories are pure fun to write...I love being in her world,” said Pakkala. The first installment, “Last But Not Least Lola: Going Green” is slated for a Fall 2013 release from Boyd’s Mill Press, to be followed by two more books in the series and to a Young Adult novel.

In addition to her writing, Pakkala teaches creative writing to children. Since 2012, she has been a teacher for the NYC-based Writopia Lab, an organization that offers fun, creative writing workshops to children age 8 to 18 at the Westport Writers’ Workshop and other locations. Pakkala also writes profiles for law school magazines and is at work on a memoir. In 2012, Westport Writers’ Workshop founder/director, Jessica Bram, recruited Pakkala to lead “Writing for Children: An Introduction for the Absolute Beginner,” a one-day workshop designed for the novice. First conducted in March 2012, it has received much praise.

“Christine was excellent and the class was filled with a wealth of information. Christine sparked my interest in a genre I had never considered,” said workshop participant, Lorraine Danza. “Both the workshop and leader were excellent and I would recommend the class to others.”

“I thought that Ms. Pakkala was terrific,” said Robin Zella. “I was really pleased with the structure of the program…Having the opportunity to listen to others read aloud was incredibly energizing and having a dialogue about the work was wonderful too!”

In her April 27 workshop, Pakkala will show participants how to draw from their own experiences, interests, or family histories to create a unique children’s story of their own. She will outline ingredients for a winning children’s book, explain the difference among genres, and cover topics such as character development, plot, and setting. Students are encouraged to come equipped with specific ideas/themes, writing materials, and laptops to enable them to start their projects.

The Westport Writers‘ Workshop, located at 3 Sylvan Rd. S in Westport, offers adult workshops in fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and writing for children, designed to nurture creativity, inspire imagination and develop the writing craft.. Online pre-registration for “Writing for Children: An Introduction for the Absolute Beginner,” held on April 27 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., is required, and the cost is $125 ($110 for members). Further information can be found at WestportWritersWorkshop.com or by phoning (203) 227-3250.