14 Summer Writing Workshops for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- Jul 28
- 14 min read
If you're interested in creative writing, journalism, poetry, or nonfiction, a summer writing workshop can help you develop your skills beyond what is typically covered in high school classes. These workshops provide opportunities to practice different writing styles, receive detailed feedback, and learn from published authors, college faculty, and experienced instructors. They also encourage you to build confidence as a writer while exploring new genres and refining your voice.
Why should I participate in a summer writing workshop in high school?
Summer writing workshops allow you to improve your writing through structured instruction, regular practice, and personalized feedback. Depending on the workshop, you might draft short stories, poems, essays, scripts, or journalistic pieces; participate in peer critiques; attend craft seminars; meet professional writers; and develop a portfolio of original work. Along the way, you can strengthen your writing, communication, and critical thinking skills while preparing for future academic opportunities, publications, or writing-related careers.
To help with your search, below is a list of 14 summer writing workshops for high school students.
If you’re looking for online summer research programs, check out our blog here.
Key takeaways
These 14 workshops span fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, journalism, speculative fiction, playwriting, screenwriting, and academic research writing, so students with a wide range of writing interests can find a relevant option in person or online.
Several programs are free or low-cost, including Princeton Summer Journalism Program (fully funded for eligible students), Walden Woods Young Writers Workshop ($1,350), and Lumiere Research Scholar Program (full financial aid available), while many others, such as Kenyon Review, Sewanee, and Fir Acres, offer need-based financial aid.
Many programs are highly selective with small cohorts, including Iowa Young Writers' Studio, KWH at UPenn, Alpha Workshop, Reynolds Young Writers Workshop (~48 students), and Sewanee Young Writers Conference (~85 students), making strong writing samples and early applications especially important.
Programs vary in length and format, from one-week intensives, such as Yale Young Writers' Workshop and Walden Woods, to two-week residential experiences, such as Iowa Young Writers' Studio, Kenyon Review, and CSSSA, so students can choose based on their availability and goals.
Many programs have deadlines between February and early March, including Iowa Young Writers' Studio (February 1), Alpha Workshop and Kenyon Review (March 1), Sewanee (March 2), and KWH at UPenn (March 2), so students should prepare writing samples and applications in January at the latest.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students (grades 9–12)
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas. The program pairs high school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here, and check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
Location: University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Cost: $2,500 + $10 application fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: Session One: June 14–27 | Session Two: July 12–25
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Current 10th-12th grade students | A writing sample of approximately 10 pages required
The Iowa Young Writers' Studio Summer Program, hosted by the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, is highly selective and offers two weeks of intensive creative writing instruction. You’ll enroll in a specialized core course, choosing from fields across fiction, playwriting, and poetry. You’ll study under Iowa Writers’ Workshop alumni in a course structure featuring drafting and practice, observation-based writing exercises, group critiques, educational workshops, and technical training. You’ll build exposure to the literary world through readings from professional and award-winning writers, prepare for a professional career through seminars on topics like revision and translation, network with faculty and guest authors, and share your own work at open mics. You’ll also be given free time each day to work on your writing independently. If you’re looking for a more accessible program, whether you’re still strengthening your skills or need a more flexible schedule, a 6-week online program is also available.
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $3,000 | Financial aid offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: July 5–15
Application Deadline: March 2
Eligibility: Rising 11th-12th grade students | Writing sample of 8-10 pages required | Students without access to similar programs are prioritized
The Kelly Writers House (KWH) Summer Workshop is an intensive program designed for high school students interested in creative writing. You’ll start the morning working with the workshop director at a daily personal essay writing workshop, spending the rest of your day in craft sessions and genre-specific workshops on topics across experimental writing, poetry, fiction, and more. These afternoon workshops blend writing practice and education, including group critiques, writing exercises, and personalized faculty mentorship. With a series of guest author visits, you’ll also access a combination of professional guidance, networking experience, and industry exposure. The workshop is also an advantageous opportunity for college prep. You’ll meet with the UPenn Admissions Office to gain insight into the application process, and KWH staff will serve as a continued resource after the workshop ends if you’re interested in attending UPenn. While there is no direct admissions pipeline, KWH does recruit talented writers and advocate on their behalf during the admissions process.
Location: Virtual and Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: Summer: Late June–Early August
Application Deadline: Applications are evaluated in three stages | Students must apply by the Round 1 Deadline for consideration | Initial Deadline/Round 1: November–January | Semifinalist Submissions/Round 2: February–March | Finalist Submissions/Round 3: May
Eligibility: Current full-time high school juniors with an interest in journalism | Minimum GPA of 3.5 | Must have a permanent address in the U.S. and intend to attend college in the U.S | Must be from a limited-income background (see here for additional details on international students/domestic students living abroad and limited-income definitions) | First-generation students are prioritized
The Princeton Summer Journalism Program is a fully funded writing workshop and college preparation program, offering year-long mentorship in addition to an intensive in-person summer program. Beginning in June, you’ll attend regular online workshops and lectures to practice and hone your journalistic writing skills, learn reporting skills from renowned professional journalists, and complete reading assignments to keep up-to-date with recent reporting and current events. Beginning in late July, you’ll receive a free 10-day trip to Princeton, where you’ll stay in student dorms while attending in-person workshops and talks from Princeton journalism faculty and professional journalists. To gain further networking experience, you’ll tour major news organizations, including The New York Times, The Huffington Post, and Bloomberg. You’ll also begin working on covering news stories of your own, ranging from an investigative report to a film review. You’ll also be paired with a college counselor from Princeton’s admissions office who will serve as a long-term mentor throughout the course of your involvement with the program; you’ll receive virtual guidance on preparing your college applications and attend one-on-one advising sessions on campus.
Location: University of Pittsburgh Greensburg, Greensburg, PA
Cost: $1,950 | Financial aid and scholarships offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: July 15–26
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Students aged 14-19 | Speculative fiction short story submission required
If you’re interested in speculative fiction like science fiction, fantasy, horror, or similar genres, the Alpha Workshop for Young Writers is a good opportunity to hone your skills with a small group of peers. With a 2:1 student-to-faculty ratio, you’ll attend highly-personalized workshops focused on generative writing, drafting, and ultimately constructing a high-quality, finished short speculative fiction story. During workshop sessions, you’ll complete writing exercises and participate in group critiques, contributing and receiving constructive feedback to refine your work. You’ll also participate in professional development sessions on writing careers, the publication process, and network and learn from visiting authors. Alpha students have historically achieved strong outcomes, earning awards in prestigious writing competitions and publishing in speculative fiction journals.
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT | Online option offered
Cost: Residential: $3,085 | Commuter: $2,660 | Online: $1,380
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: June 21–26
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors aged 16-18 | Brief writing sample required
The week-long Yale Young Writers’ Workshop hosts rising high school seniors for advanced training and professional exposure to the field of creative writing. You’ll enroll in a specific workshop with a specialized genre and craft focus; for example, you might study poetry from the perspective of agency and communal inspiration, write fiction exploring complex relationships between truth and lies, or consider the dynamics of hope and idealism in fiction. Outside of stylistic and formal study, your workshop experience will feature a combination of discussions, generative writing, readbacks, and critiques. You’ll also attend guest talks by prestigious writers, covering topics such as publication processes and life as a professional author. You’ll receive detailed feedback from Yale writing faculty both in class and at one-on-one guidance sessions. At the end of the program, you’ll attend a final group workshop to collaboratively develop your goals and an action plan for your ongoing work as a writer. For interested juniors or seniors unable to attend in person, an online version of the workshop is also available.
Location: Kenyon College, Gambier, OH
Cost: $2,575 | Financial aid offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: Session One: June 21–July 4 | Session Two: July 12–25
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High school students aged 16-18 | Primarily students entering 11th-12th grade, but talented graduating seniors are occasionally accepted | Rising 11th graders under 16 can apply
The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop provides an interdisciplinary summer experience in creative writing. You’ll work with 12-14 peers to study creative writing across a wide array of genres, with a focus on writing practice. You’ll take on freewriting exercises, generative writing practice in response to open-ended prompts, group critique sessions, and one-on-one conferences with your instructor. You’ll additionally engage with existing literature to strengthen your knowledge of literature and poetry, which you’ll discuss in group seminars. You’ll have the choice of joining one of the year’s specialized workshop sessions, tailored to a specialized genre or craft. In these sessions, you’ll get to collaborate with a new instructor and group of students. If you’re unable to make these dates or are looking to extend your involvement with the program, online workshops are available during the summer and winter.
Location: Denison University, Granville, OH
Cost: $1,700 | Financial aid offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective | ~48 students admitted
Dates: June 19–28
Application Deadline: March 3
Eligibility: Rising 11th-12th grade students. Portfolio/writing sample of up to 10 pages required.
The Reynold Young Writers Workshop hosts rising 11th and 12th-graders for a selective 10-day opportunity to intensively study and practice creative writing. You’ll be placed in a group of 12 attendees, led by award-winning writers, to pursue a multi-genre curriculum covering poetry, fiction, and nonfiction writing. You’ll complete daily writing exercises, explore technical skills in craft and form, study foundational literary texts in each genre covered, participate in group critiques, and develop new pieces, with time set aside for you to independently work on your drafts. Outside of coursework, you’ll meet guest authors through interactive writing sessions, lectures, and networking opportunities. You’ll also build strong connections with Denison’s creative writing professors through one-on-one mentorship and faculty readings.
Location: The University of the South, Sewanee, TN
Cost: $2,600 | Financial aid offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective | ~85 students admitted
Dates: June 28–July 11
Application Deadline: March 2
Eligibility: Current 9th-11th grade students. Portfolio of 8-10 pages or 5-7 poems required.
Sewanee Young Writers Conference is a prestigious in-person creative writing workshop for high school students, offering small-group education and training under the guidance of award-winning authors and writing professors. You’ll join a 12-person workshop cohort in your preferred genre: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, or playwriting. The cohort focuses on writing exercises, drafting practice, group readings and critiques, and more. Due to the small class size, the workshop emphasizes faculty guidance, allowing students to meet regularly with their instructors in one-on-one meetings. There, you’ll gain in-depth personalized feedback, with opportunities for mentorship on skill development and planning for your future. Other activities include discussions and events with guest authors, tours of the Sewanee Review offices, and mini-courses on topics such as zines or sonnets.
Location: Juniper Institute for Young Writers, UMass Amherst, Amherst, MA
Cost/Stipend: Residential: $5,200 | Commuter: $2,330
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective | 24 students (Session One) and 48 students (Session Two) are accepted
Dates: Session One: July 12–25 | Session 2: July 26–August 8
Application Deadline: March 16
Eligibility: Rising 10th-12th-grade students and graduating seniors | Writing sample required
The Juniper Institute for Young Writers is a two-week creative writing program focused on deep genre and stylistic specialization. You’ll join Writing Labs, which vary each year and are tailored to different thematic approaches and concepts in writing; options have included Dreams and Inner Worlds, Self-Obliteration, and The Art of Invention. The workshop emphasizes rigorous practice, so you’ll participate in a daily cohort-wide write-in, where you’ll write a short piece inspired by a broad prompt and refine your piece through collaborative feedback sessions. To strengthen your knowledge of form and technique, you’ll take on elective Craft Sessions addressing topics from writing about dreams to creative interpretations of time. Other features you’ll access include presentation opportunities at Participant Readings, guest and faculty lectures at Writer’s Life Talks, networking with professional authors and writing faculty, and personalized guidance on areas from individualized feedback to exploring writing careers to engaging with the publishing industry.
Location: The 92nd Street Y, New York, NY
Cost: Two-week: $2,250 | Stand-alone one-week: $1,125 | Early Bird tuition for students who are admitted and enroll by the end of March is $2,050 (two-week) and $1,025 (one-week) | Scholarships are offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Two-week: July 13–24 | Stand-alone one-week: July 27–31
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions ending June 26
Eligibility: High school students aged 15-18 | Writing sample required
92NY’s Young Writers Workshop is a New York City-based summer writing workshop for high schoolers looking for opportunities to specialize and to receive rigorous feedback on their writing. You’ll enroll in a genre-focused workshop from a set of options, including journalism and cultural criticism, poetry, narrative nonfiction, fiction, and more. Your workshop experience will be centered on your small-group cohort. You’ll focus on exploring and applying the form and craft driving your chosen genre, completing increasingly complex daily writing exercises. You and your fellow students will share your work with your cohort, followed by a critique session from your peers and instructor, which you’ll use to refine your piece. Outside of writing, you’ll additionally meet with professional guest authors to gain creative guidance, career advice, and networking experience. You may participate in either a one- or two-week format.
Location: Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR
Cost: $3,900 | Financial aid offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective | 60 students accepted
Dates: June 21–July 4
Application Deadline: March 6
Eligibility: Rising 10th-12th-grade students | Writing sample of (max 5 pages) required
Lewis & Clark College’s Fir Acres Writing Workshop is a summer creative writing program for high school students with an interest in fiction and poetry. You’ll take on a curriculum that merges literary study, writing exercises, and the development of fully-fledged creative works. You’ll complete short daily generative writing assignments, drawing from a daily topic, theme, or inspiration to construct a short reflective journal entry, short story, poem, or other written piece. The first week focuses on a survey of creative writing genres, after which you’ll join a specialized small-group elective to hone in on a unique area of creative writing, such as speculative fiction, love, or nature and the outdoors. Each summer, at least three award-winning authors will join the workshop to give talks, meet with students, and provide guidance on careers and higher education in creative writing. If you attend Lewis & Clark for college, you’ll be automatically eligible for a scholarship of at least $20,000.
Location: Concord Academy, Concord, MA
Cost: $1,350 | Financial aid offered
Dates: June 22–26
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions beginning January 15 | Financial aid deadline: April 15
Eligibility: Rising 9th–12th graders and graduating seniors
Concord Academy’s Walden Woods Young Writers Workshop is an intensive week-long summer opportunity for high school students to expand their writing skills under expert guidance. You’ll choose from an array of small-group workshops tailored to a variety of genres, including prose, poetry, creative non-fiction, screenwriting, and podcasting. You’ll be taught by college writing professors and award-winning novelists, poets, screenwriters, and more. In your workshop, you’ll learn core skills in structure, form, and craft for your genre, honing your abilities through an emphasis on writing practice and group critique. At the end of the workshop, you’ll share your work at cohort-wide readings and receive one-on-one guidance and feedback on your manuscripts from faculty writers.
Location: California State Summer School for the Arts, Sacramento, CA
Cost: In-State: $5,174; financial aid offered | Out-of-state/International: $10,475; no financial aid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~70 students | Acceptance rate for CSSSA programs overall is 40% | Writing is a smaller, and therefore more selective program
Dates: July 6–August 1
Application Deadline: February 28
Eligibility: Current 8th-12th grade students | Primarily California students are admitted, but out-of-state students are eligible
The California State Summer School for the Arts is a government-sponsored writing workshop for high school students, focusing on developing multi-genre skills among aspiring high school writers. You’ll take a combination of four week-long Core Classes spanning prose fiction, memoir, dramatic writing, and poetry under specialized faculty and authors in each genre. To promote opportunities for specialization, you’ll supplement the foundational courses by choosing a Focus Class that targets a specific writing approach or genre, such as speculative fiction, screenwriting, or memoir. Each week, you’ll attend a program Colloquium to share your work with peers while your instructor provides updates on your writing exercises and program discoveries. You’ll access networking and professional development opportunities through a series of guest visits ranging from authors to editors to literary agents, who will provide career advice and creative guidance. At the end of the workshop experience, you’ll be published in the annual CSSSA Writing Anthology.
Frequently asked questions
What summer writing workshops are available for high school students?
Options include fiction and poetry residential programs, such as Iowa Young Writers' Studio, Kenyon Review, Sewanee, and Reynolds Young Writers Workshop, journalism programs, such as Princeton Summer Journalism Program, speculative fiction programs, such as Alpha Workshop, multi-genre programs, such as CSSSA, Juniper Institute, and 92NY, screenwriting and podcasting programs, such as Walden Woods, personal essay programs, such as KWH at UPenn and Yale Young Writers' Workshop, and academic research writing, such as Lumiere Research Scholar Program.
Are there free summer writing workshops for high school students?
Yes, the Princeton Summer Journalism Program is fully funded for eligible students from limited-income backgrounds and prioritizes first-generation students. Lumiere Research Scholar Program offers full financial aid for qualifying students, and several other programs, such as Kenyon Review, Sewanee, Alpha Workshop, and Fir Acres, provide need-based financial aid.
Which writing workshops are best for students interested in journalism?
The Princeton Summer Journalism Program is the most focused journalism option, providing mentorship from professional journalists, campus visits to major news organizations, and a college counselor from Princeton's admissions office. The 92NY Young Writers Workshop also offers a journalism and cultural criticism track for students interested in that direction.
Do any summer writing workshops lead to publication?
Yes, CSSSA publishes all participants in the annual Writing Anthology, the Princeton Summer Journalism Program has students write and cover news stories, and Alpha Workshop alumni have published work in speculative fiction journals. Princeton Legal Journal and AFSA Essay Contest (listed in other Lumiere content) also offer publication for top essay contest entries.
When should I apply to summer writing workshops for high school students?
Iowa Young Writers' Studio closes February 1, and several programs close in early March, including Alpha Workshop and Kenyon Review (March 1), KWH at UPenn and Sewanee (March 2), and Reynolds Young Writers Workshop (March 3). Yale Young Writers' Workshop closes April 1, and Juniper Institute closes March 16. Students should prepare writing samples and applications in January to meet the earliest deadlines.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics. 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.