The Young Writers' Workshop is a two-week, non-residential summer camp with daily afternoon sessions to help young people develop their creative writing talents.
Sponsorship
The Young Writers' Workshop began as a nonprofit project by the Raleigh Writing Alliance, a group representing area writers and writing instructors. The program is now sponsored by the NC State College of Humanities and Social Sciences and Department of English.
Eligibility
Students who will enter the 4th-8th grades in Fall 2012.
Tuition
$250. Include your check payable to Young Writers' Workshop with your application. Refunds are available, minus $10 for handling, through June 25, 2012. After that date, refunds will be granted only if a replacement applicant is available.
Registration
Please download the registration form and follow the instructions for submitting it.
Deadline
June 9, 2012. Participants will receive a confirmation email with workshop details upon enrollment.
Faculty
Workshop teachers include published Triangle and national writers, as well as faculty from NC State and other area colleges.
Classes
Every summer, the workshop offers instruction in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and playwriting. Each student will select two courses to attend. Students will be placed in at least one of their preferred classes.
NOTE: If you would like to work in the science fiction or fantasy genres, please request "Fiction," and our instructors will accommodate your interests.
Method & Structure
Experienced writers of fiction, poetry, drama and nonfiction encourage participants to explore their own creative writing abilities. Student-to-teacher ratio is low — no more than 12 students per class — so that participants can receive the benefit of the instructor's expertise. Students are not graded but are encouraged, nurtured, and invited to explore their own styles of writing. They will read from their own writings, work in small groups, and receive one-on-one instruction.
YWW students are grouped by age and, if possible, by interests. Each student will take two classes per day, in two different genres. Classes are 65 minutes long with a short snack break in between. Students are supervised at all times.
Field Trip
One afternoon, the students will walk over to NCSU's Gregg Museum of Art & Design.
Publication
Participants will submit their original works for inclusion in the YWW Literary Anthology. A contest will be held to determine the name of each year's edition. In 2011, the anthology was titled Paper Armor and included not only creative writing, but original artwork as well.
Celebration
On the final day of the workshop, we will celebrate the students' work. Workshop participants will read their own material and then will receive an anthology of work produced by all participants during the workshop. Awards will be given for the anthology title and for the anthology cover art. Parents, families, and friends are invited to attend the celebration.