Free Writing Workshops for Youth

Posted by on June 29, 2009

Writing opportunities for youth!

Summer 2009 Workshop Schedule
Enroll your student in exciting, thought-provoking, and challenging writing workshops led by established and emerging Philadelphia writers!

July 5-July 24
August 2-August 21

Workshops run once or twice a week at 1501 Christian Street, Philadelphia, and are available for middle, and high school students.

AGES 10-12
Talking to Strangers
Nathan Comp and Ryan Miller
Fridays, 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., July and August
Help us produce our own community newspaper! We’ll start by interviewing local leaders, volunteers, and small business owners. Then, we’ll write editorials and features, take pictures, and even learn about layout.

Beyond the Ordinary
Matt Young and Ben Segal
Wednesdays, 12:30 to 2:00 p.m., July and August
This workshop encourages us to explore worlds beyond everyday language. Using photography, fun word games, examples from literature, and our wildest imaginations, we’ll discover the excitement in the ordinary.

Philly Guys: Lifting Heavy Words
Mike Clark and Steve Clark
Thursdays, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., July and August
Guys: Do you have something to say that you know the world needs to hear? Or maybe you have something to say, but you just don’t know what it is yet. Join writing instructors Mike and Steve Clark to help you find your voice and make the world listen to you!

Girl Power Poetry
Jamie Hunter (with Sheena Anthony)
Sundays 12:30 to 2:00 p.m., July and August
We will read poetry by prominent female African American, Latino, and Hispanic writers (and some others!) and write poems of our own. The workshop will culminate in the production of a collaborative chapbook of student work.

AGES 13-15
Liar’s Lit
Marc Jones
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to noon, July only
Fiction is a liar’s art form: writers of fiction are encouraged to create, imagine, and even lie! We’ll compose flash fiction pieces using what we do know, and making up the rest! Our final pieces will be polished to shimmering gems that look something like truth.

Write the Future
Melissa Donner (with Christine Neulieb)
Tuesdays, 10:00a.m-12:00 p.m., August only
Focus on science fiction and fantasy writing, creating your very own fictional universe in the Write the Future workshop. You’ll participate in a variety of activities that will help you to visualize, imagine, and construct a whole new world.

Neighborhood Nonfiction
Eric Karlan
Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. to noon, July and August
Newspapers might be dying, but journalism can still tell a good story. We’re surrounded by amazing stories every day! From the ice cream man to the basketball court, learn how to research, report, and write a story about your neighborhood.

Get Mysterious!
Anthony Bruno
Mondays, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., July and August
Edgar Allan Poe invented the mystery genre right here in Philadelphia over 150 years ago.  Learn how to write your own mystery story with mystery thriller/crime writer Anthony Bruno. Come to the first class with a few ideas!

AGES 16-18
Poems, Rhymes, and the Sublime
Diane Coffey
Tuesdays, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., July and August
In class writing will explore the use of language and words from a variety of poetry styles ranging from classical to hip-hop. We’ll collaborate on a poetry book project and learn what it takes to keep up a daily poetry journal.

A Thousand Words
Charlene Kwon (with Bob Killion)
Wednesdays, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., July and August
Do you love making collages? Are you working on your first graphic novel? Pictures can be more than an accessory to good writing. We’ll explore the intersection of images and text and create a book of our own!

Write Change!
Naomi Leapheart
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., July and August
Our voices, as urban young people, matter! Our opinions are important. We will write editorials about social issues that affect us and submit op-ed articles to magazines, websites, and other forums where our voices will be heard.

I, the Storyteller
Christine Neulieb (with Melissa Donner)
Mondays, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., July and August
Walk a mile in someone’s shoes. You think that is crazy? Try looking at a story through someone else’s eyes. Together, we’ll learn what it’s like to be someone else for a day – or at least, for a story.

Yes! I want to attend a free writing workshop at Mighty Writers!

Workshop Title:
Student’s Name:
Studen’ts Phone #:
Home Address:
Last School Attended:
Last Grade Completed:

Adult Contact:
Adult Phone #:
Relationship to Student:
Adult Email Address:

To enroll, please copy into an email, fill out, and send to Rachel Loeper, Program Director @ Mighty Writers at [email protected]. You can also send via mail to to 1501 Christian Street, 1st Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19146. Questions? Please call (267) 239-0899.