Our Class
Hello, welcome to Ivy Writing Heaven, a family full of love and joy. We are a group of teenage writers who gather together to create magnificent and intriguing stories. Our beloved Dr. Kayfetz is an applied linguist and professional writing instructor. She is our mentor, leading us to discover the wonders of writing. Together, our writing skills have leveled up and our stories have become more spirited.
In this class, we discover and write all sorts of styles and genres. We have built up our knowledge and ability to write many different kinds of texts by doing fun and creative activities. Each term, we choose a different book to read and analyze together, this has really helped all of us understand more about different genres, how different voices are presented, how style can vary from person to person, and how beautiful words can be. Reading as a group has also helped us gain confidence, practice our speaking, and most importantly, it is a calming time that we all enjoy.
Towards the end of the lesson, we take a short break to write a journal. Dr. Kayfetz or us will pick an interesting topic for the class to write about, writing as MUCH as we can within seven minutes accompanied by some lovely collections of Dr.Kayfetz’s favorite classical music. Although it seems extremely short; we are still able to dive into the vast ocean of wordsand thoughts to create an amazing piece of writing. The next step might sound difficult, but it is extremely fun. We each pick out our favorite word from our journal and together, we build up a story from them. It is really funny sometimes how the stories turn out from so many different imaginations and tones, and it surely is a highlight for our class.
Other than these activities, we also get to work on projects or participate in different competitions. Dr.Kayfetz has taught us many writing techniques and always gives us individual feedback on our work so that we grow in our personal styles. In this class, we strive and challenge ourselves to blossom in our OWN unique voices and styles to write breathtaking stories, touching poems, anything.
Our Writers
In our writing heaven with Dr.Kayfetz, we learn about and appreciate the authors of the books we read. We believe it is important to recognize the authors because it could give us a new or more thorough meaning behind their writing as writing is something that is produced from a large amount of emotion. Therefore, please let us proudly present the writers from the 11th Season of Ivy’s Writing Heaven.
Long-term Writers
Wenjin Lu
(Helen)
Most of the time I like to read books, because I enjoy reading stories. When I was younger, I was obsessed with long, long sentences and tend to write with the style you’d see in a science report. Now, though, I changed my writing into a softer one, and try to pay attention to the things different from real life.
Fong Ka Shi
(Karen)
A fifteen-year-old girl from Hong Kong that has distinct curly hair, and likes sharing her thoughts through writing; ones written to herself, friends, and any community. From letters to speeches, she has been sharing her voice with a wider audience. She also enjoys diving into the cool, azure seas to find the hidden secrets under them, climbing up ascending cliffs that sometimes dye her hands red, and choreographing dances till she collapses onto the cold studio floors, but that’s all her passion. She’s always up to challenges and new adventures. Hello everyone, I am Karen.
Ren Gao
(Kevin)
Hello everyone, I’m Kevin, a 16-year-old student-athlete from Shanghai. I’m a great basketball player with a really accurate three-point shot and I also play a good game of ice hockey. My favorite show is Friends and my favorite character in it is Chandler, which probably explains my love for sarcasm. In my writing I always prefer to follow the flow of my thoughts instead of writing according to a specific pattern or structure -- and to look at the psychological explanations behind different behaviors. I am proud of my curiosity and my adaptability. I wish I had a friend like me because I’m so awesome.
Yanling Hu
(Rachel)
Good night, my friend. We shall meet on the other shore of reality, where thoughts and emotions tangle up in the subconscious. Please enjoy the piano melodies but beware of the flying softballs. Let us dive, for my glistening memory fragments are waiting for my poetry to wake them up deep in the ocean; let us dance, for the morning stars are waiting for my questions to reach to them above the clouds. Hear, the writing sings.
Good night.
Yichen Zhang
(Yvonne)
I'm Yvonne, a 14 year old girl living in Beijing, China. I like writing poetry, singing, and dancing. I often write what comes to my mind, and I don't always rhyme. Sometimes inspiration comes from a spring, making my ideas a continuous flow. My biggest dream is to become a fashion designer and I think it will come true because I'm super self-confident. Usually, I am a cheerful and kind-hearted girl, but sometimes there is a bad temper. In school, my biggest advantage is happiness and infectious. I like talking with friends and often bring joy to others. I'm so lucky to make friends with you, because I'm sure we'll hit it off.
Julian Ni
​As an emerging 14 year old student, I have sought to understand myself. I have explored a multitude of topics that pique my interest spanning from highly technical ones to creative ones in the arts. I hope to continue working collaboratively with the esteemed professor, Dr Kayfetz and my fellow students to realise this Chinese boy’s dream by engaging in critical and creative endeavours.​
Daniella Huang
​Hi everyone my name is Daniella. I have my passion in debating and synchronized swimming. These two activities take me away from all other thoughts, the worries of school work, all the assignments that I have to hand in before midnight, all the presentations that are happening the next day, and let me focus solely on what I am doing.
Johnson Shi
I am Johnson, a 13-year-old Hong Kong boy. Or am I?
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I am Johnson's notebook. In here, notes Johnson, of every tiny bit. Whether it was the astronomy books he read and summarised, the many books he had enjoyed, or the creative stories he wrote -- he writes his thoughts about all of them here.
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Curious, creative but quiet. That's Johnson.
Zhenyu Sui
(Julie)
Hello, my name is Julie. I like snowboarding, roller-skating, ballet, and all sorts of sports. This is me, I like to try different things and maybe that’s why my hobbies are completely different from each other.
I’ve been studying with Dr. Kayfetz for a few years and my biggest improvement is my writing. My writing used to be one of my biggest problems but now this class has made a change. This class also helps me to improve my presenting and I also get to try different styles of writing. I love to try different types of things so I think that’s why my writing has changed a lot.
Other Writers
Yicen Chen
(Bianca)
Interlochen Arts Academy
2020-2022
Candy Xing
2021 - 2022
Zihan Zeng
(Irene)
The Hotchkiss School
2020 - 2021
Zimeng Zhang (Cindy)
2020 - 2021
Zhuoyuan Wu
(William)
2020 - 2023
Teresa Yu
2024 - present
Yijia Sun
(Betty)
2020 - 2023