Raymond, Wash. — Author Joanne M. Clarkson has learned, through a lot of hard knocks, the magic of spinning misfortune into inspired prose and poetry.

She will teach a writing workshop for middle and high school teens at the Raymond Timberland Library from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19. The program, “Best Day/Worst Day,” will challenge young writers to recall a life-changing moment and recreate it in writing.

Clarkson will talk about essential skills such as word choice — choosing vivid and authentic words — and sentence structure. She will also demonstrate how those grammatical and structural choices can help a writer better understand what actually happened and perhaps better understand him or herself.

“I believe that, at its core, writing … is a means to discovering one’s own identity,” Clarkson wrote in a 2013 article for Amoskeag Journal. She sums up the meaning of the word “identity” as the “signature of the soul.”

All programs at Timberland libraries are free and open to the public.

The Raymond Timberland Library is located 507 Duryea St. For information, call 360-942-2408 or visit www.TRL.org

Teen Writing Workshop

3:30 to 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19

Raymond Timberland Library

507 Duryea St., Raymond, Wash.

360-942-2408

Free