Juniper Institute for Young Writers Recently Updated

The Juniper Institute for Young Writers looks for writers whose work shows curiosity and risk-taking, who are eager to experiment with forms and ideas new to them in the company of their creative peers.

Juniper’s residential creative writing programs for high school students are dynamic and community-building. We bring teens together who want to share their poetry and prose with others who are as passionate about writing as they are. We look for writers whose work shows curiosity and risk-taking, and who are eager to experiment with forms and ideas new to them in the company of their creative peers. Our talented, devoted and empathetic instructors help motivated young writers take their creative work to the next level. High school students who are seriously considering a major or minor in creative writing or English will have the opportunity to work with talented and devoted creative writing instructors who are working on their Masters of Fine Arts degrees at one of the top creative writing graduate programs in the country. Our participants leave the program with revised work, new drafts, and plenty of inspiration to sustain them once the program ends. 

Juniper offers a two-week residential program that is designed to help students take their creative writing to the next level.  

Writing Labs: Participants explore creative styles, forms, subjects, and modes of writing with the guidance of a Creative Writing Instructor. The lab sessions meet daily for interactive instruction with a cohort of passionate young writers from all walks of life. Labs are synchronous, dynamic, and participatory. The work is complex and at a college level, allowing participants to dive deep into developing their own work and exchanging feedback with one another on their creative writing projects.

Craft Sessions: Creative Writing Instructors go in-depth on a particular element of craft. In each of these sessions, participants will expand their writing knowledge by exploring different topics and prompts and put those new conceptions into practice.

Writer’s Life Talks: During these talks, Creative Writing Instructors share brief readings of their own work, address common questions about being a writer and the process of writing, demystify the writing process, and give solid advice and tips. The talks feature insights into the instructor’s writing inspiration, revision strategies, and even advice about publishing. For a peek into the magic that these talks offer, check out the video above, which features snippets of wisdom from past instructors. 

Participant Readings: Juniper participants will have the option to sign up to share their writing with their peers and instructors during the Participant Readings. It’s a wonderful opportunity for young writers to share what they’ve been working on and hear the voices and work of participants enrolled in other Writing Labs.

Write-ins are optional live sessions where participants gather to write independently, together. Juniper staff—students in the UMass MFA for Poets and Writers—share generative prompts and multimedia inspiration, as well as help participants troubleshoot, share, brainstorm together, and build community in the creative process. 

Write-alongs are sets of writing prompts and challenges that guide participants through a daily writing practice. They are a chance for young writers to put into practice the lessons, techniques, and craft elements they have been learning throughout the week, or to simply write and explore on their own. The Write-along materials will remain accessible to participants after the program has ended.

The second week of the Juniper Institute for Young Writers is what we call the “Intensive Week.” Week One helps writers establish a regular writing practice. During Intensive Week, young writers work on a creative writing project with the one-to-one guidance of a Creative Writing Instructor. 

Here’s what the Intensive Week offers:

A Personalized Writing Plan: The Intensive Week schedule provides plenty of writing time alongside the necessary guidance to help participants construct their own writing routine and schedule for the week. Building on the generative and informative sessions from Week One, participants now have the space and time to transform their ideas and writing exercises into fully fleshed out pieces.

1-on-1 Meetings with Your Mentor: Because every writer has a unique project, 1-on-1 meetings allow instructors to provide more specific guidance. During these meetings, CWIs help participants create their individualized writing schedule, find inspiration for their project, make edits, and stay on track for project completion.

Small Group Accountability: To help participants finish their writing projects, they meet in small groups of 3 to 5 peers and their mentor every morning to check in and problem-solve. Everyone in the group is working with the same mentor, and in the same genre towards similar goals, so this is a chance for deeper connection and sharing.

Paths to Publication: At the end of the week, each small group will have an extended morning session with their mentor to learn about next steps for their projects. This could include advice about how to continue their project, publishing, submissions to literary magazines, and other ways to share creative work.

Our program offers the following:

Mentorship from working writers

Creative Writing Lab Instructors are professional teachers, published authors, and graduate students at UMass Amherst pursuing their Master of Fine Arts degrees in creative writing. With daily live meetings in Craft Sessions and Writing Labs, participants have the opportunity to discuss their work and in-depth writing topics with their Instructors and peers. 

Inspiration for generating new work

Outside of Writing Labs, participants will have the opportunity to participate in guided group writing exercises and will also receive writing prompts to respond to on their own time or to stow away for later inspiration. We’ll also facilitate ways for participants to share their work and ideas generated during daily Write-alongs and Write-ins. The Writer's Life talks give participants a behind-the-scenes view on the Instructors' work and creative processes, which always ignite new ideas and provide invaluable writing tips. 

Close-knit Community

All Writing Labs are capped at 10 students, allowing participants the time and space to develop closer connections not just with writing Instructors but also with fellow teen writers. During Intensive Week, small groups that meet daily for writing accountability and support are capped at 5 students.

Written Feedback

At the end of the week, Writing Lab Instructors will provide a written summary of participants' work, evaluation of their progress towards writing goals, and future considerations for their writing.

Applications open for the Juniper Institute for Young Writers soon. There are no application fees!

Below is the information for our summer 2024 program.

Summer at UMass

The Juniper Institute for Young Writers in-person program takes place on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus, in Amherst, MA. 

Two-week in-person program will take place July 28–August 10, 2024. Tuition for the two-week program is $4,950 and includes room, board, field trips, and weekend activities. 

Scholarships are available; see our website for more information.

*Acceptance to Juniper’s in-person program will be competitive this summer; admissions from our general applicant pool are limited to 50 students.