2026 Summer Workshop for Young Writers

Description

For 30 years, we at the Kelly Writers House have believed in the power of the creative community. We are once again thrilled to convene a small group of 20 high school writers from July 5-15, 2026 to learn from our faculty, our staff, and perhaps most importantly, from one another.

The goal of this workshop is to provide creative high school students, especially those who have not had similar opportunities, with the chance to dedicate full days to the practice of writing. Students will develop their own work and will read and critique their peers’ writing in a setting similar to an undergraduate writing workshop. 

The cost of the 2026 Summer Workshop is $3000. As always, we are able to offer full financial assistance to approximately half of our program's attendees, thanks to the generous and visionary support of Maury Povich (C'62) and Connie Chung.

For more information and updates as they are available, please see our website. 

Qualifications

Summer Workshop participants will be chosen based on their potential as writers and their interest in being part of a student-centered, creative learning community. The strongest candidates are not necessarily those with the most experience, as we understand that not all passionate writers have been afforded the opportunity to study creative writing formally. We are looking for people who feel that they have a story to tell and who want to support their peers in their own literary endeavors. The best candidates will also demonstrate a strong work ethic and serious intellectual and creative ambition. Finally, as our program has a particular focus on personal essay and memoir writing, we seek students interested in these literary genres especially. This program is open to rising high school juniors and seniors. 

Application Instructions

Our application consists of:

• The online application form (includes financial assistance request).
• A 300-word essay about why you’d like to participate in this program and what you believe you’ll bring to our small literary community.
• A high school transcript (official or unofficial).
• One teacher recommendation letter (to be completed electronically via Interfolio - we cannot accept letters submitted outside of this application).
• An 8-10 page writing sample. We prefer creative work (fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction), but also accept academic work, journalism, or other writing. You may submit one longer piece or multiple short pieces totalling 8-10 pages. You are welcome to include a cover sheet describing the writing enclosed that does not count toward the total page count.

PLEASE NOTE: The second page of the online application, "Educational Information" is not required by this program since applicants are not expected to have already earned a degree. You may simply select, "I prefer not to disclose my educational information" here.  

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected under applicable federal, state or local law.