creative writing camp 2022

In-Person & Online Camps For K-12 Students Creative Writing Camp

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We live in a creative world where ideas, collaboration, and adaptability are a must–and writing is essential. So how do we prepare our children for their future? How do we ensure that they become thoughtful leaders for change, passionate learners, and curious thinkers we need to improve our world? Through Creative Writing Camp, young people discover the power within themselves – to create, innovate, and connect with others.  

The Only Place Where Children Learn from Talented Educators & Writers

In addition to being accomplished educators working in classrooms year-round, many have Masters and Ph.D.s in writing and education and are published authors. Our instructors are experts at this, and they’re ready to help your child shine.

How We Measure Up

For 20 years, Dr. Carl Scott of the University of St. Thomas has evaluated the success of the program and found students improved in writing skills, creativity and self-confidence.

How Creativity Leads to Success

According to Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us about Raising Successful Children (Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Roberta Golinkoff), what children most need for 21st-century learning are the 6Cs: collaboration, communication, content, critical thinking, creative innovation and confidence.

Creative Writing Camp works because it’s where writing is an exploration. It’s where one day your child will create their own map to a planet they’ve just discovered, and the next day they’re writing the ending to a 3-act play with a group of friends. It’s where they’ll publish their first poem. It’s where they’ll begin to see what they can become. Whether they’re not sure how to get started or they already write a million pages a day, they’ll feel at home writing here. This is where the spark of invention begins.

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Please read through the information below and view the embedded tutorial videos to make the process as smooth as possible.

The 3-step process for registering includes: Step 1 - Family Account setup Step 2 - Pre-registration application for your student(s) Step 3 - Registration.

If you completed Steps 1 and 2 during the Pre-registration period between Jan. 16-29, please proceed to Step 3. All others should start at Step 1.

Note: Completion of Steps 1 and 2 during the Pre-registration period does not guarantee your student(s) a place in camp.

A Family Account is required to register a student for our 2024 Creative Writing Camp. To register a student for camp, a parent/guardian must create a Family Account using their own name in order to successfully begin the pre-registration application process. Once you have set up your account, you will be able to add your student(s)/member(s) to the Family Account. You will be able to manage all members in your Family Account.

Note: If you created a Family Account when registering for a previous summer's CWC, please use your existing account.

Should you need step-by-step instructions, we have created a brief video tutorial to help guide you through the Family Account Set up. 

Video Tutorial - Create a Family Account

Video Tutorial - Manage Your Members

After setting up or logging into your Family Account, including adding student(s)/member(s) you plan to register for camp, you are now ready to complete the parent permissions application for each student. Cick “New Application” in the menu options of your Family Account, then “More Information” and “Apply Now.” You will now be able to “Start” CWC pre-registration for your student(s)/member(s). During the application process, there are six “To Do” pages to complete for each student. As you complete each page, you will see a green check mark next to each page to reflect your progress. To move to Step 3, Registration, you must complete all “To Do” items in order to submit the parent permissions application. Completing these “To Dos” will take approximately 10 minutes per student/member.

Before you begin Step 2: “Pre-registration”, you will need the following:

• Medical Insurance Information
• Emergency Contact Information
• Contact Information for an alternate authorized person to pick up your student(s), if applicable.

Note: If registering for virtual camps, a unique email address is required for each student you plan to register.

Video Tutorial - Submitting Student Applications

Once you have successfully completed all six “To-Dos” in the Pre-Registration Application (Step 2) and they reflect “Complete,” you will be able to register and complete the payment process for your student(s).

Please use the following instructions to complete the registration process. Should it be helpful, you can download the Registration Instructions .

Registration Instructions

1.   Scroll down on this webpage to the listing of the Camps available.

2.   Select a camp, and this will take you to the cart. If you want to select an additional camp, click the Back button on your browser, or click “Keep Shopping” in the Cart.

3.   When you are finished selecting camp/s, click “Checkout.”

4.   If you have already completed pre-registration, log in under “I have a Family Account already.” If you haven’t already completed pre-registration, please go back up to “How to Set Up a Family Account – Step 1” above.

5.   At the cart screen, click on “Add/Remove Members” for a camp selection, and in the pop-up window select the student for that camp. Then click on “Enroll Members.” Repeat this step for additional camps selected, if any.

6.   If you are registering 2 or more students, the siblings discount will be automatically applied at the end of the checkout process. If it’s not automatically applied, please check "Apply a Discount" in the Cart, then select "SLC CWC Siblings" from the dropdown menu to apply the discount.

7.   Click on “Checkout.”

8.   Now, you will select the t-shirt size for your child/ren. Click on the plus sign on the far right of their name and then click on the pull-down menu to see the sizes. Select the size. Repeat this step for each student and click on “Continue Checkout.”

9.   Next, click on “View Members” for each camp to confirm you selected the correct student for the camp. Click on “Continue checkout.”

10.  Enter your credit card information and click “Continue.”

11.  Next, check your email for confirmation of your registration. Note: reception of email may take a few minutes.

Note: Completion of Pre-registration between Jan. 16-26 does not guarantee your student(s) place in camp.

Virtual Camp Single Student - $495

On-Campus Single Student - $525

Sibling Discount (Two or more) – 5% discount per student

The sibling discount will be applied automatically to your cart during Step 3: Registration. You must register two or more at the same time to be eligible for this discount.

Just Write It! Our signature camp experience for incoming K – 12th grade students, in-person and online

Jump into the magic of creative writing! This course offers an array of fun, interactive writing activities and customized exercises designed to help students develop their unique voices, broaden their imaginations, and boost their confidence as writers. With the help of professional writers and teachers, students will explore a range of poetry, prose, and creative nonfiction as they use their writing to investigate their worlds and examine issues that are important to them. During the week, students will peer review each other’s work, and receive feedback from their instructors. Students will share their creations at a celebration on the last day of camp and take home a portfolio of their collected work.

Magical Worlds (6th/7th) Do you enjoy folklore, stories with magical settings, characters with superhuman abilities? As far back as ancient times, people have lived by the phrase, “Life is what you make it so make the best of it.” In this playful course you will do just that—build your own world! Guided by your writing coaches you will learn the basics of worldbuilding and create, explore and develop your own original world. You will delve into narrative genres such as science fiction, fantasy, and superhero fiction as you explore writings with a fantastical edge. You will leave with the tools needed to help you create new worlds in a variety of genres.

Nature: A Writing Inspiration (6th/7th) “Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts…. Rachel Carson

A wooded pass covered in freshly fallen leaves, or perhaps a thunderstorm rolling in through the evening sky. Nature has a way of capturing the eye, and inspiring those who gaze upon its natural beauty. Through this course students will have a chance to experience writing that centers nature as its inspiration. By using outside writing time as well as prompts and mentor text that show how other artists around the world have crafted writing for and inspired by the great outdoors, your young writer will be able to capture the beauty from their eyes while enjoying nature.

Focus on Fiction: Characters and Conflict (8th/9th) Dive deep into the heart of storytelling! This course is an exploration of the elements that breathe life into compelling narratives. Uncover the secrets of creating multi-dimensional characters with depth and authenticity, while also delving into the art of crafting engaging conflicts that drive your plot forward. Through a combination of insightful discussions, writing exercises, and constructive feedback, you will hone your skills in character development and conflict resolution—the tools you need to captivate readers and weave unforgettable tales!

Uncanny and Unreal: Adventures in Sci-Fi and Fantasy Writing (8th/9th) Embark on a captivating journey into the extraordinary realms of science fiction and fantasy. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned fantasy writer, discover the secrets of crafting immersive worlds, creating compelling characters, and mastering intricate plots in speculative fiction with other fantasy fanatics. From the art of genre blending to developing your unique voice, this course offers a dynamic blend of writing exercises, workshops, and collaborative discussions, providing the tools and inspiration to bring your wildest imaginings to life on the page. Join us and unleash your creativity in the fantastical landscapes of the uncanny and unreal.

The Art of the Essay (10th/12th) The history of the essay finds its origins in the core Renaissance ideal of “rebirth.” This course will allow you to give “new life” to the art of essay writing by asking you to examine your personal story and connect it to a broader world of concepts and ideas. We’ll analyze this important and passionate literary form that will take your writing beyond familiar boundaries. We’ll experiment with fun, contemporary non-fiction forms like flash non-fiction, recipe writing, humor, and even lampoon to expand and sharpen your essay writing skills. Through the writing workshop model of peer review, you will work with your fellow writers to hone techniques and approaches, and you will leave with a portfolio of several completed essays.

Begin the registration process by finding your grade level and campus below. Please note camps often fill up quickly. You must complete checkout to secure your spot. If your desired camp is not visible, then it is currently at capacity.

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Registration for Creative Writing Camp 2024 opens Monday, Jan 29! Sign up below to be the first to know when registration opens.

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Dates, Locations and Grade-levels for Creative Writing Camp 2024

Choose among five in-person camp locations, or an online option for campers anywhere!

Frequently Asked Questions

For questions about Creative Writing Camp programming – Please leave a voice messagefor School Literacy and Culture at 713-348-5333 or Writer’s in the Schools at 713-523-3877. Your message will be answered as soon as possible. For technical help with registration, please contact 713-348-4803.

Seats may become available due to cancellations or the opening of new classes. Please check the website often to see if any seats have opened at a particular campus. Creative Writing Camp does not have a waitlist.

If you are enrolling your child in the 2024 Rice + WITS Creative Writing Camp, you have read and understand the following cancellation and refund policy:

A 10 percent processing fee will be subtracted from all refunds. Due to the high demand for courses, registrations are considered final 30 days before classes start. No refunds will be issued after these dates and credits will not be given for future classes. No refunds will be granted for participants who miss a portion of a program. Refund requests before the deadline must be made in writing to  [email protected] . Refunds for credit card payments will be processed as credits to the accounts from which they were paid and may not appear as a credit on your statement for up to four to six weeks. Refunds for enrollments paid by check take up to four to six weeks to be processed and mailed by the Rice University accounting office. There is a $30 charge for any check returned for insufficient funds.

If multiple children are registered and have received the sibling discount, and later one or more registrations are canceled so that only one child remains registered, the remaining child's registration will be adjusted to the full price, and a refund for the appropriate amount will be issued.

A limited number of scholarships are available based on financial need. Please make your request by emailing [email protected] and an application form will be sent to you. Submitting a scholarship application does not guarantee receiving a scholarship. Please note if your child was awarded a scholarship last summer, you are not eligible to apply for the upcoming summer.

After you create your Family Account, please save your credentials. To revisit your Family Account, you can save the link to login or click on the link directly from the Creative Writing Camp webpage. To access your account, use the login username and password credentials and follow the login instructions. If you no longer know or have access to your credentials, please follow the Forget Password instructions directly on the login page. GO TO FAMILY ACCOUNT

All classes will be team-taught with class sizes capped at approximately 20 students.

• Health and safety protocols for each camp session will be dependent upon campus-based policies in effect at the time camp is offered.
• Participating campers will be invited to bring basic supplies (paper, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, markers, small watercolor kits) for individual use throughout the week of camp.
• Classes will be divided into age-level groupings that may include students from more than one grade level.  Based on enrollment, classes may include students from more than one grade level.
• Creative writing and fine arts activities will be planned by highly qualified teacher/writer pairs and feature low staff-to-camper ratios.

Friend requests may be made in the student's Pre-registration application. Requests are not guaranteed but we will do our best to grant them.

Focus groups of professional writers and highly effective teachers have come together to craft this exciting online approach to Creative Writing Camp, which has received positive reviews from parents and students since its inception in 2020. Wherever possible, student experiences will draw upon our traditional camp model, but we will also embrace this opportunity to explore new approaches and think creatively. Join us as we explore just what is possible in a virtual environment!

All classes will be team-taught with class sizes capped at approximately 20 students. Classes will be divided into age-level groups:

• Morning: 3rd–5th grade
• Afternoon: 6th–8th and 9th–12th grade

Classes for younger students will include a combination of:

• Live community-building activities
• Live large and small group times that might include anything from the reading of a great children’s book as inspiration for creative writing to a virtual field trip
• Live story dictation activities with a teacher and
• “Center time” featuring pre-recorded activities and a wealth of independent art and extension projects to enjoy at your family’s convenience.

Classes for older students will include:

• Live large and small group times
• Live personalized consultation with experienced writers/teachers and
• Independent pre-recorded activities and extension projects to enjoy at your family’s convenience.
• All camp courses will utilize the Canvas learning platform. Each student will need a unique e-mail address to access the system. Emails are to be provided by the parents.
• Students will also need a laptop, tablet or phone to access the course, but we recommend a laptop or tablet. The best user experience is achieved through the Google Chrome web browser. If using a tablet or phone, download the Canvas Student app to access the course.
• Each student will need a notebook, journal, or folder with blank paper and writing implements such as pencils, pens, and markers.
• Extension activities will utilize basic arts and crafts materials such as scissors, colored paper, glue, watercolors, etc. that students typically use at school. Parents will not be asked to buy specific art materials.
•  All families will be asked to complete a “tech check” the week before their virtual camp session. Support staff will be available for assistance that day should families have any challenges logging into the system.
• During “tech check” students will be able to “meet” their teachers as they view pre-recorded videos uploaded by the teachers and writers leading the course. Students will also be asked to record their own introductory video to share with their classmates.
• “Tech check” will also provide an opportunity for parents to receive more detailed information regarding each class’s daily schedule, should they have a need for specifics.

Finally, should families have challenges with technology at any point during the camp experience, they will be able to connect directly with IT support staff via phone or e-mail. 713-348-4803 or [email protected]

Creative Writing Camp is a collaboration between Writers in the Schools and Rice University’s School Literacy and Culture and has inspired young writers for over 30 years. Our online and in-person camps deep dive into writing topics that hone creativity and prepare students for future success. With low student-teacher ratios and mentorship from professional writers, Creative Writing Camp offers a writer’s workshop experience!

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Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 12 summer writing programs for high school students (2022 -2023).

Extracurriculars

Love reading, writing, and being creative? Then consider checking out summer writing programs for high school students! 

Whether you want to become a journalist or the next Poet Laureate, there are tons of summer writing programs that will help you achieve your goals. Participating in these programs can look great on college applications too! 

In this article, we’ll give you all the info you need to decide if creative writing summer programs for high school students are right for you, including: 

• A full description of 12 summer writing programs for high school students (including cost, eligibility, and what they cover!)
• A quick, five question quiz to help you decide if a summer writing program is right for you
• Three tips on how to impress colleges with your summer writing program

Let’s get started! 

Summer's the perfect time for sitting on the beach, eating ice cream...and participating in writing programs. 

What Are Summer Writing Programs for High School Students? 

Creative writing summer programs for high school students are a great way for students with an interest in writing to explore subjects they’re interested in, build skills for college, and meet other students who share their interests.  

As a bonus, summer writing programs can look great on college applications!

Summer writing programs for high schoolers are typically held between May and August each year . These programs are similar to a summer class or camp. Additionally, these programs last anywhere from a week to several weeks throughout the summer. 

Like summer camps, writing programs for high schoolers are pretty intensive. Students spend their time l istening to lectures from experts, participating in workshops, presenting their work, and getting real-life feedback. 

Best of all, summer writing programs are hands-on, so you’ll spend lots of time writing and creating original work ! The goal of any summer writing program is to help you develop and improve your writing skills through practice and feedback. 

While some programs teach general writing skills, many summer writing programs focus on a particular field or genre, like journalism, essay writing, or creative writing . For instance, if you’re thinking about becoming a journalism major, you might participate in a journalism writing summer program that’ll give you a glimpse of what it’s like to work in the industry.

There are many benefits of summer writing programs when it comes to college applications too. After all, writing great college essays is an important part of getting into your dream school! And because they’re extracurricular activities, summer writing programs are also a good option for students who are aiming for an arts-based spike approach on college applications. 

Dust off that typewriter...it's time to apply!

12 Summer Writing Programs for High School Students

We’ve put together a list of 12 summer creative writing summer programs for high school students to help you get a sense of the many great options out there. Our list includes journalism, research-based, and creative writing summer programs for high school students so you can find the best one for you! 

#1: The School of New York Times Summer Academy

• Eligibility: Must be entering 10th, 11th, 12th grade, or graduating high school
• Dates: Term 1: June 5-17; Term 2: June 19-July 1; Term 3: July 3-15; Term 4: July 17-29
• Location: New York City
• Cost: $6,420 for residential; $5,820 for day program
• Deadlines: Varies by term; deadlines range from early May to mid-June

The New York Times (NYT) offers a series of writing-based summer courses for high school students at their campus in New York City. Courses are designed to develop students’ curiosity and critical thinking through traditional coursework and in the museums, arts centers, think tanks, and start-up labs of New York City. Courses are offered on various topics , including creative writing and investigative journalism. 

The program “seeks talented student leaders with diverse interests, ambitions and writing styles.” To participate, students complete an online application that includes short answer questions and optional writing samples, high school transcripts, and one recommendation. 

#2: Boston University Summer Journalism Academy

• Eligibility: Must be aged 14-18 
• Dates: Vary by year; Session 1: June 20-July 1; Session 2: July 4-July 15; Session 3: July 18-July 29
• Location: Boston University, Boston, MA
• Cost: On-Campus w/tuition, room, board and activity fees: $3700; On-Campus Commuter w/tuition and activity fees: $2700; Learn-from-Home: $1300
• Deadlines: Applications due mid-May

The Summer Journalism Academy at Boston University is designed to introduce high school students to life as news reporters . Students practice their skills in the classroom then apply them to hands-on learning opportunities in a real newsroom. One of the biggest perks is that students get to learn from working journalists who cover a wide range of beats. 

Students can participate in person or remotely. In-person participants can stay on BU’s campus through the residential program, where they’ll get a chance to live alongside other academy attendees. To participate, applications must be submitted online and should include a 300-word letter explaining the student’s interest in journalism.

#3: Asian American Journalist Association (AAJA) Journalism Camp

• Eligibility: 9th-12th graders with a strong interest in journalism 
• Dates: Summer; exact program dates may vary
• Location: Varies by year; JCamp 2022 is hosted by the University of Southern California
• Cost: No cost (travel expenses are also covered by the program)
• Deadlines: Applications due March 31

The AAJA‘s six-day summer training camp, called JCamp, gives students the opportunity to learn from journalists and journalism executives while developing their writing skills. This summer writing program gives students hands-on experience producing multi-platform news packages that are published on the program’s news site, JCamp Live. 

Students who show a strong interest in broadcasting, newspaper, magazine, photojournalism, or online media are encouraged to apply online. Also, JCamp isn’t limited to Asian American students, so all high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors are eligible. Even better: all program costs are covered , including travel, university lodging, and meals. 

#4: Yale Daily News Summer Journalism Program

• Eligibility: Open to all high school students
• Dates: August 16-20
• Location: Varies by year; 2022 program held via Zoom
• Cost: Free to students from New Haven Public Schools; all other participants pay $160 in tuition
• Deadlines: Unspecified

The Yale Daily News Summer Journalism Program is a one-week journalism course for high school students. Students participate in workshops on the basics of writing and reporting, hear lectures by journalists from major publications, and work as a team to produce an issue of the Yale Daily News.  

As a bonus, the program is run entirely by undergraduate staff members of the Yale Daily News , so students will get to see what it’s like to be a real journalism student at an Ivy League school. 

To apply, students must submit four short answer questions and a pitch for one professional-grade news article . Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible as program costs may increase as the program start date approaches. 

Howard University's writing program is perfect for people who want to write across media--and yes, that includes TikTok.

#5: Howard University Multimedia Academy 

• Eligibility: Must be in 9th-12th grade
• Dates: June 14-25
• Location: Virtual/online
• Cost: Not specified
• Deadlines: Applications due June 5

Howard’s virtual summer writing program teaches students to use multimedia journalism to report on health and wellness in underserved communities . At the end of the program, students’ work appears on the Howard University News Service and on Voices of Tomorrow, a nonprofit that provides social services to immigrants and refugees from East African communities.  

Additionally, the best work by seniors and recent graduates will be eligible for the Dow Jones News Fund’s scholarship competition . To apply to Howard’s Multimedia Academy, students must fill out an online application, including a 250-word essay. 

#6: The Multicultural Journalism Program (MJW)  

• Eligibility: Rising 9th graders through college freshmen
• Dates: June 3-12
• Location: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
• Cost: Free, including housing, meals, and field trips; students are responsible for transportation to and from Tuscaloosa
• Deadlines: Applications due April 1

MJW’s summer writing program selects 10 to 15 students to attend an intensive workshop held in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. This workshop focuses on multimedia reporting, writing, editing, graphics, photography, and production. During the workshop, students produce an issue of the MJP Journal to showcase everything they’ve learned. 

Applicants must submit a high school transcript, a typed 500-word essay explaining their interest in journalism, and a recommendation letter. The program also encourages students to submit samples of published journalistic work , but unpublished writing samples are also acceptable. 

#7: Carnegie-Mellon University Writing and Culture Program

• Eligibility: Must be at least 16 years old by program start date; must be a current high school sophomore or junior at time of application; must have an academic average of B (3.0/4.0) and/or have received a B or higher in their last English class.
• Dates: July 5-August 12
• Location: Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
• Cost: $9,000 for residential program; $6,932 for commuter program
• Deadlines: Applications accepted on a rolling basis

The Carnegie-Mellon Writing and Culture Program teaches high school students to think critically and express themselves creatively. This six-week course features classes taught by Carnegie-Mellon faculty, readings and events with local authors, and hands-on visits to Pittsburgh’s museums. Throughout the program, students produce a written portfolio that explores film, art, and culture . 

To apply, students must complete an online application that includes a high school transcript, responses to essay prompts, and up to three optional writing samples. If an applicant’s cumulative high school GPA is below a B average (3.0/4.0), submitting writing samples is strongly encouraged.

#8: Iowa Young Writers’ Studio Residential Program

• Eligibility: Must be a current 10th, 11th, or 12th grader
• Dates: Session 1: June 12-25; Session 2: July 10-23
• Location: University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
• Cost: $2,500 for residential
• Deadlines: Applications due February 6

The Iowa Writers’ Workshop offers a two-week, residential creative writing summer program for 144 high school students from across the country. Once accepted, students will select a course of study from the following options: poetry, fiction, creative writing, playwriting, or TV writing. Students also participate in writing workshops, receive constructive feedback, and star in open mics and talent shows.

The Iowa Young Writers’ studio acceptance rate falls between 15% and 20% . A competitive application to this program will include a polished writing sample, statement of purpose, letter of recommendation, and high school transcript. Students from outside the United States are also welcome to apply. 

It turns out that Virginia is for writers.

#9: UVA Young Writers Workshop

• Eligibility: Session 1: rising 9th-12th graders; Session 2: rising 10th graders through rising first-year college students
• Dates: Session 1: June 19-July 1; Session 2: July 3-July 22  
• Location: Sweet Briar College, Sweet Briar, VA
• Cost: $2450 for Session 1; $3500 for Session 2
• Deadlines: Applications due March 1

UVA Young Writers Workshop is a summer program designed to immerse students in a creative writing genre . Students focus on one of the following for the duration of the program: short form creative writing, poetry, songwriting, screen and playwriting, creative nonfiction, or fiction. 

UVA Young Writers Workshop is one of the best summer writing programs for high school students because it offers two program sessions that are geared toward different skill levels . Session 1 is designed for a wider range of skill levels and experience, whereas Session 2 is geared toward more advanced writers. You can apply to both sessions online by submitting several writing samples, a brief autobiography, and a letter of recommendation. 

#10: Smith College Creative Writing Workshop

• Eligibility: Must be in 9th-12th grades; must be female-identified or gender-nonconforming students
• Dates: July 9-23
• Cost: $4,285
• Deadlines: Applications due May 15

Smith’s Creative Writing Workshop teaches the importance of practice and perseverance by engaging students in a multi-draft writing process in a variety of mediums . Students are taught by real published writers and get the chance to present their work at open mic and improv nights. In the evenings, there are even opportunities to meet with agents and learn how to create an author website!

Students are selected for this writing program based on academic performance, a written essay, and a teacher recommendation. Also, because Smith is a women’s college, this summer writing program is only open to young women, female-identified, or gender-nonconforming students . Students from outside of the U.S. are also encouraged to apply. 

#11: Sarah Lawrence Writer’s Week

• Eligibility: Must be in 9th-12th grade and 14 years of age or older by the program start date
• Dates: On-campus session: July 11-15; online session: August 1-5
• Location: Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY; online
• Cost: $1,125 for on-campus; $725 for online
• Deadlines: Unspecified; contact [email protected]​ for more information 

Writer’s Week at Sarah Lawrence is a week-long experience with creative writing and performance arts for high school students. Students attend workshops taught by real writers, artists, and Sarah Lawrence faculty and will get the chance to meet in small groups with workshop leaders. At the end of the week, the program hosts a celebration of student work and faculty and student readings. 

Sarah Lawrence Writer’s Week offers both an on-campus and online session (but note that the on-campus session is a day camp, not residential). Applications and registration must be completed online. 

#12: Alpha Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Workshop for Young Writers

• Eligibility: Must be aged 14-19
• Dates: July 20-31
• Location: University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg, PA
• Cost: $1,200
• Deadlines: Unspecified; applications open in January 

Alpha is a twelve-day writing workshop for 20 high school students at the University of Pittsburgh’s Greensburg campus. During this program, students are expected to write an original science fiction, fantasy, or horror short story of 2000 words or more. During the writing process, students receive plenty of hands-on guidance. 

The Alpha program is held in-person on the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg campus . To apply, students must fill out an online form and submit an original short story of at least 2000 words. 

Quiz: Is a Summer Writing Program Right for You?

If you’re still not sure if participating in a summer writing program is right for you, don’t worry–we’re here to help! 

We’ve put together a five-question, yes-or-no response quiz to help you decide if summer writing programs support your interests and goals. Just read the questions below and respond with “yes” or “no.”

• Is your English class the most exciting part of your school day?  
• Do you spend free time reading and writing for fun? 
• Are you looking for new challenges and experiences as a writer? 
• Are you willing to share your writing with others, including peers you’ve just met and writing professionals and experts? 
• Are you highly motivated to pursue your interests outside of school and even during your summer vacation? 

If you responded with “yes” to three or more of the questions above, you might consider applying to a summer writing program for high school students! 

At the end of the day, you want your summer activities to support your interests and boost your college applications . If you’re aiming for a future career as a writer or just want to hone your writing hobby, a summer writing program may be the perfect fit for you.

3 Tips To Impress Colleges With Your Summer Writing Program

Summer writing programs for high school students look great to college admissions teams . But what are the best ways to showcase your writing experience on your applications? 

We’ll show you how to impress colleges with your summer writing program–just check out the tips below !

Tip 1: Work It Into Your College Essays

You want your college essays to tell a vivid story about your interests . Your experiences in a summer writing program provide a great springboard for illustrating your interests and passions on your college applications! 

Colleges want to accept students who are creative, courageous, and motivated to pursue their dreams. Writing about how you stretched and grew during your summer writing program will show colleges that you’re up for a challenge…and that you won’t give up, no matter how many revisions your draft needs. 

Tip 2: Connect It to Your Major

If you’re already certain you want to major in a writing-related field in college, your summer writing program will be especially helpful. Many elite schools ask students to apply directly to their chosen major. So if you’re applying to an arts or humanities major, there’s a good chance you’ll have to submit a writing sample as part of your college application . 

The good news is that most summer writing programs give you the chance to produce original writing and receive critiques from professional writers. By taking the writing you produce during your summer writing program and continuing to revise it, you’ll have a top-notch writing sample to include with your application.

Tip 3: Ask a Program Instructor for a Recommendation

Creative writing summer programs for high school students give you the opportunity to connect with writing faculty at elite colleges and real-life writers, journalists, poets, and more. These professionals provide feedback on your writing during your summer program…which means they’ll have unique insights into your potential as a college student ! 

In fact, several summer writing programs offer students the chance to receive a college recommendation from program faculty . For instance, the New York Times Summer Academy says this about recommendations from program faculty:

As a pre-college program, [NYT] Summer Academy gives students the opportunity to get a glimpse of the college experience while also exploring possible topics of study. Typically, college admissions officers look favorably on students who continue to enhance their academic portfolio during the summer months. Students will also benefit from receiving a narrative evaluation from their instructor which can be included as part of their college applications.

If you build strong rapport with an instructor at your summer writing program, consider staying in touch and asking them to write you a letter of recommendation for your college applications. Having a recommendation from someone outside of your high school will show colleges that you’re already building real-world connections with people in your future career field . 

What’s Next? 

Writing programs can prepare you for writing your college admissions essays . Our expert guide breaks down the whole admissions essay writing process , step by step.

One popular college essay format is the “why this school?” prompt. We’ll show you how to write an amazing “why this college” essay that will wow admissions counselors.  

If you’re not sure what a great college essay looks like, that’s okay. We’ve compiled a list of over 140 college essays that can inspire you as you’re writing yours! 

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Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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Creative writing summer program for high school students.

Why Take Creative Writing

Develop and amplify your writing voice in our immersive program. Guided by an outstanding faculty of published writers, you will experiment with multiple genres, deepen your understanding of the craft, and cultivate the confidence to share your work with the world.

What You'll Learn

During Interlochen's writing camp , you’ll focus intensively on two genres of creative writing. Genre workshops include: 

• Playwriting

In addition to exploring the fundamentals of your chosen genres, you'll discuss a wide range of published works, and craft your own pieces via in-class exercises and roundtable workshops with a class of dedicated peers. You’ll also experience the natural beauty of Northern Michigan via our Environmental Explorations class, attend readings by award-winning faculty and visiting authors, and learn to craft your work for publication and performance. Each session culminates in a camp anthology and student reading. 

Workshop Placement

Students benefit from exposure to a broad range of literary forms. By studying forms outside of your primary genre, you’ll gain new insight into the styles you love most. 

After enrolling, students rank the four genres in order of preference. We’ll do our best to accommodate the top two choices, however, space is limited. We encourage students to submit preferences as soon as possible!

Portfolio Requirements

• SESSION 1: June 23, 2024 to July 13, 2024
• SESSION 2: July 14, 2024 to August 4, 2024
• SESSION 1: Accepting applications
• SESSION 2: Accepting applications

Program Specialties

Fiction Workshop

Learn the fundamentals of narrative craft in addition to cutting-edge experimental techniques being used by contemporary fiction writers. Focus on the fundamental elements of writing short stories. You will explore story structure, point of view, characterization, plot development, setting, dialogue, and revision strategies.

Nonfiction Workshop

Survey a variety of subgenres in the the nonfiction mode, particularly lyric and hybrid essays. Studies in structure, point of view, characterization, temporality, setting, revision strategies, and the subversion of genre conventions and received voices will give students the flexibility to adapt to a wide range of nonfiction genres.

Poetry Workshop

Explore the fundamentals and contemporary techniques of poetic craft in the lyric, narrative, and dramatic modes, with particular attention given to imagery, voice, musicality, lineation, and forms—both received and invented.

Playwriting Workshop

Focus on character creation and dramatic structure. You will write scenes exploring conflict, action, dialogue, motivation, and stage directions while workshopping a scene in class.

"For me, writing feels like a release."

Learn more about Nailah's experience as a Creative Writing high school student at Arts Camp. 

Meet the Faculty

Our creative writing instructors are committed educators and accomplished artists with extensive experience in their disciplines. As mentors, they are dedicated to helping you develop your own unique voice.

Please note the gallery may showcase previous instructors.

All faculty

Megan Baxter

Instructor of Creative Writing

Reina Hardy

AM Ringwalt

Visiting Instructor of Creative Writing

Emily Pittinos

Heather Truett

Instructor of Fiction

Karyna McGlynn, Ph.D.

Director of Creative Writing

Program Highlights

Reading Showcase

The students will participate in a reading showcase in The Writing House Great Room at the end of the program.

Students contribute work to a print anthology that they can take home at the end of their session to remind them of a productive and inspiring summer.

The Writing House

During the three-week sessions, your artistic home will be the The Writing House. This comfortable space provides quiet work areas, ample seating for group projects, and a literary publications room with computer and printing stations. Take a 360-degree virtual tour .

Additional Opportunities

We have additional camp program opportunities for young writers, including our one-week Comics & Graphic Narratives , Performance Writing & Spoken Word , Novel Writing , and Screenwriting intensives.

Interlochen is also home to the Arts Academy boarding high school, which offers a Creative Writing major, as well as a post-graduate year.

Guest Artists

• Aja Gabel, author of The Ensemble
• Kaitlyn Greenidge, Harper's Bizarre features director and author of We Love You, Charlie Freeman
• Lily Hoang, associate professor of literature at University of California San Diego and author of Changing and A Bestiary
• Caitlin Horrocks, professor of creative writing at Grand Valley State University and author of Life Among the Terranauts and This is Not Your City
• Amy Kurzweil, The New Yorker cartoonist and author of Flying Couch
• Sarah Elaine Smith, author of Marilou is Everywhere and I Live in a Hut

This experience at Interlochen has been truly inspiring. I have seen and met so many people who have inspired me to continue with my own writing and explore other creative outlets like drawing and painting. The arts program at my own school is underfunded, so coming here has helped me really immerse myself in the arts.

Alexandra, Creative Writing

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Creative Writing Camps Summer 2022

Check out the following terrific opportunities – in our Toronto studio and virtual – for young people who love to write. But don’t delay – time is running out!

Vikki VanSickle. photo by Connie Tsang

Creative Writing Courses with Vikki VanSickle

Celebrated novelist Vikki VanSickle is running lively and inspiring creartive writing camps with us this summer! Plot, character and description – learn these creative writing skills and more as you explore fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, journaling – the sky’s the limit! Get tips on where to submit your work: creative writing competitions, literary agents, publishers and more.

Virtual Podcasting Camp

Get your ideas and stories out there through the medium of podcasts! Bonnie Warburton will teach you how to write a compelling podcast, and help you set up a podcast studio in your home or cottage. You’ll listen to and learn from successful podcasters, and create a pilot for a podcast of your own. Whether you love writing, acting or audio recording, there’s something here for you!

Virtual Creative Writing Camp

Build plots, create characters, devise worlds and try your hand at creative writing prompts! Take your writing to the next level in this lively virtual program, ideal for writers spending the summer at their cottage, or too far from Toronto to attend in person. Finding a community of writers is the best way to keep writing – and this is a terrific opportunity to meet others who love to do what you do. Open to all writers, whatever their interests – and young people who just want to give writing a go.

Creative writing camps are fun, inspiring and a great way to cultivate both imagination and artistic community. That’s why our writers return to us year after year. But parents also know that creative writing is a great way to cultivate a love of reading, and we all know that the more we write, the better we get at it – which leads to greater confidence and improved grades in school.

Read more at https://www.centauriarts.com/academy/toronto/summer-day-camps/writing-camps/

Julie Centauri Arts Bloor West Village Toronto

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Yale Young Writers' Workshop

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About the Yale Young Writers' Workshop 

Virtual high school program: july 7 - 12, 2024.

Yale is excited to offer a one-week online summer writing workshop for 16 - 18 year old rising high school juniors, and seniors. We’re seeking bookish wordsmiths interested in adding to their writerly toolbox! Writers will generate and share their work in an intimate, non-competitive, online community.

Writers choose from one of three genres: fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. We have capped the workshops at twelve writers per genre to ensure all voices are heard. Participants attend talks on the craft of writing, open mics, faculty and visiting author readings, student readings, and learn about careers in writing.

Each day starts with a craft talk from a visiting writer followed by a small group workshop for three hours in the afternoon. The craft talks expose writers to genres outside of their own. The workshop is a safe creative space to experiment, play, and develop storytelling skills. Students will generate new material and then read it back to the group for feedback with an eye for revision.

Participants will read one assigned book from a visiting writer prior to the start of the workshop. This will create a shared literature and allow students to investigate writing techniques from published work, and then have the opportunity to ask the author about their creative process.

Our faculty are gifted teachers and published writers. They will meet writers where they are and teach them skills to help them write their next story, essay, or poem. Our faculty may be the closest readers you’ve ever had. They will challenge writers to produce their best work.

Before You Begin the Program:

• Your instructor will assign a short exercise for you to complete before the first workshop.
• You’ll be assigned one book to read by a visiting writer. The writer will present and then visit with your genre group. Book assignments below.
• Start writing now in your journal. Activate your muse in preparation for your workshop.

Guest Authors . Writers are required to read the book for their workshop but are welcome to read all visiting authors’ work.

Poetry Guest Author - Allison Joseph  Assigned Reading Confessions of a Barefaced Woman  (For Sean Forbes and Catherine Pierce’s workshops)

Fiction Guest Author - Jennifer McCauley  Assigned Reading When Trying to Return Home  (For Jotham Burrello, Kristin Bair, and Lara Ehrlich's workshops)

Graphic Forms Guest Author - Trung Le Capecchi-Nguyen  Assigned Reading The Magic Fish  (For Anne Thalheimer's workshop)

Non-Fiction Guest Author - Jane Wong Assigned Reading This Is the Place: Women Writing About Home  (For Catina Bacote’s workshop)

• Application Opens: January 16, 2024
• Application Deadline: April 1, 2024
• Decisions Released: will be released on a Rolling Amissions Basis Every Week
• Payment Due (to secure your spot): Within 2 weeks of Admission

Eligibility:

• Applicants must be between 16 - 18 years old and a rising high school junior or senior.

Admission Process:

• A writing sample is required. It needs to accompany your application for admission and must be uploaded electronically. Submit your writing sample as a Word document: 500 words, double-spaced in Times Roman, 12-point font, one-inch margins. Each page must include your name. Note genre of the submission: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry or Graphic Forms.
• 2 Letters of Recommendation 

Refund Policy:

• We will refund 75% for cancellation requests received by April 26, 2024, and 50% for cancellation requests received by May 3, 2024.   We will be unable to honor refund requests received after May 3, 2024.

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Butler University Creative Writing Camp

A community for young writers.

Creative Writing Camp and Butler Bridge combine learning, laughter, and compassion to inspire young writers and readers. The programs connect bright, young people with talented mentors and like-minded peers to nurture intellectual and artistic discovery.

This learning-rich community rejects a narrow version of education, in which, too often, assessment structures learning. We reach for a goal that is harder to define: enhancing creativity, developing the imagination, and finding our own voices. We help our students and campers be so engaged with the joys of literary arts that they don’t even notice how much they are learning.

In Person: June 10-14 and June 17-21

Virtual: June 24-28

Registration is now open! 

Camp Hours: 9:00 AM–3:00 PM Monday through Friday. Additional “less programmed” option to stay from 3:00 PM-4:00 PM Monday through Friday. The 3:00 PM-4:00 PM hour will be an additional $50 cost.

Students entering grades 3–12 in fall 2024. Children will be grouped by ages. Camp will meet on the Butler campus, in Jordan Hall, third floor, room 304.

• College student mentors
• Daily visits from guest writers
• Field trip to the Indianapolis Museum of Art

Campers will attend entertaining, lively workshops designed to inspire young writers. Students will write and read stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, personal narratives, song lyrics, and experimental pieces, experiencing the power of the literary imagination while developing language skills.

The week also includes forums on the birth of ideas, slam and performance art, free writing, nonsense verse, haiku, and abstract and concrete poetry. Campers will meet in small groups of peers over lunch to design and publish a creative webpage, as well as in daily workshops in the computer labs. Campers will also make a walking visit to the Indianapolis Museum of Art and have a pizza party and explore visual art (children need to bring a sack lunch on other days).

On Friday, we’ll cap the camp with a presentation of certificates, an open-mic reading (with ice cream). Families are welcome. Throughout the camp, students will work with Butler student mentors and professors to create a website where work from the camp will be displayed and enjoyed by participants and families.

• Screenwriting
• Playwriting
• Children’s Books
• Liar’s Club/Slam Café
• Imagination Tag
• The Art of Twitter
• The Graphic Novel
• The Blogosphere

Butler University’s Creative Writing Camp offers an intensive and entertaining week of workshops to help young writers develop their talent and passion for writing. Campers will converse and work with accomplished novelists, poets, editors, and teachers of writing. Past instructors have included:

Hilene Flanzbaum, PhD, Professor of English and Director of Writing for Wellness at Butler University

Colby Ornell, MFA (2018), Ph.D. candidate at the University of Houston, Fiction Editor at  Gulf Coast

Elisabeth Speckman, MFA (2016), Adjunct Professor, Butler Bridge Program Director, fiction, playwright, actress

Chris Speckman, MFA (2013), Adjunct Professor, Writing in the Schools Director at Butler University, poet

Susan Neville, Demia Butler Chair English and Professor of English at Butler University

Alessandra Lynch, Senior Lecturer and English and Poet-in-Residence at Butler University

Chris Forhan, Professor of English at Butler University and author of  My Father Before Me: A Memoir

One session (In Person)—$295 – 9:00 AM–3:00 PM (M-F)

One session (Virtual)—$245 – 9:00 AM–3:00 PM (M-F)

Additional discounts available for both in person weeks.

Refund Policy

Prior to June 1—Campers withdrawing from camp will be given a refund less a 20% admin fee

After June 1—No camp refunds will be given

Butler University requires students, faculty, and staff to be vaccinated. As of February 26, 2022, Butler also follows the following policy:

“Given the rapid decline of COVID-19 cases, Butler University is making face masks optional across campus , including classrooms, dining areas, and residence halls, effective Wednesday, March 2.”

The Creative Writing Camp will follow Butler’s guidelines as well, and camp’s guidelines are the following:

• COVID-19 vaccines are required for both our campers and staff.
• Masks are optional. We will have masks on-hand for any campers, families, and staff who request one.

More information on Butler’s COVID-19 guidelines can be found here .

Geoffrey Sharpless, PhD, Director [email protected] [email protected]

Gina Reese, Creative Writing Camp Coordinator [email protected]

2024 Summer Schedule Now Open!

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Writing Summer Camps for High School Students

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Specialties

The Emerging Writers Institute™  creative writing camp is a summer writing program for teens. Rising 10th-12th graders experience a unique curriculum designed to develop and support students’ imaginative writing across literary genres. Immersive workshops in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry encourage students to challenge themselves technically and artistically as they discover their own literary voices. Through our intensive MFA-style workshops and engaging literary outings, EWI offers a rigorous and challenging writing experience for students. Supported by the guidance of experienced authors and instructors, young writers hone their craft in a collaborative environment. Students will learn through guided daily writing workshops, one-on-one instructor evaluations, group editing sessions, and creative presentations of their work. Our unique program lets young writers from around the world form and sustain literary friendships that can last a lifetime.  The program culminates in students presenting their work and having it published in our literary anthology.  

Note:  In order to attend the EWI, students must demonstrate their potential as writers by submitting a creative writing sample in any of the four major areas of focus. This program assumes that its students possess a significant understanding of the English language and are prepared to employ this familiarity in inspired and inventive ways. Students should be writing at or above grade level and be eager to continue to hone their literary skills and voice.  

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Education Unlimited offers both in-person and online options of its popular Emerging Writers Curriculum.

Online: online emerging writers 10-12 attendees may choose between three majors: fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.  students may repeat the course up to three times during the summer doing each of the three majors once.  the online courses are each one week in length. to learn more about the online version of this program, click here . in-person:  in-person emerging writers 10-12 courses are each two weeks in length and will be held at uc berkeley, stanford, and ucla in summer 2024.  during the course, students will explore all three majors (fiction, non-fiction, and poetry), but will select one major to focus on.  they will complete their final capstone work in this area.   please read below to find out more about our on-campus emerging writers program. .

Emerging Writers Institute creative writing camp is a two-week summer writing program for teens. Rising 10th-12th graders experience a unique curriculum designed to develop and support students’ imaginative writing across literary genres. This creative writing summer program encourages students to challenge themselves technically and artistically through guided daily writing workshops, one-on-one instructor evaluations, group editing sessions, and creative presentations of their work. Similar to our program for younger writers, students are challenged through small group seminars. In these seminars, and at daily writing workshops, students investigate the fundamentals of storytelling and discover how to read like writers. Writers will also read and experiment with new sub-genres in a safe, exploratory environment. Scheduled writing time and one-on-one instructor evaluations help students develop good writing habits that will serve them year-round. By the end of the two-week , students will share polished pieces for publication in our literary anthology.  Copies of the anthology will be mailed to families at the end of the summer. 

What makes our summer creative writing programs so distinctive?

With a curricular emphasis on expressive writing as a process rather than in rules or formulas - students will discover and refine their own voices

The inclusion of critical reading exercises as an essential tool for growth

Seminars to ready students' work for professional submission to youth publications, such as The Claremont Review, The Writer's Slate, Stone Soup, and Teen Ink

Specific Skill Development

This creative writing summer program encourages students to challenge themselves technically and artistically through guided daily writing workshops, one-on-one instructor evaluations, group editing sessions, and creative presentations of their work. Emphasis is placed on expressive writing as a process rather than in rules or formulas. Instructors consistently encourage students to discover and refine their own unique voices. We know that successful writers are also critical and voracious readers; as a result, the inclusion of reading exercises and analysis are woven into the program as an essential tool for growth.

Curriculum & Environment

Students have three blocks in the day. The first block is called Read Like a Writer; Write Like a Reader. They build skills, do generative writing exercises, read mentor texts, and practice with different types of voices and styles. The second block is called Genre Exploration where students learn about, read and try out the writing of different sub-genres, such as Science Fiction and Thriller. Finally, each day ends with Writers Block, where students work on their capstone piece, have one on one conferences with their instructor, and workshop their piece with peers.

This Year's Writers Blocks

In EWI, Students select a major focus area called a Writer’s Block. In each Writer’s Block, students read classic and contemporary examples of the genre, craft and hone their writing composition, and prepare to present their piece to an audience of readers and listeners.

• Short and Sweet: Short Story Seminar (includes playwrighting) 
• Well-Versed: Poetry Seminar
• The Real Word: Nonfiction Seminar

For maximum options in summer 2024, this program will be offered in-person at West coast locations, as well as online!

To register for the Emerging Screenwriters Institute, please follow the below steps

• Click "Apply Now" on the top right of this screen.
• Follow the prompts to enter parent and student information on screens 1 and 2.
• On screen 3, select the following options:
• Camp Category: Emerging Writers Institute
• Camp Name: Emerging Writers Institute 10-12
• Camp Session: Select the Session you prefer
• Camp Major: Select a Camp Major: Fiction/Non-Fiction/Poetry
• Price Option: Select Online Camp, Extended Day Camp or Overnight Camp

Price Options for Emerging Writers Institute 10th-12th

Click here for a downloadable information sheet. 

Don’t see a class you want in your time zone? Check other time zones to flexibly fit your needs!

*Poetry and Non-Fiction courses may run 11am to 5pm EST and 8-4pm PST in order to merge Pacific and Eastern time zone students.

*Schedule subject to change - Final schedule posted in Google Classroom the Wednesday prior to the start of class.

Education Unlimited believes in small-group, immersive learning with subject matter experts and experienced teachers. We strive to provide industry-leading instruction to all of our students and hold all staff to the highest possible standards. Staff assignments vary by program and location. Some of our recent staff members for this program include:

Elizabeth Bull, MFA - Camp Director

Elizabeth Bull is a writer and filmmaker. Her writing has been published in various journals, including the Los Angeles Review of Books, H.O.W. Journal, Third Coast Magazine, and Gulf Coast; her work has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes.  Her involvement in television and film began at AMC Networks, where she worked in original series development during the creation of “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad.” In addition to writing and directing several short films, she co-wrote the feature film “Song of Sway Lake,” released in the fall of 2017. Elizabeth has also co-produced two feature films and a television series for Fuse.

Elizabeth received her Bachelor’s degree from the School of Theater, Film, and Television at the University of California Los Angeles. She also holds a Master in Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing (Fiction) from The New School in New York City.  In addition, she has studied directing at the Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design, and Technology in Dublin, Ireland on a Rotary International Fellowship.  She has taught writing at the University of Zadar in Croatia on a Fulbright Fellowship.  Elizabeth has been with Education Unlimited since 2010.

Ploy Pirapokin, MFA - Instructor

Ploy Pirapokin is a writer and instructor currently teaching Nonfiction for the Creative Nonfiction Foundation.  She is also an adjunct instructor for the University of Los Angeles Extension program and does freelance training for The Writer, a global brand language agency.  Ploy has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and English from the University of San Diego.  During her time at SFSU, Ploy lectured in Creative Writing and also worked as a Creative Writing Admissions Reader for the MFA and MA program.

Ploy’s own work has been featured in Tor.com, Apogee Journal, Entropy Magazine, the Bellingham Review, HYPHEN Magazine and more.  She has received multiple Pushcart Prize nominations for her work. She is a Writing by Writers Workshop at Tomales Bay fellow, a Community of Writers at Squaw Valley scholar, and was a Visiting Writer at the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center.  She has been the recipient of grants and fellowships from the San Francisco Arts Commission, the Ragdale Foundation, the Anderson Center, the Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, Kundiman and others.

Brett Shanley, MFA - Instructor

Brett Shanley is a writer and English lecturer currently pursuing a PhD at Columbia University in New York City.  Prior to his doctoral work, Brett received his Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing - Nonfiction from The New School in NYC.  In addition to his dissertation research, which looks at methods of promoting sincere engagement between undergraduate writers and the work that they produce, Brett lectures in advanced writing at Pace University.  Brett has been teaching in the classroom and at academic camps since 2012, and it was these experiences that inspired his dissertation topic. He has been an instructor with Education Unlimited since 2014, teaching both creative and academic writing.

In addition to his advanced degrees, Brett also has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and German from University of Oregon.  In the rare moments that Brett is not working on his research or teaching, his favorite thing to do is enjoy time in New York City’s famed Central Park with his fiance and their dog Huxley.

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Creative Writing Academy

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Transform your dreams, ideas, and stories into organized, compelling, creative written works with dynamic lectures in craft topics, workshop sessions with graduate student instructors, and insightful, productive feedback from your peers. This combination of instructional approaches will help you generate and polish a wealth of new poems, stories, and essays, and allow you to experiment with innovative forms in the field of creative writing. The Academy will also focus on the publishing and professionalization aspects of the industry, exploring what markets are available for your writing, what jobs are available to creative writers, funding opportunities for your work, undergraduate and graduate programs in writing, and how to get published. Topics for discussion will include literary form and targeted craft points, often in relation to social, political, and environmental themes. In addition, this week-long program will feature excursions to sites around Washington, D.C., including an exercise in ekphrastic writing at the National Gallery of Art and the chance to read your work aloud at Busboys and Poets, a famous D.C. literary hub.

Estimated Tuition:

Price includes tuition, housing, and meals. Commuter Student tuition is $2,625.

How You'll Benefit

• Participate in writing workshops
• Awaken your powers of observation, imagination, and description
• Learn concrete elements of the craft of writing in daily workshops
• Attend readings from published authors, who will lead interactive classes and conduct group discussions
• Work with Georgetown's expert creative writing faculty to bring out your most creative ideas
• Read excerpts from award-winning works and use them to develop your own original works
• Visit local monuments, world-renowned theaters, museums, and literary organizations
• Take part in peer critiques and learn how to revise and refine your writing

Program Format & Subject Areas

As a student in the Creative Writing Academy, you'll spend your day immersed in a blend of classroom lectures, field trips, hands-on activities, and group discussions. Throughout the week, you'll have the opportunity to explore the following subject areas:

• Personal prose
• Literary history
• Technique (story structure, character development, theme, description, dialogue)
• Finding good ideas and turning them into polished pieces
• Using great literature and art for inspiration

All in all, I fell in love with the program. I got to meet so many amazing people not only from the D.C. area but all around the country.

Having the chance to experience once in a lifetime opportunities and getting to meet people from around the world made it so I got to really experience what college life was like.

My #SummerHoya experience was enriching, inspiring, and rewarding; if I could turn back the clock, I’d do it all over again.

It was amazing to be surrounded by such high caliber students and staff who were all encouraging and fabulous to work with. I took away many positive things from my week as a Summer Hoya.

As I am filling out my college applications, I am able to think back to my memories from the summer and I am reassured that I am pursuing the right educational path.

The program offers so much–from the off-site visits to the daily lectures and the on campus activities. The lectures were interesting, meeting new people was great and the off-site visits were interactive and intriguing.

Want to learn more?

Request information to find out the latest on the Summer Programs for High School Students.

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• Summer 2024

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Iowa Young Writers' Studio

Creative writing programming for high school students

2-week Summer Residential Program and 6-week Online Courses

2-Week Summer Residential Program

At the Summer Residential Program, you will choose a single core course—Poetry, Fiction, Creative Writing, Playwriting, or TV writing—as your focus for the two weeks of the program.

6-week Online Courses

We offer asynchronous 6-week online creative writing courses for high school students every winter and summer.   You can study creative writing with us your own schedule, from anywhere in the world!

Teachers and Counselors

Teachers and counselors at the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio are chosen, with rare exceptions, from among the students and graduates of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa.

Experience the Iowa Young Writers' Studio

Watch this short video for an inside look at the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio experience.

IYWS Alum Joe Fassler To Publish Debut Novel, THE SKY WAS OURS

IYWS counselor and teacher Melissa Mogollon to publish debut novel, "Oye."

Crafting Engaging Narratives with Suzette Sheft: A Free Summer Online Workshop For Jr. High Students!

IYWS ’19 Student Alora Young Publishes Memoir in Verse

IYWS ’22 Student Publishes YA Book About Her Grandmother’s Holocaust Experience

IYWS ’11 Student Alina Grabowski To Publish Debut Novel

NOTICE: The University of Iowa Center for Advancement is an operational name for the State University of Iowa Foundation, an independent, Iowa nonprofit corporation organized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, publicly supported charitable entity working to advance the University of Iowa. Please review its full disclosure statement.

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Creative Writing Camp 2024

Badgerdog creative writing camps.

Badgerdog Creative Writing Summer Camps allow students (3rd-12th grade) to immerse themselves in a creative and imaginative writing experience. Badgerdog workshops are led by professional writers and explore the arts of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Learn more by clicking here or scrolling down to visit our FAQ. Scholarships are available based on demonstrated financial need. Please fill out this Google Form to be considered for a scholarship.

Registration is open.

Please find our full schedule of Spring Break and Summer camps below. To register your child, click on your desired workshop to be taken to our enrollment management system.

 Spring Break Camp 2024 Schedule

Spring break: march 11-15 .

Please register your students for the grade they are currently in this school year.

Spring Break camps will run 9am-12noon. Classes are limited to 15 students each.

Spring Break at Griffin School

Lower Elementary School (3rd + 4th)

Upper Elementary School (5th + 6th)

Middle School (7th + 8th grade)

High School (9th-12th grade)

 Summer Camp 2024 Schedule

Session a: june 3-june 21 .

Please register your student for the grade they will enter in the fall.

All camps will run 9am-12noon. Classes are limited to 15 students each.

Session A at Meridian School

Lower Elementary School (3rd + 4th) (June 3-21)

Upper Elementary School (5th + 6th) (June 3-21)

Middle School (7th + 8th) (June 3-21)

High School (9th-12th) (June 3-21)

Session A at Griffin School

Writing Your Own Mythology for Upper Elementary School (5th + 6th) (June 3-7)

Writing Dystopian Stories for Middle School (7th + 8th) (June 3-7)

Middle School (7th + 8th) (June 10-21)

Writing Your Novel for High School (9th-12th) (June 10-21)

Session at Ann Richards School

Note: This location will run Mondays-Thursdays. Ann Richards School will be closed on Fridays, and is off for Juneteenth, June 19th.

Lower Elementary School (3rd + 4th) (June 3-20)

Upper Elementary School (5th + 6th) (June 3-20)

Middle School (7th + 8th) (June 3-20)

Session B: June 10-21 

Please register your student for the grade they will begin in the fall.

Austin International School

Lower Elementary School (3rd + 4th) (June 10-21)

Upper Elementary School (5th + 6th) (June 10-21)

High School (9th-12th) (June 10-21)

Session C: July 8-26 

Please register your student for the grade they are entering in the fall.

Trinity Episcopal School

Lower Elementary School (3rd + 4th) (July 8-26)

Upper Elementary School (5th + 6th) (July 8-26)

Book Crush for Middle School (7th + 8th) (July 8-26) featuring Celia C. Perez's Tumble

Griffin School

Tricksters, Anti-Heroes, and Villains Workshop for Middle School (7th + 8th) (July 8-12)

Screenwriting for High School (9th-12th) (July 8-12)

Middle School (7th + 8th) (July 15-26)

Book Crush for High School (9th-12th) (July 15-26) featuring Texas author Jason June's The Spells We Cast

Middle School (7th + 8th) (July 8-26)

High School (9th-12th) (July 8-26)

What is Badgerdog Creative Writing Camp?

For more than 10 years, Badgerdog's Creative Writing Summer Camp has given Austin youth a space to fall in love with writing, discover authentic self-expression, learn from a professional writer, and publish original work.

Each spring break and summer, Badgerdog hosts writing workshops for rising 3rd- through 12th-graders. These fun and challenging workshops allow students to work closely with a professional writer as they explore the arts of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and playwriting. All campers experience the joy of reading, writing, and sharing their original work.

At the end of the summer, all camp students will have their work published in one of two professionally produced anthologies: "Rise," for elementary-aged writers, and "Emerge," for middle- and high-school writers. In the fall, Badgerdog hosts a Young Authors Reading & Anthology Launch, where selected campers perform their work and celebrate the launch of the anthologies.

All workshops will be capped at 15 students per workshop. Our traditional three-week camps will include fun exercises in poetry, fiction, and revision. We also offer Book Crushes, a camp that features a specific book that campers will read through together, and Genre Workshops, which cover one specific topic in writing.

Badgerdog Summer Camp Workshops are labeled according to the grade that students will be entering in the fall. You will see the following workshops on the registration site:

• Lower Elementary School: campers who will be entering 3rd + 4th grade in the fall
• Upper Elementary School: campers who will be entering 5th + 6th grade in the fall
• Middle School Workshop: campers who will be entering 7th + 8th grade in the fall
• High School Workshop: campers who will be entering 9th - 12th grade in the fall

Parents say Badgerdog helps kids and teens write with greater skill, comfort, and enthusiasm. Campers say Badgerdog helps them find confidence and play in the writing process. Read about camper Anya Van Arnam's evolution as a writer through Badgerdog  here in the Cedar Park High School Paper .

Frequently Asked Questions

At the end of the summer, all three-week summer camp students will have their work published in one of two professionally produced anthologies—Rise, for elementary-aged writers, and Emerge, for middle- and high-school writers. In the fall, Badgerdog hosts a Young Authors Reading & Anthology Launch, where selected campers perform their work and celebrate the launch of the anthologies. All summer camp writers are invited to attend!

Can Any Young Writer Attend? Of course! Both eager and reluctant writers find Badgerdog’s workshops engaging and empowering. Our creative approach to the craft of writing allows hesitant writers to practice an essential skill in a no-fail, supportive environment—while also having fun! For more advanced writers, Badgerdog’s teaching artists provide challenges and offer personalized feedback.

If your child has dyslexia, dysgraphia, ASD we can accommodate your child. We’ve heard from parents of other campers with these challenges that Badgerdog is an ideal place to practice writing and learn new skills. We ensure that campers feel encouraged to continue trying, experimenting, finding their voices. We welcome technology that makes writing easier and more accessible for campers. We want to avoid the use of smart phones or anything that may distract other campers, but otherwise such devices are encouraged. Our registration form will allow you to share information about your child with us so we can provide tailored support, or you can contact our Programs Coordinator to discuss questions or concerns before signing up. Not Just Writing for Writing's Sake

Cost, Discounts, & Refund Policy

The registration fee includes one copy of our student anthology, Rise or Emerge. 

Refund Policy:  Full refunds, minus a $50 processing fee, will be granted for requests made more than 30 days prior to the start of the summer session. A partial refund of two-thirds of the registration cost will be granted for requests made between 7 to 30 days prior to the start of the workshop's session. Refunds are not granted for requests made within 7 days of the start of the workshop. Prorated rates and daily drop-in rates are not available for summer camps.

Early Bird Discount: A 10% discount will be applied to summer camp registration before March 1. Use discount code: earlybird  at checkout.

Sibling & Friend Discounts:  Parents registering more than one camper at the same time for the same grade-level workshop will automatically receive a 5% discount per registration. Parents registering siblings for separate grade-level workshops can enter code  siblings  to receive 5% off. This discount can not be used with other discounts and will be available after the early bird discount expires on March 1.

Scholarships : A limited number of full and partial scholarships are available. Scholarships are open to rising 3rd-12th graders who demonstrate financial need and a commitment to writing. Students need not consider themselves “excellent writers” (or even “good writers”) in order to apply. We are most interested in a student’s willingness to grow as a writer and to become part of a community dedicated to learning together. Due to a high demand, scholarships will be limited to one workshop per applicant. Follow this link to complete a scholarship application form. 

What do Parents and Campers Say About Summer Camp?

• 66% of campers say they like writing more as a result of Badgerdog.
• 71% of campers say they are better writers as a result of Badgerdog.
• When asked how campers felt when writing, 94% used a positive phrase, such as "energized," "alive like a bird," "like I have a workable outlet for all of my ideas," or "like a balloon of happiness has just gotten blown up inside me.

What do campers like most about Badgerdog?

• small, supportive classes
• expressing themselves without being judged
• hearing other classmates share their work

• meeting new friends and fellow authors
• the creative ways "we learned to write"

Here's what we heard from parents:

• 92% of parents say Badgerdog has a positive impact on their children's writing skills.
• 94% say Badgerdog has a positive effect on their children's attitudes toward writing.

We asked parents to identify the most significant positive effect of summer camp:

• "Attending Badgerdog  was the best activity C. participated in this summer. I was so impressed with the high quality of his instructor. The class was well-organized, with engaging, creative activities each day. And she created a safe space for C. to do something he finds pretty terrifying -- explore his own talent. It's a mark of how safe he felt that he actually participated in the end-of-camp reading with very little resistance."
• "Badgerdog drastically reduced writing reluctance, increased writing fluency, and increased interest in sharing writing with others."
• "The green light for self-expression."
• "Having a positive experience with a subject my child doesn't like."
• "It was great seeing and hearing my daughter describe each day of camp -- what she did in class, seeing her so enthusiastic about writing and speaking."
• "Exposure to different forms of writing. My older child was only interested in writing novels before attending camp, and this experience really opened her eyes to other forms."
• "Excitement about being published and having a 'real' author work with my daughter."
• "My daughter is dyslexic and has always been very negative about writing. However, she has had only positive things to say about her experience at camp."

INTERESTED IN CAMP BUT CAN’T ATTEND THIS YEAR? TELL US WHY.

For more information about Badgerdog’s programs, contact Programs Coordinator Katherine Lamb at [email protected].

Read students' poems and stories on our blog, Unbound .

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center for writing | minnesota writing project | youth programs | summer camps

Summer 2024

Youth camps.

Offering time and inspiration, Minnesota Writing Project Young Writers Camps support young writers in a collaborative atmosphere where they can explore writing against the backdrop of the University of Minnesota. Join other young writers to meet new friends and write! In the morning, young writers will participate in activities led by Minnesota Writing Project Fellows and experienced teachers of writing including writing daily around the University campus. In the afternoon, campers will visit cool places around the University such as the Weisman Art Museum, the underground archives library, and the Aerospace building. 

Register now!

Campers explore a variety of genres and work on their own writing throughout the week. Learn new techniques for writing and responding to other’s writing in a fun and supportive environment. Choose from three different options: Writers Workshop, Speaking Out!, and Nature Journaling. Learn more!

Calling all writers! Whether they are a seasoned or reluctant writer, our middle grades camps are fun for everyone. Campers explore a variety of genres and work on their own writing throughout the week. Meet other young writers while working collaboratively or responding to each other’s writing. Choose from three different options: Writers Workshop, Speaking Out!, and Nature Journaling. Learn more!

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About Word Camp

As of 2022, Word Camp has become a program of Cosmic Writers , a creative writing education nonprofit founded by the directors of KWH Word Camp. The program will continue operating in the same way it has since 2020: free, virtual creative writing workshops for kids, offered in a multitude of genres, taught by college student instructors. To learn more, visit https://cosmicwriters.org/word-camp.

Welcome back — it's our second summer of Word Camp! For a week in late June or early July, we invite young writers in grades 3–8 to spend an hour a day in a writing workshop of their choice. Villain-building! Sports writing! Slam poetry! In every workshop, writers will read fun sample pieces, work on projects that they're excited about, and meet other kids who share their interests. No writing experience necessary — just passion.

If you have any questions, please contact Word Camp Director Rowana Miller or Assistant Director Rebekah Donnell .

Word Camp Schedule

Session i: june 21st — june 25th, 2021.

10:00–11:00 ET — Becoming the Bad Guy: Villainous Writing for Middle Schoolers Taught by Sophie Quaglia

Have you ever wanted to get inside the mind of a villain? Or wondered what it would be like to do bad things? In this workshop, we will create our very own villain characters and drop them into various villainous situations. By the end of the course, each writer will choose one specific circumstance they'd like to explore in-depth and write a piece — in any genre! — about their character in that situation.

11:00–12:00 ET — What Do Dogs Think?: Writing from Nonhuman Perspectives for Elementary Schoolers Taught by Rachel Swym

Lots of stories are told by people, but what about all the not-people that have stories? Animals, plants, toys, rocks computers, cities, planets! In this workshop, we'll read stories and write about what nonhumans do, see, don't see, and think about. Each writer will create multiple story ideas and one finished story over the course of the week.

12:00–1:00 ET — Black Panther and Beyond: Afrofuturism for Middle Schoolers Taught by Ashley Codner

"Wakanda Forever!" The famous phrase from Marvel's "Black Panther" franchise points to the enduring impact of the film and its message of Black empowerment. In this workshop, we will think about how and why artists create technological and futuristic worlds, and how those Afrofuturist themes can help us envision our own hopes for the future.

1:00–2:00 ET — Seeing and Being: Visual Poetry for Middle Schoolers Taught by Farah Sayed

It's poetry like you've never seen it before! We'll explore how poetry can take on many different visual forms. We'll also learn how to use font, word patterns, and color to enhance the meaning of a poem.

Session II: June 28th – July 2nd, 2021

10:00–11:00 ET — Play Ball: Sports Writing for Elementary Schoolers Taught by Joey Piatt

From baseball to bowling, sports have the power to create special moments that we can all connect with. We will explore the power of sport through writing in this week-long workshop.

11:00–12:00 ET — Making a Monster, Adopting an Alien, Conquering Existential Anxieties: Science Fiction Writing for Middle Schoolers Taught by Juliette Palermo

Have you ever wanted to create a monster? In this workshop, we'll get to know science fiction classics, link science fiction to real life events and anxieties, and unlock our full creative potential through a mixture of collaborative and independent writing activities.

12:00–1:00 ET — Choose Your Own Adventure: Interactive Fiction Writing for Middle Schoolers Taught by Ian McCormack

In this workshop, we will explore the world of interactive fiction and write our own 'choose your own adventure' short stories! This genre is oft underappreciated, but tremendous fun to both write and read.

1:00–2:00 ET — Improv Slam!: Spoken Word Poetry for Elementary Schoolers Taught by Isabella Schlact

Yes... and?! Combining the fundamentals of poetic writing and improvisational acting, we'll learn how to write and perform spoken word poetry. Each day will consist of improvisational acting games, mini-lessons on elements of spoken word, and exercises for kids to hone their craft.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What's the structure of the workshop week?

A: During the first four days of the week, participants will learn about/read/write/discuss work within the genre, and then on the fifth day, they'll share their pieces. Each instructor also offers optional one-on-one hours every day where kids can come in to get individualized feedback and talk about their writing.

Q: Are parents invited?

A: As much as possible, we'd like this to be a kids-only experience, just like in-person camp. Of course we understand if parents want to verify our legitimacy on the first day of the workshop. After that, though, we encourage parents to step back and prepare to be wowed by what their kids write by the end of the week!

Q: What are the expectations for workshop participants?

A: Come with your Zoom video on and your writing brain prepared!

Q: How big are the classes?

A: Not very big. We want each writer to get lots of individual attention from the instructors, and we also want to maximize opportunities for kids to interact. Our workshops are first come, first serve, so sign up quickly before space fills up!

Q: Can I/my child participate in more than one workshop?

A: Unfortunately, no. We want to give opportunities to as many different kids as possible.

Q: Who's teaching the workshops?

A: Undergraduate students at the University of Pennsylvania! A number of our instructors participate in the Kelly Writers House and broader writing community at Penn, where they've taken and taught writing courses much like these.

Q: Hmm, an hour a day doesn't seem like enough time to write an entire science fiction story/poetry collection/sports narrative.

A: For some kids, it is! For other kids, we know they need more time. Each workshop is structured so that writers can work on their projects as much or as little as they'd like outside of the four hour-long periods. We're flexible :)

Q: What if the writer is in the summer between fifth and sixth grade — do we sign up for the elementary or middle school workshops?

A: Decide based on the year the writer is going into. The elementary school workshops are for writers going into third, fourth, and fifth grades; the middle school workshops are for writers going into sixth, seventh, and eighth grades.

Q: The program times are listed in ET (US Eastern). As long as I/my child can reasonably attend the workshop given our time zone, are the workshops open no matter where we live?

A: Yes! KWH Word Camp welcomes young writers wherever they are.

Q: After the workshop is over, what will I/my child leave with?

A: Writers will come away with a piece that they can share with their friends and family, and treasure forever.

Meet the Word Camp Staff

Rowana Miller, Founder and Director

Rowana Miller (C’22) founded Word Camp as the recipient of the 2020 Kerry Sherin Wright Prize. She works in various areas of writing education: peer tutoring, TAing high school writing classes, and serving as a novel-writing mentor to Philly students, among other roles. Her own writing can be found in the Penn Review, plain china, and Slate Magazine. When not writing or teaching, she can be found building sets for theater productions or making friends with the porch cats of West Philadelphia.

Rebekah Donnell, Assistant Director

Rebekah Donnell (C’24) is an undergraduate majoring in English. She is an enthusiast for all things creative: reading and writing, sketching and painting, & singing and acting. Her relevant experience includes leading arts & crafts for youth at her local library, hosting a Girl Scouts summer camp, and providing child care for elementary students. Hailing from Oklahoma, her current favorite things include Philadelphia architecture, working on costumes for Penn Singers Light Opera Company, and watching Netflix with her recently-adopted kitten, JC.

Ashley Codner, Instructor: Afrofuturism

Ashley Codner (C’21) is a graduating senior at Penn, majoring in English with minors in Consumer Psychology and Jazz & Popular Music Studies. As a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, she has examined the link between Black artistic production and lived experience by studying ways Black authors incorporate musical forms and motifs into their writing, the culmination of which is her senior honors thesis, “Caught In/Between: Expressions of Liminality in Jazz Aesthetic Literature." Upon graduation, Ashley will be pursuing her Ph.D. in English with a concentration in African American Literature at Rutgers University - New Brunswick.

Ian McCormack, Instructor: Interactive Fiction

Ian McCormack (C’21) is an avid reader and writer of all genres. He loves to explore new and interesting methods of writing, hence his class on Interactive Fiction. In these pandemic times, you can find him cooking, reading, playing board games, or doing his trusty Rubik's Cube. This summer, he is hoping to explore some abandoned psychiatric hospitals, as part of research for one of his current writing projects.

Juliette Palermo, Instructor: Science Fiction

Juliette (C’20) is a twenty-three-old graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. During her time in college, Juliette studied English literature and creative writing, and she took several classes in neuroscience. Most recently, Juliette has worked as a full time tutor for creative writing, critical writing, and the verbal portions of the SAT and ACT. Juliette is hoping to land a job as a teaching associate or as an editorial assistant in the near future. She decided to become a Word Camp counsellor because she loves watching her children get excited about a crazy idea they have and bring it to life, and because she believes "Art is at the center of the world."

Joey Piatt, Instructor: Sports Writing

Joey (C’23) is an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania from Lancaster, PA. He is enrolled in the Wharton School of Business, where he is concentrating in Marketing. He also plans to pursue a minor in Creative Writing. He has a lifelong love of both sports and writing, and he is eager to be teaching his first workshop this summer at Word Camp.

Sophie Quaglia, Instructor: Villain-Building

Sophie Quaglia (C’22) is an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania studying English and Spanish. She was born and raised in Philadelphia, and she spent the past year teaching in South Carolina. She is passionate about reading, running, and sharing my enthusiasm for writing with others. She can’t wait to meet everyone!

Farah Sayed, Instructor: Visual Poetry

Farah Sayed (C’23) is an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in psychology and minoring in creative writing and chemistry. As both an artist and a writer, she practices a variety of forms, including memoir, poetry, drawing, and printmaking. Her interests in both the written and visual inspired her to found Equilibria, a student-run publication that explores the collaborative relationship between visual and literary arts. In her free time, you can find her baking Andes mint chip cookies or possibly eating half the batch.

Isabella Schlact, Instructor: Spoken Word

Isabella Schlact (C’23) fell in love with writing in third grade, and one of her favorite genres is spoken word poetry. At Penn, she is studying Psychology, Creative Writing, and Gender Studies, and she is the incoming Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Pennsylvania Punch Bowl satire magazine. She is also a curriculum advisor for The Unscripted Project, a non-profit organization that brings improvisational acting classes to Philadelphia public schools.

Rachel Swym, Instructor: Non-Human Perspectives

Rachel is a junior at the University of Pennsylvania studying Creative Writing, Consumer Psychology, and Environmental Humanities. She cares a lot about books, cartoons, science, people, and the planet. Teens and adults can find some of her writing at https://upennfword.com/category/blog/.

Word Camp is funded by a generous grant established in honor of Kerry Sherin Wright, the first director of the Kelly Writers House. Each year, the Kerry Prize funds a student-proposed KWH program; the 2020 Kerry Prize was awarded to Rowana Miller (C'22) to create Word Camp.

Register and Join us on Zoom

The writers circle.

creative writing workshops & community

Spring Registration is OPEN!

Creative writing workshops for kids, teens, and adults in South Orange, Maplewood, Summit, and Morristown, NJ, plus convenient classes online.

The Ins and Outs of Creating Your Own Audiobook

April 14 with Audivita Studios' David Wolf & Mark Shipman

Book Launch: AKMARAL by Judith Lindbergh

Join TWC's Founder/Director to celebrate her new novel - Thursday, May 9, 2024, 6:30 PM, Millburn Public Library, Millburn, NJ - Free and open to the public!

2024 Summer Creative Writing Intensives

For Teens Who LOVE to WRITE ~ Registration is open ~ Take advantage of our EARLY BIRD PRICING

WordSMASH Creative Writing Mini-Camps

for 3rd to 7th graders - locations in Summit, South Orange, and Morristown, NJ, plus virtual options for kids EVERYWHERE!

Celebrating the Written Word

Spring is almost here, spring registration is open.  creative writing is for everyone, workshops for adults.

Just getting started? Try Where Do I Begin? or our  Beginning Memoir workshop. Have a novel in mind? Try Beginning Your Novel .

Looking for something more specific? We have Writing What’s Real: Creative Nonfiction , Mystery Writers Circle , Humor , Writing Short Stories & Flash Fiction , and Poetry Craft Workshop .

Writing on your own and ready for critique? Try our Adult Writers Circles or Revising Your Manuscript .

There’s lots more to choose from. See our full schedule and  register .

Workshops for kids and teens, kids explore the boundless reaches of their own imaginations and discover that creative writing is fun.

Workshops on Saturdays in South Orange & Summit, NJ, plus Weekdays on Zoom

Story Magic (grades 3-5)

Out of this World (grades 4-6)

Tween Writers Circle (grades 6-8)

Teen Writers Circle (grades 9-12)

Horror & Dark Matters (grades 8-12)

Special Events : NEXT UP!

April 14, 2-4pm, via zoom.

We all dream of having our novels turned into an audiobook read by a famous narrator. But you don’t have to wait for a big publishing deal to make that dream a reality. Join  Audivita  Founder and CEO David Wolf and Mark Shipman, Director of Audiobook Production, to discover how audiobooks are made and how even you, the author, can do it yourself.

Summer Is Just Months Away!

Register now for our teen summer intensives and wordsmash mini-camps for 3rd to 7th graders., for teens who love to write, ~ now in our 12th season ~, week 1: july 15-19   |  week 2: july 22-26   |  week 3: july 29-august 2, ~ join us for one, two, or all three weeks ~.

The Writers Circle is a Scholastic Awards Summer Scholarship Program partner.

WordSMASH 2024 Is Live!

Registration is open for our creative writing mini-camp for grades 3-5 and 6-7 .

Our two-hour per afternoon, week-long program is chock-full of writing games, wacky prompts, and time to sink into a favorite book just to read! Seasoned writers will be challenged by story starters unlike anything they’ve seen in school. Reluctant writers will find TWC’s interactive games and prompts an irresistible invitation to start creating. Our collaborative, energetic environment will lay the foundation for kids to let loose and let the words flow.

We have programs in Morristown, Summit, and South Orange, NJ , plus virtual options for kids writing across town or around the country!

From The Writers Circle Blog

Writing When Life Gets In the Way

by Co-Director Michelle Cameron “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.” – John Lennon Once upon a time, back when I worked for a digital agency, we were asked to explore a list of life events for a corporate client. No…

The Summer of Eras!

by Rebecca Kilroy, former Summer Intensive Program Coordinator, moving on to brand new things It’s the summer of Eras! I’ve lost count of the number of Eras tour t-shirts our students wore to the Intensive. Not a single Wednesday special event passed without at least…

On Journaling

by Christina Kapp, TWC Instructor & Outreach Coordinator I wish I could say that my journal was any less cluttered than my desk, my closet, my attic, but it’s not. I aspire to order in so many things and fail miserably. There are plenty of…

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Camp for Creative Writers

Details for Fine Lines Summer Camp 2022 will be available soon!

Dream! Believe!                                     Imagine!

    Have Fun!                                      Explore! Laugh!      Think!                           Soar!      Share!

Create!   Reflect!                               Discover!

Fine Lines writing summer camp is for students of all ages. Join writers who add clarity and passion to their lives with the written word. Donate today to help further Fine Lines  vision of spreading the written word!

We will have fun with sentences, learn to play while developing poems, stories, essays, and discover creative corners of our minds that we did not know existed. Metaphorically, we will take our journals under “shade trees” and talk together about issues that matter. We will swim around important “buoys” on our educational journeys. We will row boats to “lighthouses” that show us our own paths through the fog. We will take our minds for “jogs” to libraries. We will learn to write more, faster, and better. More than anything, we will create time to dream about our ideas and applaud the power and beauty of words.   

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HippoCamp: Conference for Creative Nonfiction Writers

Founded in 2010, Hippocampus Magazine is an online publication set out to entertain, educate and engage writers and readers of creative nonfiction. HippoCamp: A Conference for Creative Nonfiction Writers is an in-the-flesh extension of that three-fold mission.

HippoCamp, produced by Hippocampus Magazine and Books, is a warm and welcoming conference geared toward creative nonfiction writers of all skill levels and backgrounds, and it offers plenty of opportunities for you to hone your craft, explore publishing options, and find ways to balance your writing and “real” life, as well as chances to meet, learn from, and share with writers like you.

This three-day creative writing conference in PA typically features 40+ notable speakers, engaging sessions in four tracks, interactive panels, readings, social activities, networking opps, and optional, intimate pre-conference workshops. All of this, plus meals and snacks, bundled into a great, comprehensive conference rate. Our host city is Lancaster, Pa., a bustling mid-size metropolis rich in history, arts and culture.

Past keynote and featured speakers at the HippoCamp conference have included Carmen Maria Machado, Nick Flynn, Jacki Lyden, Tobias Wolff, Mary Karr, Abigail Thomas, Beverly Donofrio, Lee Gutkind, Dinty W. Moore, Ashley C. Ford, Marion Winik, and Jane Friedman. We can’t wait to tell you more about our next conference — and perhaps welcome you to Lancaster, Pa., a city rich in history, arts and culture.

Our volunteer-run CNF conference is largely a for-attendee, by-attendee event, which means we’re on the open proposal system. Each year we open a call for session proposals from speakers of all skill-levels and backgrounds. Our programming committee reviews each submission to build out the conference schedule. (Learn more about speaking at HippoCamp – link coming soon.)

UPCOMING HIPPOCAMP CONFERENCE DETAILS

HippoCamp aims to return in 2025… [ see announcement from Jan. 12, 2023 ]. In the meantime, we’ve launched a series of online events for writers, a trio of offerings that include How-To Tuesdays and Stories on Sunday.

PAST CNF CONFERENCES: RECAPS & MORE

Our 2017 conference featured Tobias Wolff as the headlining keynote.

View our past conference websites (each its own standalone site) to get an idea of speakers, sessions, and a typical weekend schedule:

• HippoCamp 2022
• HippoCamp 2021
• HippoCamp 2020 was canceled due the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re sad.
• HippoCamp 2019
• HippoCamp 2018
• HippoCamp 2017
• HippoCamp 2016 [note: this site is currently experiencing server issues]
• HippoCamp 2015

Additionally, our magazine website features a series of HippoCamp preview and recap posts from each year. You can scroll through them from the main Conference blog post category page . (They are listed in order by date.)

HippoCamp: Conference Questions

Each year’s conference has its own standalone website built on our event platform; we’ve used EqualMade  since 2020. And, each year, our call for HippoCamp session proposals is open for a limited time through Submittable. To gather some of this disparate HippoCamp conference-related content into one easy place to find during “non-peak” season, we’ve assembled some evergreen HippoCamp information here that we hope you will find helpful.

As a reminder, this FAQ is meant to provide overarching details; please refer to the most recent call for submissions (during open periods) or to the current year’s conference website for the most up-to-date specifics.

HippoCamp: It may sound silly at first glance, so if you’re new to us, we should explain why we call it HippoCamp: First, our magazine name comes from the seahorse-shaped portion of the brain related to forming memories: the hippocampus. So, then, our conference name is a playful take on our magazine title mixed with that summer-camp feeling you get when spending lots of time learning and bonding with new friends over a short period of time!

Voila! HippoCamp! (And this means we can call our attendees HippoCamp’ers!)

HippoCamp is formatted in the style of a professional development, industry conference more so than that of a typical writing or academic conference. It’s more like a TEDx than an AWP in that it’s focused on solo presenters passionate about a topic rather than panel after panel. Expect to learn a lot and return home with a notebook and brain full of ideas!

A few distinctions:

• Our vocabulary is a bit different than other writing conferences: rather than faculty and classes and students, we have presenters and sessions and attendees.
• We offer many sessions outside the traditional literary world, many of which draw inspiration from business, technology, media, education, and creativity — we expect that attendees will use critical thinking to see how these ideas can translate to their own writing life. In short, everything here is not literally literary.

HippoCamp is funded solely by registration and sponsor-vendors, and the conference operates on a super thin margin. (In other words, this conference isn’t about generating revenue; it’s about generating community and ideas. Any extra funds go toward funding the magazine, such as contributor payments and operating expenses.)

Investing in professional development is a big deal, so you should always make sure the event you’re registering for is the right fit for your goals at this stage in your writing life or project.

For this reason, we want to reiterate that HippoCamp is not a retreat or writing workshop, and it’s main goal is not generative work or to revise a work-in-progress; rather, it’s rooted in sharing information through engaging lecture-style presentations on a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to the craft of writing.

If you are looking to workshop a specific work-in-progress or want to attend an event focused on “doing the writing” HippoCamp is not that — but it can be a great supplement to it! However, if are only planning to go to one writing conference a year, be sure to choose the one the best fits your goals.

Additional Distinctions

We also include these in our call for HippoCamp proposals, but it might be useful to attendees, too:

• We’re not an academic conference, and we’re not a retreat or workshop. Rather, we’re formatted in the style of a professional development conference, modeled after those in the marketing and tech fields.

Yes. HippoCamp offers several full and partial scholarships, including ones sponsored by other attendees. You can find information on the current year’s opportunities on the conference website. In 2022, we offered the following awards:

• Friends of HippoCamp Scholarship – full registration and $200 travel stipend (two awards)
• Writers of Color HippoCamp Scholarship – – full registration and $200 travel stipend (three awards)
• Jean Snow Memorial Scholarship (gifted by Athena Dixon) – for an unpublished writer of color – full registration
• Work Hard Not, Not Smart Neurodiversity Scholarship – for a neurodivergent writer – full registration
• The Memoir Your Way Legacy Scholarship – for a late-blooming memoirist – full registration
• The Brief Encounters Scholarship for Flash Writers – for a flash CNF writer – full registration

Writing conference scholarships may change from year to year; the above information is an example of what was offered in 2022.

HippoCamp is a for-attendee, by-attendee conference. With the exception of keynotes, workshops and a few panels, our conference is built from the proposals YOU submit!

We operate on an open proposal system; our call for proposals typically opens in the early fall and lasts for a few months. Our volunteer programming committee reviews and selects sessions, and we announce the line-up before registration goes on sale.

Conference attendees who are also interested in being part of the speaker line-up are welcome to submit an idea during each year’s call for session proposals.

Selected speakers receive a special presenter rate (about 60% off conference registration).

Please note: We are most interested in speakers who truly want to be part of the entire conference experience and community; if you want to come in only for your 60-minute presentation and then leave, this may not be the right conference for you.

While our specific call for HippoCamp speaker proposals changes a tad each year, we’ll provide an excerpt of our 2022 call to give you an idea of what to expect, should you decide to submit an idea to present at a future HippoCamp conference.

An Abbreviated Version of or 2022 Call for Proposals

• CREATE – craft topics related specifically to CNF, but which may apply to other genres (all levels or advanced)
• SHARE – sessions related to publishing and promotion – getting your work out there
• LIVE – sessions dedicated to living the writer’s life: how to balance writing with family and/or a job, how to make ends meet, etc.
• SPECIAL TOPICS – sessions devoted to either a niche writing area, or bigger-picture topics related to writers today.
• Submission period is [typically each fall and lasts through early winter]
• Sessions are reviewed and selected by the conference programming committee.
• We’ll announce the initial line-up before tickets go on sale in March.
• tentative title
• abstract (100 words; this is what would appear in the attendee-facing conference program)
• short bio (75 words)
• any applicable links or past conference highlights
• suggested skill level
• why you’re a fit for HippoCamp (100 words)
• why your topic is relevant to CNF writers of all backgrounds (100 words)
• Speakers of all backgrounds and levels of experience are welcome – we love giving people a chance to make their professional conference debut! Your passion for and knowledge of your topic is often more important to us than your years of experience or publication credits or professional affiliations. (In fact, we find budding speakers to be more committed to the following bullet!)
• We look for well-prepared, rehearsed speakers who can deliver an informative, inspiring presentation with energy, confidence and poise. We’re not looking for people who “just wing-it.” We love speakers who take speaker preparation seriously and respect our requests/suggestions for maximum audience engagement.
• We love speakers who aren’t afraid to get out from behind the podium and engage with the audience; it’s why we provide lavaliere mics rather than tie you to a podium. Even better when that engagement continues throughout the conference.
• We look for sincere speakers who care about the audience and are here to share knowledge and help writers – not just to add a bullet point on a resume or CV (but that IS a perk, too!)
• We’re also looking for speakers from outside the literary world! Some of our highest-rated or most-Tweetable speakers were from other industries who were able to tie their expertise to the writing world.
• We’re looking for professional, cordial speakers who are committed to their involvement in this conference – this means communicating with us before the conference and helping us plan by providing technical needs, reading/replying to speaker correspondence and providing requested information in a timely manner.
• We love fresh ideas! Topics we haven’t seen before at conferences.
• We love variety! While memoir is a big part of the CNF genre, our offerings should include more types of writing and other publication goals.
• We love practical sessions: presentations that leave attendees with a list of notes and to-dos.
• But not every session has to be a writing lesson per se – we also look for inspirational, this-is-my-story-type or this-is-how-I-did-it presentations. Sessions of the latter nature should still have key takeaways.
• We love sessions that share lots of examples/case studies – seeing the theory in action makes a presentation more memorable
• We’re not typically looking for breakout sessions that rely on writing activities or group work; it’s not manageable given the allotted time and large group. Small prompts and some interaction are OK and, in fact, encouraged and well-received. But our breakout sessions are not intended to be a work-shopping scenario. Keep in mind 80+ people could be in your room.
• We’re not looking for ultra-specific topics, such as exploring the works of one particular writer.
• We’re not looking for sessions led by more than two people.
• We’re not looking for paper presentations. (However, use that paper and research to build an awesome presentation!)
• Presenters MUST be registered attendees of the conference (at your special discounted rate) and must officially register before the conference program goes to print; speakers are responsible for their own travel and lodging.
• Presenters MUST agree to read and respond in a timely manner to speaker communication emails/requests for information to help with day-of logistics/meet deadlines for technology requests, etc. Day-of/last-minute requests will NOT be honored or tolerated; we give speakers more than six months to prepare and think about your presentation needs. We will take past experiences/interactions into consideration when reviewing proposals this year.
• Presenters must agree to have their session photographed for future use and for marketing and archival purposes.
• Presenters are encouraged to share slides and/or presentation materials (if applicable) for use for post-conference promotion; this is not required.
• Should we decide to record sessions, presenters are encouraged to allow us to record (audio) presentation for archival purposes/attendee access.
• Presenters are responsible for bringing their own handouts (if applicable).
• Presenters must respect time limits (no doing so adversely affects their peer presenters); this means you’ll take your presentation preparation seriously and practice.
• There is a maximum of two presenters for break-out sessions and one presenter for flash sessions.
• Presenters must agree to adhere to our conference code of conduct.

The HippoCamp registration covers access to all official conference events and materials, which include:

• Printed conference program
• Attendee arrival guide
• Conference tote bag (often with goodies inside)
• Breakout sessions Saturday and Sunday (choose from 4-5 options in each 60-minute time slot)
• Flash Talks - 4-5 fast-paced, 10-minute talks (all-conference general session)
• Topical panel du jour - (all-conference general session)
• Several meals and snacks (see below)
• Bonus "unofficial" events such as a story slam, morning yoga, and live podcasts
• Online attendee directory
• Content & private conference Facebook group (this is also available to non-registered attendees)

The following meals/snacks are including with your registration:

• Opening reception (heavy appetizers and cash bar; one drink on us w/ a ticket)
• Saturday morning hot breakfast
• Saturday lunch buffet
• Sunday morning hot breakfast
• Sunday morning snack break
• Sunday lunch buffet
• Sunday afternoon refreshment break

HippoCamp is part of Hippocampus Magazine and Books, and it’s an independent, self-funded conference, supported by registration fees and table rentals alone. In full transparency, this conference is not intended/expected to be a revenue-generator; its main goal is to break even: that is, for registrations to cover expenses each year and for any additional fund to support contributor payments and other magazine expenses. Your attendance helps our magazine continue to do what we do.

HippoCamp is held in a professional convention/conference venue, and along with this comes a contractual obligation for AV services and an attendance-based food and beverage minimum, which makes up the bulk of the conference budget.

The short answer is no.

Due to our size and format it would be cost-prohibitive (in an extreme way) for a volunteer-run literary organization like ours to provide accessible live-streaming AND audio/video recordings (and transcriptions) of five concurrent sessions over the course of three days. Equipment aside, the AV staffing needs for that alone (~80 hours) would significantly increase our conference budget, and we simply could not remain at the size (under 300 attendees) and price-point (under $500) while still managing to offer an accessible, smooth online conference experience.

Aside from budget and staffing constraints, HippoCamp grew from the idea of an exclusively online literary magazine offering a way to connect way to connect writers in real life.

We DO plan on hosting a few webinars each year, either on our own or with a partner service/organization, as a way to offer unique, valuable CNF-related programming to a wider audience.

We hope to see you at a future HippoCamp!

Contributor Updates

Contributor Updates: Fall 2023

Contributor & Alumni Updates: Spring 2023

Contributor Updates: Spring 2022

Contributor Updates: January 2022

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Meredith College Young Writers’ Camp

This camp, taught by Meredith College English Department faculty, offers students of all gender identities, ages 10-14, a week of writing, creativity, and fun. 

The week will include:

• creative writing exercises and games
• daily discussions of creative writing topics like characterization, setting, imagery, and dialogue with exercises to enhance our discussions
• time for socialization, recreation, and individual writing
• one-on-one conferences between writers and instructors
• group-wide sharing of and feedback about creative work
• a field trip to the NC Museum of Art to write about visual art
• a reading of the young writers’ work for parents and friends
• The registration fee includes writing materials, a camp t-shirt, daily lunches, and snacks each day.

This year’s session will run June 17-June 21 from 10-3 each day. The registration fee is $375. Students can register using this link .

Email Ashley Hogan ( [email protected] ) with any questions.

More information to come about this year’s High School Writing Workshop! 

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Soviet history: archival resources at Harvard university library and archives

• Judaica archival materials
• Archives of the Soviet Communist Party and Soviet State
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Soviet Judaica Archival Materials

Poster images of refuseniks from the Soviet Union [fragment], Israel Sun, Ltd., Israel, 1986. Judaica Division, Widener Library JPCDISUN24400

[Poalei Zion archive] :[on microfiche]

The Poalei Zion documents, now in the Russian Centre of Conservation and Study of Records for Modern History in Moscow (formerly the Central Party Archive), were acquired from the Archive of Revolution and Foreign Policy, the Kiev Provincial Historical archive, and from the KGB archive in Lubianka (in the 1920s, the NKVD [forerunner of the KGB] had confiscated the documents of Poalei Zion for use as evidence against members of the organization who had been arrested).  The archive includes documents, papers, correspondence, political literature, newspapers, journals, periodicals, serials, sheets of signatures, lottery tickets, postage stamps, receipt books, pamphlets, leaflets, posters, and publications relating to the activities of various Jewish political parties and organizations, and also concerning Jewish emigration to Palestine. Includes the correspondence of prominent leaders of the World Zionist movement (such as Ben Gurion, Ben Zvi, and B. Borokhov), as well as works of creative writing (e.g, poetry by David Hofstein with illustrations by Marc Chagall). Most of the material is in Yiddish, with the rest mostly in Russian and Hebrew, but there are also some texts in German, French, Arabic, Ukranian, and Polish.

<5,039 > microfiches + guides. 758 files in 3 inventories, organized into the following series: I. The Jewish Social-Democratic Labour Party ESDRP (Poalei Zion): inventory 1, files 1-129; II. Correspondence of the Central Committee of the ESDRP with regional organizations: inventory 1, files 130-419; III. Sections of the Central Committee of the ESDRP: inventory 1, files 420-535; IV. Documents on the history of the ESDRP, Periodicals and serials published by the ESDRP: inventory 1, files 536-625; V. The Jewish Communist Party of Poalei Zion (EKP Poalei Zion), the United Jewish Socialist Labour Party, the Jewish Socialist (from 1923, Communist) Union of Working Youth: inventory 2, files 1-30; inventory 3, files 1-103 Arrangement: chronological within geographic region for each record type (letters, documents, etc.)

Finding aids: Printed guide in Russian and English and electronic guide on CD-ROM in Russian and English.

Bund archive in RGASPI, Moscow

Reproduces a collection of documents in various languages (Russian, Yiddish, Hebrew, German, French, Ukrainian, Polish) from the Russian State Archive of Social and Political History (RGASPI) in Moscow. Topics covered include: History of the Jews in Eastern Europe; Antisemitism in tsarist Russia pogroms; Yiddish culture in Russia; Russian revolutionary parties; Jewish labour movement; Jewish political movement; International socialist movement; Socialist International; Free Trade Unions (ICFTU); Socialist parties in Germany, Great Britain, France, and other European countries; Biographies and correspondence of prominent leaders of socialist movements.

2,162 microfiches

United States. Holocaust Memorial Museum [various microfilms]

A collection of copies of archival documents held by former Special (Osobyi) archive in Moscow, in the Russian State Military Archive (RGVA), microfilmed by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Contains documents and files confiscated in the territories occupied by the Red Army in the years immediately following the end of World War II.  

Online guide

John and Carol Garrard collection of Vasiliĭ Semenovich Grossman papers, 1902-2013, (bulk) 1923-1994

Vasiliĭ Semenovich Grossman (1905-1964) was a Soviet writer and journalist. At the outbreak of World War Two he became a war correspondent writing eyewitness accounts of a number of major battles, of the liberation of the Nazi extermination camp at Treblinka, of the conditions of life at the fronts and on the liberated territories. John Gordon Garrard is a professor emeritus of Russian Studies at the University of Arizona; together with his wife Carol E. Garrard he wrote a biography of Vasiliĭ Grossman. The collection primarily contains photocopies of documents from various Russian, German and American archives related to the life and writings of Vasilii Semenovich Grossman and to the Nazi occupation of the Soviet Union and the anti-fascist movement: compositions, correspondence, military and civil records, and maps. The collection also includes compositions by others, correspondence of John and Carol Garrard with friends and relatives of Vasilii Grossman and with repositories and archives, photographs, drawings, maps, and souvenirs.

2.5 linear feet (6 boxes, including 1 pf box and 2 pf folders) Arranged into five series:  I. Compositions;  II. Correspondence;  III. Research files for the "Bones of Berdichev : the life and fate of Vasilii Grossman";  IV. Other material;  V. Additions to collection.

Electronic finding aid

Jewish theater under Stalinism :Moscow State Jewish Theater (GOSET) and Moscow State Jewish Theater School (MGETU)

Documents covering the period 1916-1950 from the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art (RGALI) in Moscow about the Moscow State Jewish Theater and the affiliated Moscow State Jewish Theater School (MGETU). The collection includes the archive of GOSET (RGALI, Fond 2307) and the archive of the Theatrical School of the State Jewish Theater (MGETU) (RGALI, Fond 2308). This collection of archival documents from the RGALI contains material that describes the history of the Soviet culture and Theater, Jewish Theater, Jewish avant-garde art and the Kremlin's policy toward Jewish society and culture from 1919 until the early 1950s. The collection contains correspondence with ministries, state organizations, authors, administration, plays, notes ( with comments of censors) and the personal archives of Alexei Granovskii, Solomon Mikhoels, and other actors and writers. Other materials that can be found in this collection are press reports from Soviet and foreign periodicals about the theater and its tours in Europe, posters, drawings, theater programs and documents about other Jewish theaters. The documents of GOSET were transferred to RGALI in two stages: In 1958 RGALI received the documents from the Central archive of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR and in 1959 from the A.A. Bakhrushin State central theater museum. The museum received the documents from the liquidation commission in 1950. After the closing liquidation of the theater its archive was moved for preservation to the Aleksei Bakhrushin State Theatrical Museum where it was stored (without being catalogued). On the night of January 6-7, 1953 a major fire occurred in the small room where the archives of these discredited theaters were housed. A result of this was not only that the documents suffered considerably, but also that many of them were destroyed. The documentary materials that survived were transferred by order of the Committee for the Arts of the Council of Ministers of the USSR to the collection of the Main Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and in 1959 to the Central Archive of Literature and Art (TsGALI), now know as the Russian Archive of Literature and Art (RGALI): Fond 2307, which contains 541 items in storage (dating from 1919-1949).

86 reels; fond 2307 : 650 files ; fond 2308 : 206 files. Includes index.

Evreĭskie pogromy na Ukraine, 1918-1921 g.g : Dokumenty Kievskoĭ komissii pomoshchi postradavshim ot pogromov = Jewish pogroms in Ukraine, 1918-1921 : documents of Kiev District Commission for relief to victims of pogroms

The collection, filmed at the State Archive of Kiev Oblast, includes over 30,000 pages of correspondence, witness accounts, reports describing commissioners' and committee activities, records of individual investigations, refugee and victim lists and statistics, communications with Western relief organizations and documents pertaining to Jewish emigration out of Ukraine.

Accompanied by guide entitled: Jewish pogroms in Ukraine, 1918-1921 : documents of Kiev District Commission for relief to victims of pogroms. 

Judaica microfilm reel guides : collection 1

Collection of indexes from microfilm collections produced by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, K.G. Saur, and IDC.Includes Bund Archive and Poalei Zion Archive.

The Judaica Digital Image Collection

The Harvard Judaica Collection includes an extensive collection of over 5.5. million digital images documenting Jewish life in Israel and other countries including Russia/Soviet Union.  The images are chiefly digital photographs but there are also digital images of ephemera  and posters related to Jews in Russia/Soviet Union as well as Russian Jews in Israel.

Access by keyword(s): via HOLLIS Images  and   HOLLIS .  Limit your search to: Depository--  Widener Library Judaica Division.

For more information about the Judaica collections at Harvard please contac t the Judaica division of Harvard Library.

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