Emerging Writers Institute 10th-12th
The Emerging Writers Institute™ creative writing camp is a summer writing program for teens. Rising 10th-12th graders experience a unique curriculum designed to develop and support students’ imaginative writing across literary genres. Immersive workshops in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry encourage students to challenge themselves technically and artistically as they discover their own literary voices. Through our intensive MFA-style workshops and engaging literary outings, EWI offers a rigorous and challenging writing experience for students. Supported by the guidance of experienced authors and instructors, young writers hone their craft in a collaborative environment. Students will learn through guided daily writing workshops, one-on-one instructor evaluations, group editing sessions, and creative presentations of their work. Our unique program lets young writers from around the world form and sustain literary friendships that can last a lifetime. The program culminates in students presenting their work and having it published in our literary anthology.
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Note: In order to attend the EWI, students must demonstrate their potential as writers by submitting a creative writing sample in any of the four major areas of focus. This program assumes that its students possess a significant understanding of the English language and are prepared to employ this familiarity in inspired and inventive ways. Students should be writing at or above grade level and be eager to continue to hone their literary skills and voice.
Education Unlimited offers both in-person and online options of its popular Emerging Writers Curriculum.
ONLINE: Online Emerging Writers 10-12 attendees may choose between three majors: fiction, non-Fiction, and poetry. Students may repeat the course up to three times during the summer doing each of the three majors once. The online courses are each one week in length. To learn more about the online version of this program,click here.
In-Person: In-person Emerging Writers 10-12 courses are each two weeks in length and will be held at UC Berkeley, Stanford, and UCLA in Summer 2024. During the course, students will explore all three majors (fiction, non-fiction, and poetry), but will select one major to focus on. They will complete their final capstone work in this area. Please read below to find out more about our on-campus Emerging Writers program.
Emerging Writers Institute creative writing camp is a two-week summer writing program for teens. Rising 10th-12th graders experience a unique curriculum designed to develop and support students’ imaginative writing across literary genres. This creative writing summer program encourages students to challenge themselves technically and artistically through guided daily writing workshops, one-on-one instructor evaluations, group editing sessions, and creative presentations of their work. Similar to our program for younger writers, students are challenged through small group seminars. In these seminars, and at daily writing workshops, students investigate the fundamentals of storytelling and discover how to read like writers. Writers will also read and experiment with new sub-genres in a safe, exploratory environment. Scheduled writing time and one-on-one instructor evaluations help students develop good writing habits that will serve them year-round. By the end of the two-week , students will share polished pieces for publication in our literary anthology. Copies of the anthology will be mailed to families at the end of the summer.
What makes our summer creative writing programs so distinctive?
With a curricular emphasis on expressive writing as a process rather than in rules or formulas - students will discover and refine their own voices
The inclusion of critical reading exercises as an essential tool for growth
Seminars to ready students' work for professional submission to youth publications, such as The Claremont Review, The Writer's Slate, Stone Soup, and Teen Ink
Specific Skill Development
This creative writing summer program encourages students to challenge themselves technically and artistically through guided daily writing workshops, one-on-one instructor evaluations, group editing sessions, and creative presentations of their work. Emphasis is placed on expressive writing as a process rather than in rules or formulas. Instructors consistently encourage students to discover and refine their own unique voices. We know that successful writers are also critical and voracious readers; as a result, the inclusion of reading exercises and analysis are woven into the program as an essential tool for growth.
Curriculum & Environment
Students have three blocks in the day. The first block is called Read Like a Writer; Write Like a Reader. They build skills, do generative writing exercises, read mentor texts, and practice with different types of voices and styles. The second block is called Genre Exploration where students learn about, read and try out the writing of different sub-genres, such as Science Fiction and Thriller. Finally, each day ends with Writers Block, where students work on their capstone piece, have one on one conferences with their instructor, and workshop their piece with peers.
This Year's Writers Blocks
In EWI, Students select a major focus area called a Writer’s Block. In each Writer’s Block, students read classic and contemporary examples of the genre, craft and hone their writing composition, and prepare to present their piece to an audience of readers and listeners.
- Short and Sweet: Short Story Seminar (includes playwrighting)
- Well-Versed: Poetry Seminar
- The Real Word: Nonfiction Seminar
- Short and Sweet: Short Story Seminar (includes playwrighting)
For maximum options in summer 2025, this program will be offered in-person at West coast locations, as well as online!
To register for the Emerging Screenwriters Institute, please follow the below steps
- Click "Apply Now" on the top right of this screen.
- Follow the prompts to enter parent and student information on screens 1 and 2.
- On screen 3, select the following options:
- Camp Category: Emerging Writers Institute
- Camp Name: Emerging Writers Institute 10-12
- Camp Session: Select the Session you prefer
- Camp Major: Select a Camp Major: Fiction/Non-Fiction/Poetry
- Price Option: Select Online Camp, Extended Day Camp or Overnight Camp
| Program | Grades | Location | Start Date | End Date | Price Options | Register |
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Click here for a downloadable information sheet.
Don’t see a class you want in your time zone? Check other time zones to flexibly fit your needs!
| Click Here to View Sample ON-CAMPUS Schedule | Click Here to View Sample ONLINE Schedule |
Education Unlimited believes in small-group, immersive learning with subject matter experts and experienced teachers. We strive to provide industry-leading instruction to all of our students and hold all staff to the highest possible standards. Staff assignments vary by program and location. Some of our recent staff members for this program include:
Elizabeth Bull, MFA - Camp Director
Elizabeth Bull is a writer and filmmaker. Her writing has been published in various journals, including the Los Angeles Review of Books, H.O.W. Journal, Third Coast Magazine, and Gulf Coast; her work has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes. Her involvement in television and film began at AMC Networks, where she worked in original series development during the creation of “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad.” In addition to writing and directing several short films, she co-wrote the feature film “Song of Sway Lake,” released in the fall of 2017. Elizabeth has also co-produced two feature films and a television series for Fuse.
Elizabeth received her Bachelor’s degree from the School of Theater, Film, and Television at the University of California Los Angeles. She also holds a Master in Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing (Fiction) from The New School in New York City. In addition, she has studied directing at the Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design, and Technology in Dublin, Ireland on a Rotary International Fellowship. She has taught writing at the University of Zadar in Croatia on a Fulbright Fellowship. Elizabeth has been with Education Unlimited since 2010.
Patrick McHugh, MFA - Instructor
Patrick McHugh is a native Arizonan with a background in English literature, creative writing, and critical theory. He is a graduate of Arizona State University's Barrett Honors College with a degree in English literature. Patrick received his Master's degree in English literature from the University at Buffalo. Experienced in a wide variety of classroom settings, Patrick initially taught at SIAS International University in Henan, China before returning to Arizona. While in the states he has worked with EU he has taught creative writing at the Emerging Writers Institute for both middle school and high school students. Currently, Patrick is teaches in English department at Grand Canyon University, with a focus on English Composition courses for freshman students. He is passionate about guiding each student using their own voices and talents, fostering unique reading and writing skills as well as empowering critical thinking. On a personal level, Patrick is a devoted music lover and performs as a clarinet player, drummer, and electronic composer. He also indulges his interests in contemporary art and 21st-century literature.
Ploy Pirapokin, MFA - Instructor
Ploy Pirapokin is a writer and instructor currently teaching Nonfiction for the Creative Nonfiction Foundation. She is also an adjunct instructor for the University of Los Angeles Extension program and does freelance training for The Writer, a global brand language agency. Ploy has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and English from the University of San Diego. During her time at SFSU, Ploy lectured in Creative Writing and also worked as a Creative Writing Admissions Reader for the MFA and MA program.
Ploy’s own work has been featured in Tor.com, Apogee Journal, Entropy Magazine, the Bellingham Review, HYPHEN Magazine and more. She has received multiple Pushcart Prize nominations for her work. She is a Writing by Writers Workshop at Tomales Bay fellow, a Community of Writers at Squaw Valley scholar, and was a Visiting Writer at the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center. She has been the recipient of grants and fellowships from the San Francisco Arts Commission, the Ragdale Foundation, the Anderson Center, the Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, Kundiman and others.
Brett Shanley, PhD, MFA - Instructor
Brett Shanley is a writer and English lecturer who earned his PhD at Columbia University in New York City. Prior to his doctoral work, Brett received his Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing - Nonfiction from The New School in NYC. In addition to his dissertation research, which looks at methods of promoting sincere engagement between undergraduate writers and the work that they produce, Brett lectures in advanced writing at Pace University. Brett has been teaching in the classroom and at academic camps since 2012, and it was these experiences that inspired his dissertation topic. He has been an instructor with Education Unlimited since 2014, teaching both creative and academic writing.
In addition to his advanced degrees, Brett also has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and German from University of Oregon. In the rare moments that Brett is not working on his research or teaching, his favorite thing to do is enjoy time in New York City’s famed Central Park with his fiance and their dog Huxley.