young adult writers program
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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
- Small-group writing workshops in fiction, poetry, screenwriting, and nonfiction
- Feedback from experienced writers
- Snacks and refreshments
- Inspiration!
- The opportunity to perform your work for an audience
2010 YAWP Information
All students MUST sign up in advance by e-mailing info@grubstreet.org or calling 617.695.0075. Tell us which class you'd like to join: fiction, poetry, or one of our specialized classes. If you would like to join the YAWP email list and receive announcements about upcoming classes and events, email info@grubstreet.org.
We offer two sessions of classes each YAWP Saturday: one from 10 AM to Noon, followed by an hour for socializing and lunch (we'll provide snacks, but you are encouraged to bring your own lunch), and another session of classes from 1 PM to 3 PM, followed by an open-mic reading. Each session includes the same classes, and you can participate in both so long as you take different classes. For example, you could take a poetry class in the morning session and a fiction class in the afternoon.
On September 25th, we will host an open-house reception during the morning, so that parents and students can check out the Grub Street space and ask us questions. Classes that day will begin at 1pm.
Below is the schedule for Fall 2010. TBD means a specialty class, to be announced soon. Check back here for updates, or sign up for the YAWP email list by emailing a request to info@grubstreet.org.
- Saturday, September 25th, 10:00am-12:30pm: Open-house reception for parents and students
- Saturday, September 25th, 1:00pm-3:00pm: PM classes in Fiction, Poetry, and TBD
- Saturday, October 23rd, 10:00am-3:00pm: AM and PM classes in Fiction, Poetry, and TBD
- Saturday, November 20th, 10:00am-3:00pm AM and PM classes in Fiction, Poetry, and TBD
- Saturday, December 18th, 10:00am-3:00pm AM and PM classes in Fiction, Poetry, and TBD
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.
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.
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.