young adult writers program

  • I too am not a bit tamed—I too am untranslatable;
  • I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.
  •  
  • — Walt Whitman, from Leaves of Grass

Do you like to write poems, lyrics, stories, novels or screenplays? Join Grub Street’s Young Adult Writers Program (YAWP), a FREE creative writing workshop for Boston-area high schoolers.

Our students, age 13-18, come from schools as diverse and distant as Cambridge Rindge and Latin, John D. O'Bryant School of Math and Science in Roxbury, Noonan Business Academy in Dorchester, and high schools in Winchester and Framingham. After three great years YAWP has already been recognized by the Boston Globe as the hub for creative writing teenagers.

YAWP provides

  1. Small-group writing workshops in fiction, poetry, screenwriting, and nonfiction
  2. Feedback from experienced writers
  3. Lunch and refreshments
  4. Inspiration!
  5. The opportunity to perform your work for an audience

Read a recent Boston Globe article on YAWP's great success: "Portrait of the Young Bards," and YAWPer Melissa Saunders' column, "Ask a Local High School Student," in The Weekly Dig. Congrats, Melissa!

2009-2010 YAWP Dates

All students MUST sign up in advance by e-mailing info@grubstreet.org or calling 617.695.0075. Tell us which group you'd like to join: fiction, poetry, songwriting, or "No Preference."

  • Saturday, January 23rd, 12:00pm-4:00pm
    • Fiction, Poetry, and Science Fiction & Fantasy
  • Saturday, February 27th, 12:00pm-4:00pm
  • Saturday, March 27th, 12:00pm-4:00pm
  • Saturday, April 24th, 12:00pm-4:00pm
  • Saturday, May 22nd, 12:00pm-4:00pm

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are YAWPers?
Our students come from schools all over the Greater Boston area, and we all have one thing in common: we love to read and write creatively. Our program gets teens writing and the results speak for themselves. Our alums have gone onto enroll college-level creative writing programs at such schools as Sarah Lawrence College and Brandeis University. YAWPer Melissa Saunders, besides running her own ‘zine, now has her own column in The Weekly Dig.

What’s expected of me?
We ask that you come to YAWP ready to participate, think creatively, and work hard. We ask that you also respect your peers’ and teachers’ ideas. If you’re shy, that’s okay — we don’t make students read work they don’t want to. You may attend all of our events or just one of them, though we have plenty of students who come every month for an entire school year.

What do I need to bring? (Pencils? Paper?)
We’ll give you composition books, pens, breakfast, and lunch. No homework. No need to bring a writing sample. Parents and guardians are always welcome to visit, though we ask them not to be in the classroom during writing. We especially welcome the families and friends of these talented writers to two open house readings that will take place in December and May!

I’m in the 8th grade, but I really want to be a part of YAWP. Am I definitely excluded?
Generally, YAWP is intended for high school students. If you are just about to enter high school and would like to be a part of YAWP, please contact us directly by e-mailing info@grubstreet.org, and we will see if an accommodation can be made.

Do I need to choose one genre to write for the entire year?
Absolutely not! We actually encourage our writers to try all the different genres offered throughout the year; we promise that it will make you a more well-rounded artist. Novelists interested in their narrator’s prose and characters’ dialogue have everything to gain from workshops in poetry or screenwriting. We only ask that students remain in a single genre for their afternoon at Grub—in other workshop, please don't switch genres mid-workshop.

Can I bring friends even though I didn’t sign them up?
Please! The more the merrier.

Okay, I’m going! Err, how do I get there?
All of our monthly sessions are held at Grub Street Headquarters at 160 Boylston Street in Boston. Click here for directions.

Is YAWP any fun?
Don't ask us...ask our young writers.

  • “I learned that a whole story can be written in one sentence … and that there are teens like me who love writing as much as I do, which is cool.” — Jacqui G.
  • “Poetry can be anything.” — Anonymous
  • “Hearing other people’s works = inspiring” — Theresa K.
  • “I enjoy the whole experience – camaraderie, comedy, etc.” — Carter H.
  • “I wanted to write a memoir before I came here, and I found a great way to start it!” — Mia O.
  • “Pizza!! (and writing poetry)” — Ellie H.

YAWP is made possible, in part, thanks to the generous support of the Boston Globe Foundation, Foley Hoag Foundation, Mount Washington Bank in South Boston, Clipper Ship Foundation, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and donors like you.