Emerging Writers Institute is a unique opportunity for rising 7th - 9th graders to explore creative writing. From day one, students are challenged through small group seminars focused on fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction. In these seminars, and at daily writing workshops, students investigate the fundamentals of storytelling and discover how to read like writers. Diverse afternoon electives may include sci-fi writing, screenwriting, graphic novels, and travel writing and are used to let students try out new 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 week, students will share polished pieces for publication in their own literary magazine and present their work in an informal reading for family and friends.
Whether online or in person, Education Unlimited proudly offers top tier curriculum in our Emerging Writers Institute. To learn more about our online program, click here.
Emerging Writers Institute is a unique opportunity for rising 7th - 9th graders to explore creative writing. From day one, 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. Workshops in Science Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, and Poetry are used to let students try out new 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 week, students will share polished pieces for publication in their own literary anthology.
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 in 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
EWI is conducted in a seminar-style environment were students improve their craft through regular feedback from peers and instructors. Students will also receive inspiration from off-campus, instructor-led activities designed to introduce them to the literary culture surrounding their college campus.
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.
This year’s Writer’s Blocks may include:
Short and Sweet: Short Story Seminar
Well-Versed: Poetry Seminar
The ‘Wright Stuff: Playwright’s Seminar
The Real Word: Nonfiction Seminar
Highlights & Deliverables
Participants in the program will be uniquely positioned to profit from the literary culture of the university area. One benefit of these seminars is to ready students' work for professional submission to youth publications, such as the Claremont Review, The Writer's Slate, Stone Soup, and Teen Ink. By the program’s conclusion, students will produce and refine quality pieces suitable for publication in their own literary magazine and professional teen publications.
By the end of the week, students will share polished pieces for publication in their own literary magazine and present their work in an informal reading for on the final day of camp. At the conclusion of the summer season, their piece will be published in an impressive anthology that will be mailed home to families.
Grade Level Specifics
Rising 7th-9th Graders
From day one, EWI students are challenged through small group seminars focused on fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction. In these seminars and at daily writing workshops, students investigate the fundamentals of storytelling and discover how to read critically to support their writing development. Diverse afternoon electives may include sci-fi writing, screenwriting, graphic novels, and travel writing and are used to let students try out new genres in a safe, exploratory environment. Scheduled writing time and one-on-one instructor evaluations help students develop strong writing habits that will serve them in all facets of their schooling and beyond.
NOTE: The offering of majors is based upon enrollment and student needs, which varies substantially. Our diverse afternoon workshops have included nontraditional writing genres, such as speech writing, ‘zine creation, graphic novels, journalism, nature writing, and advertising copy. These courses seek to engage students with diverse material. Furthermore, the program recruits guest speakers from the publishing industry and local authors to give readings and answer questions about literary life and labor.
For maximum options in summer 2025, this program will be offered in-person at East and West coast locations, as well as online!
Includes a 1-hour lunch break plus shorter 10-15 min breaks
Friday
9:00 am to 11:30 am
10:00 am to 12:30 pm
Includes 10 min breaks as needed
*Schedule subject to change - Final schedule posted in Google Classroom the Wednesday prior to the start of class. *In addition to the longer breaks noted above, instructors will give students a 10-15 min break approximately every two hours.
On Campus Sample 7th-9th Grade Schedule
8:00 am
Breakfast in the dining hall (overnight campers)
9-9:15 am
Extended day camper check-in
9:15 am
Morning class (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or play-writing)
12:30 pm
Lunch in the dining hall (included for all campers)
1:45 pm
Afternoon class
5:30 pm
Dinner in the dining hall (included for all campers)
6:30 pm
Evening writing time/Camper downtime
8:00 pm
Evening recreation activities
9:00 pm
Extended day camper check-out
10:00 pm
Floor check
10:30 pm
Room check
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 as an Assistant Director, A+ Middle School English teacher, and taught creative writing at the Emerging Writers Institute for both middle school and high school students. He previously taught 6th grade English for BASIS Phoenix. Currently, Patrick is serving as an adjunct faculty in the 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.
Patricia Hicks - Instructor
Patricia "Trish" Hicks has been one of Education Unlimited's most beloved writing instructors since 2016. She is an educator, writer, and passionate teaching artist with over 20 years of experience. Her dedication to the transformative power of language arts and experiential learning is evident through the time she has spent teaching and mentoring for organizations such as Urban Word NYC, Reel Works Teen Documentary Filmmaking, and The Cooper Union Saturday Outreach Program, all of which strive to provide platforms for youth to develop their literacy, creative and leadership skills. In addition, Patricia has taught with and developed literacy curricula for numerous organizations and schools nationwide including The San Francisco Day School, The Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Harlem RBI, and the College University of New York.
Emily Mercurio, MFA - Instructor
Emily Rosello Mercurio is a writer and educator who has taught poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and academic composition at Cornell University and Education Unlimited. She earned her B.A. from Wheaton College (2016), double majoring in English and Women's Studies, and her M.F.A in Creative Writing from Cornell University (2018). She has served as an Assistant Editor for EPOCH Magazine and as the Literary Editor for Rushlight. Her work has appeared in Puerto del Sol, Vallum, Spoon River Poetry Review, and other journals. She is a 2017 winner of the Bermuda Triangle Prize.
Ploy Pirapokin, MFA - Instructor
Ploy Pirapokin is a writer and instructor currently teaching Nonfiction for the Creative Non-fiction 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.
