The Exquisite Corpse Adventure!! You Can Add Your Own Story!!

The Exquisite Prompt Writing Challenge, a year-long activity from Reading Rockets and AdLit.org, gives students in K–12 a chance to flex their writing muscles — and win fabulous prizes! The Exquisite Prompts are offered in connection with each of the authors and illustrators participating in The Exquisite Corpse Adventure. This month, Gregory Maguire (Wicked) and Patricia & Fred McKissack (Goin' Someplace Special) are the inspirations for prompts of tooth fairies and re-imagined fairy tales, Dark-Thirty stories, Presidential Proclamations and more. The prompt schedule through June 2010 is also available.

About the Exquisite Corpse Adventure
Ever heard of an Exquisite Corpse? It's not what you might think. An Exquisite Corpse is an old game in which people write a phrase on a sheet of paper, fold it over to conceal part of it and pass it on to the next player to do the same. The game ends when someone finishes the story, which is then read aloud.

Our "Exquisite Corpse Adventure" works this way: Jon Scieszka, the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, has written the first episode, which is "pieced together out of so many parts that it is not possible to describe them all here, so go ahead and just start reading!" He has passed it on to a cast of celebrated writers and illustrators, who must eventually bring the story to an end.

Every two weeks, there will be a new episode and a new illustration. The story will conclude a year from now. To get bi-weekly updates with new Exquisite Corpse Adventure chapters, click on the subscribe link at the top of the page. "This story starts with a train rushing through the night...." No one knows where or how it will end!

I've been familiar with The Exquisite Corpse for awhile and when I was sent an e-mail about this project, I felt the need to pass it along. Who wouldn't love something that involves so many awesome authors? And then to give students a chance to get into the mix as well....what could be better?! If I have any K-12 readers, then I think this is something you should most definitely check out. Also, for teachers this is a great teaching exercise.