Artist Spotlight with Rowan Hillhouse
An interview series designed to highlight the creativity, drive, and skill of the amazing students at Denver Writes, “Artist Spotlight” poses questions about writing and the writing life to authors age 8-15 and includes an excerpt from the author’s poem, story, play, comic, or essay—created in our studio at Back Space.
Rowan Hillhouse
Rowan is a ten-year-old writer who attended the workshop, “The Art of Flash Fiction.” During the workshop, he authored the flash story “Amazing.”
DW: What was the inspiration behind your story “Amazing”?
RH: That day all of the kids in the workshop were given a picture to write about. I got a picture of a dad and a girl holding hands.
DW: How did Denver Writes help you write this story?
RH: They gave me a few tips and pointers and helped me whenever I asked for help.
DW: What do you love about writing?
RH: I love that there is no limit to your imagination! You can pretty much do whatever you want.
DW: Which books or authors are you reading right now?
RH: Right now I am really into realistic fiction books that always have a “lesson to be learned” hidden in the book. My favorite book right now is Close to Famous.
DW: What are your future writing goals?
RH: I have been trying to work on a book for a long time, but have never gotten around to finishing it. My goal is to finish that book. And then to publish it.
Amazing
By Rowan Hillhouse
I am a magazine photographer, and let me get one thing straight, I don’t mess around. I was walking along a path with camera at hand. I needed a picture now. Just enough to try to capture a glimpse of the importance of family. Then it hit me. The scene was perfect, almost beautiful. The breeze was gently waving the branches of a tree. The leaves were falling down so light it was almost magic. Everything was a blur of color. No brown or black to be seen. Sun was shining through the treetops, giving off a faint glow. Birds chirped softly. And, to top it off, a girl was holding her dad’s hand. The little girl whispered something into her dad’s ear, and the scene filled with soft laughter. Now was my chance. I took the picture carefully.
Then I put my camera down. It was like a dream. The words “If only” rang in my head as I tiptoed silently away. You see, my dad and mom were never very close to me. This picture makes me want to change the past. Still, I’m glad someone else can be as happy as I wanted to be. A tear filled my eye with happiness. I could still hear the faint sound that could not be described. It was almost like honey being poured, no music, well, let’s just say it was simply, amazing.
