Youth Programs

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View our Young Writers
at West Deptford

The Pennsylvania Writing & Literature Project offers camps for students who love to write and read. The programs teach writing as a process in a relaxed, camp environment. All classes are small, averaging 13-15 students. All instructors are experienced teachers and Fellows of the National Writing Project.

The Programs:

Young Writers/Young Readers (YW/YR) teaches writing in a relaxed, non-threatening camp environment. Students try age-appropriate strategies and gain confidence. They compose, share, explore new genres, edit, and confer. Participants also share and explore quality children's literature and are invited to publish a page in the group anthology. Grade levels vary by site.

Creative Writing Workshop for Teens (Codes end in -MS for Middle School students or -HS for High School students) Students will create, revise, and share expressive pieces in a variety of genres.  Activities that stimulate creativity, practices that hone the writer's craft, and critical analyses of master works help students give form to their voice.

Young Writers on Computers, for students in grades 3 - 12, is held in a computer lab at West Chester University. Writers compose pieces using Microsoft Word. They share ideas, confer, receive feedback, and respond to each other's writing. Students design their own anthology page layout on the computer. Word processing skills are required.

A variety of other programs are offered for students who want to focus on a specific genre of writing. Specialty classes include: Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror Writing, History Writers, Exploring Satire and Parody, Nature Writers and Sketchers, Reading and Writing with the Arts, Storytelling, and Poetry for Teens, These programs have limited enrollment and are offered only at specific locations and for specific grade levels. See our brochure for details.Writing Project Group

Youth Programs are held at West Chester University, in thirteen sponsoring school districts in Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, and Montgomery Counties and West Deptford, New Jersey, and at Longwood Gardens, the Highlands Mansion and Gardens, the James A. Michener Art Museum, and our newest location at Valley Forge National Park.

Questions? For more information please call 610-436-3089,
or e-mail Director Mary Buckelew at mbuckelew@wcupa.edu.