Local students to appear on Outdoor Idaho program

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Two Mountain Home students will appear in a Dec. 8 airing of "Outdoor Idaho," a weekly program on Idaho offered by Idaho Public Television.

The new show, "Writers at Harriman," premieres on Idaho Public Thursday at 8 p.m. and repeats Sunday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m.

The show focuses on a unique camp for young writers at Harriman State Park on the Henry's Fork of the Snake River in eastern Idaho where participants share a love of writing and nature.

"I just love writing. I have a passion for it. It sort of takes me away from everything that happens," said Eric Amador of Hammett, a junior at Glenns Ferry High School.

"I thought I'd come here and (it would) just be a bunch of shy little kids who are like, 'hi' -- but it turned out to be so rambunctious," said Marissa Aiken of Mountain Home, a senior at Mountain Home High School.

Amid wildlife and the whir of anglers' lines on the storied fly fishing stream, the 35 Idaho teenagers and three workshop teachers who took part drew inspiration from the 11,000-acre state park.

The students wrote about their impressions, thoughts, and experiences. They learned to use images to convey feelings and emotions. They used the natural world surrounding them in their writing, or simply as a calming backdrop for their thoughts. They also worked on a project for the park.

And, they get to know each other.

Idaho Public Television producer Marcia Franklin said she first heard about the camp when it was in the development stage. "And even then, I thought it would make a great Outdoor Idaho documentary, not only because of the setting and its effect on the students' writing, but also how the camp transforms the students' own life stories," Franklin says.

Teacher and poet Chris Dempsey of Boise said that "to teach writing in this setting is an incredible gift."

Franklin and videographer Jay Krajic profile several students both before camp and during the six-day experience, as well as convey the setting and history of the park itself.

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