12 Fall Writing Programs for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 2 hours ago
- 7 min read
Writing programs are a solid option for middle school students to develop skills they don’t always get to focus on in regular classes. Through workshops and projects, you can explore creative writing, essays, poetry, or journalism while building confidence in how you express yourself. These programs also teach practical life skills, such as communication, critical thinking, and collaboration, which are useful regardless of the career you eventually choose.
If you love writing, you’ll probably want to join a program that helps you develop your skills and gives you new ways to explore stories or ideas. To help you decide, we’ve put together a list of 12 fall writing programs for middle school students. These are chosen for their competitiveness, the prestige of the institution, the skills they teach, and the opportunities they offer to connect with peers.
12 Fall Writing Programs for Middle School Students
Location: 826NYC, New York City, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free for students whose families meet their income qualifications (check the website for more details); students who don’t meet these can register for the weekend classes, which have various payment options
Dates: Program starts the week of September 15
Application Deadline: Registrations open even after the program begins, based on availability
Eligibility: Students in grades 2-8; a majority of spaces are kept for current NYC public school students
826NYC runs writing workshops that teach you how to analyze various genres of writing as well as the fundamentals used to build them. You can attend the workshop 2 days a week (typically Tuesdays and Thursdays), where one day is the book club and the other is the workshop. On bookclub days, you’ll explore plot structure, characters, and literary technique. During the workshop, you will learn the building blocks of different genres such as spooky stories, weird fiction, animal poetry, comedy writing, and mysteries. You will learn how to use descriptive language and world-building. Twice a year, student authors publish their work in a bilingual chapbook they can share with friends and family.
Location: Remote
Cost: Varies by the program. Full financial aid is available.
Program dates: 8 weeks in the summer
Application deadline: Varies by the cohort
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is an online mentorship-based research experience tailored for middle school students who want to create an academic project in a field they’re passionate about. You’ll work closely with a mentor (often affiliated with prestigious institutions like MIT, Harvard, or Stanford) who supports you throughout the research and project development process. Throughout the program, you learn to conduct independent investigations, think critically, and complete a final project that reflects your area of interest. The program balances academic challenge with scheduling flexibility, featuring multiple application rounds during the year.
Location: Austin Public Library branches including Howson, Millwood, Spicewood Springs, and Carver in Austin, TX
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: Dates vary by program. Programs typically run in October
Application Deadline: No registration required
Eligibility: Students ages 9 to 12
In the Badgerdog workshops, you’ll attend fun writing sessions led by professional teaching artists focused on genres like poetry, personal essay, or story writing. The teachers read out examples of accomplished writers, and you learn to identify the various tools used by authors to make their writing more effective. Depending on the course, you also get to learn screenwriting and playwriting. The sessions are usually one-time, held atthe Austin Public Library’s branches. Since they are taught by local writers, you get real feedback and ideas for how to improve your writing. Through this program, you can cultivate a passion for writing, express yourself, and improve your language skills. You can also showcase your writing in the workshop readings.
Location: Remote
Cost: Varies, financial aid available
Program dates: 25 hours over 10 weeks (on weekends) during the spring cohort and 25 hours over 2 weeks (on weekdays) during the summer cohort
Application deadline: Varies by the cohort
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-8
The AI Trailblazers program by Veritas AI is a virtual course for middle school students in grades 6 through 8 who want to learn the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Over 25 hours, you’ll study Python programming and explore topics like data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. The program includes live lectures and small-group mentoring sessions with a 5:1 student-to-mentor ratio. You’ll work on a group project with three to five peers, applying what you’ve learned to build real AI models. Past student projects have included classifying music genres and creating algorithms that recommend educational resources based on user input.
Location: Various locations in New York City, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Over 80 students across locations
Dates: Weekly workshops throughout the school year
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Lower, middle, and high school students
Write-to-Recognition is a Writopia Lab program that offers free creative writing workshops for lower, middle, and high schoolers in NYC. You meet weekly in a workshop to write, revise, share, and get feedback from instructors and peers. The program helps you improve your voice, narrative skills, and learn how to revise your own work. Previous W2R students have been selected for Writopia’s off-Broadway plays, won Scholastic awards, and received scholarships for undergraduate studies.
6. Quill.org
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No limit
Dates: Year round
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Students in grades 1 to 12
Through Quill.org’s programs, you can work on your grammar, spelling, and writing through short, fun online activities. You can practice with interactive lessons designed to help you improve your writing for school essays and reports. Aside from writing, there are also reading for evidence and proofreading programs, which can help you develop valuable comprehension and editing skills that contribute to your writing ability! You are assigned prompts, and based on your answers, you can monitor your progress as you go. For imaginative writing, there are story-based activities that help you think about word choice and editing.
Location: Chapter 510 and the Dept. of Make or Believe, Oakland, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: 10 to 12 weeks in the fall. Exact dates not specified
Application Deadline: Check the website for registration dates or join the mailing list for updates
Eligibility: BIPOC writers ages 8 to 18. Priority registration for Black, brown, and queer youth and families
Chapter 510 gives you free writing workshops in Oakland and online focused on creativity and community, especially for Black, Brown, and queer youth. Middle schoolers specifically have a fiction writing class. The workshop is held by experienced teachers. You will learn under an assigned mentor. The course is designed to help you on your journey from writing your first draft to having your work published! The workshops are after school for 10-12 weeks in the fall and spring.
Location: Muse Writers Center, Norfolk, VA
Cost/Stipend: Pay what you can
Dates: October 4 to November 8 on Saturdays
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle school students
The Muse Writers Center organizes this workshop every fall to help middle school students explore the fundamentals of creative writing. You will identify your writing style and voice and write across fiction, poetry, songwriting, screenwriting, and comics. You will be given prompts and writing exercises in class. You’ll get the opportunity to share your work with your peers and receive peer reviews. The program culminates in a reading session for which family and friends are invited. In total, you will attend the workshop for 6 days over 1 month.
Location: Upper West Side, Park Slope, and Tenleytown in New York City, NY, plus virtual
Cost/Stipend: $645. Limited financial aid available
Dates: Varying dates. Programs run from September to December
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8
In the Writopia program, you’ll take part in weekly writing workshops where you can explore writing in various formats. Professional authors guide you through writing prompts, revisions, and group feedback sessions. The program includes multi-genre workshops, as well as genre-specific master class sessions. You’ll also learn how to edit your work, give and receive constructive feedback, and polish pieces for possible publication in Writopia’s anthologies. The program prepares you for Writopia’s Creative Portfolio program. Lastly, the program provides you with one private session where you can focus on essay writing for college admissions, academic essay writing, or a creative genre of your choice.
Location: In person at Summit, NJ or South Orange, NJ, or virtual
Cost/Stipend: $400
Dates: Varies by course. Typically mid September to mid December
Application Deadline: First week of October. Depends on the course
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8
This course is designed for middle school students who want to develop writing as a hobby and improve their skills. You’ll learn to think from a storytelling point of view and put your ideas into writing. The in-person classes take place on Saturdays at two physical locations, whereas the virtual class is on Wednesdays. You will learn the elements of story-writing like plot, character, pacing, point of view, and style. You will also be encouraged to write stories at home and then read them out to your peers. The class is not genre-specific, and students are free to choose their own.
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: $200. Financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 10 students
Dates: September 22 to October 13. Meets once a week
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students ages 11 to 13
This online program by Lighthouse Writers Workshop introduces you to imaginative writing. You will explore all major genres of imaginative writing: fiction, poetry, memoir, and even screenwriting. In this 4-week course, you will learn fundamentals, engage in writing exercises, and apply techniques to make your writing more artistic and imaginative. You’ll be in a small-group setting, so you’ll benefit from personal attention from your mentors.
Location: Interlochen Center for the Arts, Interlochen, MI
Cost/Stipend: Fee not specified. Financial aid available
Dates: Vary by age group and selected program
Application Deadline: Priority deadline is January 15. Additional applications depend on space availability
Eligibility: Varies by program. Open to students in grades 3 to 12
Interlochen Arts Camp offers a range of courses from 1 to 6 weeks long at the Interlochen campus in Michigan. You will participate in programs like playwriting, spoken word, and novel writing. You will learn from Interlochen faculty and guest artists. You could write and perform your own slam poetry, or finish a manuscript with feedback from fellow students and published authors. The camp accepts students from around the world, and you will meet diverse peers. In addition, you will engage in cabin games, traditions, and other outdoor activities. While the program has a fee, 85% of applicants get a full scholarship, making it accessible for everyone.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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