DC High School Writing Camp July 26-30, 2021
Hone your skills as a writer at Day Eight’s writing intensive for high school students, July 26-30, 2021.
Thanks to support from EventsDC and HumanitiesDC, Day Eight is pleased to offer this opportunity for DC area high school students interested in writing, journalism, and/or poetry. Program dates are Monday, July 26 to Friday, July 30, 2021.
Students in the program will:
- Generate story and poem ideas.
- Work in supervised groups of three to practice writing, reporting, editing, and creative writing.
- Produce a story or poem for potential publication.
A maximum of twenty participants will be enrolled. At the end of the program, four participants will be offered paid writing positions with local publications for Fall 2021.
Confirmed faculty include: Peggy McGlone, Washington Post; Holly Smith, Washington Independent Review of Books; Ebone Bell, Tagg Magazine; Jonetta Rose Barras, The DC Line; Chris Kain, The DC Line; John Stoltenberg, DC Metro Theater Arts; Jason Cherkis, Huffington Post; Regie Cabico, Capturing Fire; Shaquetta Nelson, Day Eight, Jeffrey Banks, Day Eight, and Robert Bettmann, Day Eight.
Program Cost:
- Tuition is FREE for DC residents.
- Tuition is $500 for non-DC residents. Merit and need-based scholarships are available.
Registration is open now – view the registration form here.
Daily schedule outline:
9:00-9:30 Morning meeting with the cohort
9:30-10:30 Morning workshop with guest faculty
10:30-10:45 Break
10:45-12:00 Morning work period with the cohort
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-2:15pm Afternoon workshop with guest faculty
2:15-2:30pm Break
2:30-4:00 Afternoon work period with the cohort
What is Day Eight?
We are a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower individuals and communities to participate in the arts through the production, publication, and promotion of creative projects. Among our ongoing initiatives are our DC Arts Journalism Fellowship for early-career writers, DC Poet Project reading series, and annual Arts Journalism Conference.
Who is writing camp for?
Writing camp is for any high schooler with real interest in writing, particularly those interested in journalism or poetry. Anyone between the ages of 14 and 18 or anyone currently enrolled in an accredited high school may attend. Thanks to support from EventsDC, the summer writing camp is free for all DC resident high school students.
How will the camp be conducted?
The camp will occur on zoom and includes twice-a-day faculty workshops, as well as small group and independent work sessions. A maximum of twelve students will be enrolled. Each attendee will be placed into a cohort of three participants for the week, and those cohorts will be accompanied by an assigned staff member who will oversee the group and independent work sessions in the daily schedule. Over the course of the week participants will develop a poem or article for potential publication.
What are the registration requirements?
Each attendee must complete (or have completed by a guardian) two short-answer questions regarding writing interest or experience and what the attendee hopes to gain from attending the institute.
When will applicants be notified of enrollment?
Within seven days of completing a registration application student enrollment will be confirmed with an enrollment offer by email. There is no fee to register; there is a $20 enrollment fee to hold a spot in the camp.
How will applicants be selected?
Applicants will be offered enrollment on a rolling basis with priority given to DC residents.
Are scholarships available?
Attendance is free for DC residents, and scholarships are available based on merit and need for non-DC residents. If you are a non-DC resident interested in or needing a scholarship to attend, please fill out our scholarship application here after submitting your initial institute application.
What is the institute’s format?
The institute will be held online via Zoom. Sessions will not be recorded. Sessions will run Monday through Friday, July 26 to July 30, 2021 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.