Pen and Tell It!
Grades 2-8
April 12, 19, 26
About Pen and Tell It!
It’s time to ditch the snow boots and have some writing fun with us this spring! At Pen and Tell It!, you will have the opportunity to try your hand at new ideas, writing skills, fascinating prompts, and more! If you register for two or more classes, you’ll receive 10% off! You can mix and match if you have more than one writer in your family, too.
Location
Classes take place at Thurber Center, 91 Jefferson Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215. If you have accessibility needs, please contact us before registering.
Have a Question?
Contact Meg Brown at megbrown@thurberhouse.org. To receive email updates about children's education programs, please use the sign up form at the very bottom of this page.
The deadline to register is the Friday before class. Registrations are non-refundable. Enrollment is first-come, first-served. If there’s a class you really want to take, don’t wait! For questions, contact Meg Brown at megbrown@thurberhouse.org.
Spring 2026 Pen and Tell It!
2nd/3rd Grade Classes
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Sunday, April 12 from 1:00-2:30 pm
Tuition: $20
Description: Jump into the fun as we play around with art, words, and silly stories. You’ll caption images, get inspired from each other’s drawings, and more. Stories and laughter will abound!
Teacher: Stacy Fabbre (she/her) is writer and illustrator who spends most of her time with her nose in a book. She works in the Dublin City School District and has been a Thurber House teacher for years!
Monster Mash-Up
Sunday, April 19 from 1:00-2:30 pm
Tuition: $20
Description: Not all monsters are scary. You’ll write the stories/poems of these not-so-scary monster friends and make them into your own monster paper bag puppet. At the end, we'll perform a Puppet Poetry show!
Teacher: Tony DeGenaro (he/him) is a poet and writing teacher. He is an assistant professor of English at Ohio Dominican University and lives in Marysville with his family and their two dachshunds.
Picture Book Fun
Sunday, April 26 from 1:00-2:30 pm
Tuition: $20
Description: Try your hand at creating a picture book with us! You’ll see what it takes to take a story from beginning to end. You will write and illustrate one page that will become part of a collective class book, which we’ll print for you at the end of class.
Teacher: Dr. Eunice Inez Petty-Newsome is the author of the picture book, My Father’s Antique Store, as well as a teacher in Columbus City Schools, and founder of @Education Today, LLC. Her goal is to build bridges across generations. Visit her website at www.educationtoday1.com.
The deadline to register is the Friday before class. Registrations are non-refundable. Enrollment is first-come, first-served. If there’s a class you really want to take, don’t wait! For questions, contact Meg Brown at megbrown@thurberhouse.org.
4th/5th Grade Classes
Script Writing 101
Sunday, April 12 from 1:00-3:00 pm
Tuition: $25
Description: Ever wonder how a TV show or play is written? Join us and you’ll learn about the different formatting, how to write your own scenes, and even act them out in the end!
Teacher: Frankie Wiley (they/she) has been with Thurber House since fourth grade! They are now a frequent teacher with us. They earned their degree in TV writing from the University of Chicago and loves sharing their passion of script writing.
Creating Magic Mayhem
Sunday, April 19 from 1:00-3:00 pm
Tuition: $25
Description: Don’t we all wish there was a little more magic in the world? As a writer, you get to make all the magic you want! Learn the dos and don’ts of adding magic to your stories and find out what happens when it goes wrong!
Teacher: Frankie Wiley (they/she) has been with Thurber House since fourth grade! They earned their degree in TV writing from the University of Chicago and they try to teach at Thurber House as much as possible.
Fractured Fairytales
Sunday, April 26 from 1:00-3:00 pm
Tuition: $25
Description: We think we know the stories but what if Cinderella was the evil one? What if Goldilocks moved in with the bears? Join us as we have fun messing around with fairy tales to imagine our own versions!
Teacher: Belle Machado (she/her) graduated from Otterbein with her Master's in Teaching. When she isn't working in schools as a substitute teacher or teaching at Thurber House, she's working on writing fantasy novels, going to poetry open mics, and reading Agatha Christie.
The deadline to register is the Friday before class. Registrations are non-refundable. Enrollment is first-come, first-served. If there’s a class you really want to take, don’t wait! For questions, contact Meg Brown at megbrown@thurberhouse.org.
6th/7th/8th Grade Classes
Getting Characters Into a Jam
Sunday, April 12 from 1:00-3:00 pm
Tuition: $25
Description: Do you come up with great characters and wonderful settings...but then nothing ever happens? Whether your character's biggest worry is the mafia or the algebra test, we'll explore three different ways to bring out your writerly "dark side" and make your characters sweat.
Teacher: Justin Martin (he/him) is a writer and English teacher who's been with Thurber House for many years. He loves using sci-fi, fantasy, and game design to get people to think things they haven't thought before with people they haven't noticed yet.
A Whole New World
Sunday, April 19 from 1:00-3:00 pm
Tuition: $25
Description: Dig into sci fi and fantasy writing as we look into what it takes to develop a whole new world for your story or novel. You’ll leave with your new world mapped out and ready for new adventures.
Teacher: Charlotte Price (she/her) is an accredited School Librarian and book reviewer, with years of experience working in libraries. She is passionate about literacy and supporting the literature scene in Columbus.
Breaking the Rules Like an Artist
Sunday, April 26 from 1:00-3:00 pm
Tuition: $25
Description: Rules are meant to be broken, at least in poetry. Have fun with us as we learn some “formal” forms of poetry, then examine how poets bend the rules. By the end, you’ll have your own rule-breaking poetry to take home.
Teacher: Ty Williams (he/they) is an autistic poet, essayist, and zinemaker from Columbus. He has taught poetry workshops for Thurber Summer Writing Camp and other programming for years.
The deadline to register is the Friday before class. Registrations are non-refundable. Enrollment is first-come, first-served. If there’s a class you really want to take, don’t wait! For questions, contact Meg Brown at megbrown@thurberhouse.org.
FAQ & Disclaimer
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You will receive an email order confirmation containing your registration information.
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On Jefferson Avenue: Easy street parking is available all along the Jefferson Avenue oval. Parking is free, with no time limit, on Sundays. Note: only the spots along the one-way oval are free; the spots along the two-way ends of Jefferson Avenue (near Broad Street and Long Street) are not free.
Off N. 11th Street (behind Thurber House): Free visitor parking is available in the small lot directly behind Thurber House, accessible off N. 11th Street and located here. There is no time limit as long as you are visiting Thurber House. All other parking lots do not belong to Thurber House and you may be towed.
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We encourage the involvement of all students and will do our best to make accommodations. Contact Meg Brown at megbrown@thurberhouse.org to discuss any accessibility needs.
The first floor of Thurber Center is handicap/wheelchair accessible, including the first floor restrooms.
How to reach the wheelchair ramps:
If you park on Jefferson Avenue: There is a slight curb (some wheelchairs can navigate this). The closest “ramp” cut is the entrance to the large parking lot on the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Long Street (here).
Thurber Center wheelchair ramp: Follow the sidewalk through the Thurber Center front gate. Take the sidewalk around the porch on the right side of the building. The entrance to the wheelchair ramp will appear on your left, past the porch.
If you park in the Thurber House rear parking lot: Follow the sidewalk between the handicap parking signs (here). The sidewalk will take you around the north side of our multipurpose building, Thurber Center.
Thurber Center wheelchair ramp: The ramp will appear on your right and leads up to the front porch.
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All registrations are final and non-refundable.
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Disclaimer: Views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by event and program speakers in all mediums are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Thurber House, its affiliates, or its staff/board.
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Contact Meg Brown at megbrown@thurberhouse.org. To receive email updates about children's education programs, please use the sign up form at the very bottom of this page.
