St. Bridget School Hosts World Record-Setting Author for Creative Writing Workshop

St. Bridget School in Cheshire, CT, recently had the privilege of hosting world record-setting writer, Christopher “The Real Frii” Elliott, for his 3-day World Record Workshop with their 8th grade students. The workshop is based on his book The Epic Poem: Mastermind, which set the first-ever official world record for longest written alliteration in 2020. The workshop offered students a unique opportunity to delve into the art of alliteration, learning from an author whose innovative work has set new benchmarks in literary creativity.

Christopher Elliott, founder of a top marketing agency in Connecticut (Frii Branding LLC), guided students through the nuances of figurative language, connotation versus denotation, metaphorical thinking, and the impact of word choice. His company assists both individual and organizational brands in their marketing communications strategies. However, Elliott continues to seek out opportunities to educate learners of all ages, from creative writing and podcast workshops to digital marketing summer courses at Yale University.

St. Bridget School is known for cultivating an environment where creativity, critical thinking, and effective communication thrive. Integrating this alliteration workshop into their curriculum aligned seamlessly with these values, encouraging students to engage deeply with language and develop their unique voices. It was a rare opportunity for students to not only learn about alliteration as a literary device but also to apply it creatively in their own work.

As a culmination of the workshop, students collaboratively crafted a class alliteration poem, exemplifying their newfound understanding. They had fun creating the short alliterative prose below:

Title: Best at Being Bold

“St. Bridget School doesn't buy brilliant thoughts; brilliance is born here.

Being bodacious and broad is bright.  Don’t boast or brag to prevent bickering or back and forth banter.  I’m bare andblunt in blatantly bellowing bossy babble.  Bulky bullies are not bubbly. Don’t bestow brutal blackmail or it will backfire badly.

Big bright booming thoughts begin with you, beaming inside that breathtaking brain of yours. Before action there’s basic thought, beginning ideas of boldness. What a blessing it is to be bold, erasing bashful feelings.

Bullies feel burnt after bursting bad, broad expressions. Back-talking bros become best friends.

Beyond braining brothers behold a burst of beneficial ideas of braininess so bloated, brittle bugs bounce and bubble‘round and ‘bout. 

Batman is bolder so he buckled his boots, beat some bums and stopped a breach at the bank.

Through buildings he blitzed bravely and wore black.  His Batmobile, being bombarded with bullets, brutally backfiredas it boosted away.

Bandits fired berettas and bazookas to blow up the Batcave.  Bombs went bling, bop, boom, bam, blam.

The brave buccaneers bombed the bandwagon with battleships of back-talk from back-lands of bald-faced beggars. They were barricaded by barrages of broken dreams, while battalions of unjust brawlers guarded the booty by basking in stubborn baths of safety.”

The use of dynamic metaphors such as "bulky bullies are not bubbly" and "bullies feel burnt after bursting bad, broad expressions" demonstrates their ability to apply figurative language with creativity and precision.

By studying Elliott's work, students engaged with complex concepts like alliteration, metaphor, and word denotation vs. connotation, equipping them for success in future writing endeavors. After hours of classroom time discussing alliteration, St. Bridget’s own Ms. Melissa Seidl, was proud of the dedication students exhibited throughout the workshop and looks forward to seeing how they continue to expand their creative writing and literacy skills.

Other schools can benefit from hosting similar workshops as a means for enhancing their reading and writing programs. The workshop not only inspired students to think more critically about language but also encouraged them to express their thoughts in original and inventive ways. Elliott hopes the workshops are just the beginning of many more opportunities for students to explore the power of words.

To learn more about Christopher “The Real Frii” Elliott and his world record-setting book series, visit https://www.theepicpoem.com. For more information about St. Bridget School and its mission, visit https://www.stbridgetschool.org.

Big shout out to all the students who participated in this year’s workshop. They truly are among the “best at being bold”: [Boldness in Speech Group] Maddie, Kate, Addi, Adriana, Evie, Hannah, and Sophia- [Boldness in Thoughts/ Ideas Group] Drew, Eli H. Sam, Jingyi, Savvy, Jaime and Camila- [Boldness in Character Group] Matthew, Odin, Niko, Jeremiah, Petey, Ben, Dom, Eli I and Grady- [Boldness in Action Group] Aiden, Mike, Thomas, James, Jackson.

Let’s continue to foster creativity and curiosity, one word at a time.

Students from St. Bridget school pose for a group photo with book author, Christopher Elliott