The Juniper Summer Writing Institute gathers a community of writers to explore the creative process and develop new approaches to the craft of writing. It’s one week of intensive writing workshops, craft sessions, Q&As, readings, and manuscript consultation in the beautiful Connecticut River Valley. It is an opportunity to practice living with your art at the center of your life; it is a week to imagine with wild invention as you mingle, experiment, and take chances; it is a chance to connect with writers, poets and artists from around the country who value what prose, poetry, word, image, fiction, essay, memoir and autobiography can do. MFA candidates can apply to participate in the adult program as working fellows, scholarship readers, or program assistants.
The Juniper Institute for Young Writers (JIYW) and Juniper Young Writers Online (JYWO) are designed for young writers in grades 8–12. These programs offer multi-genre workshops, as well as craft sessions, genre intensives, writer's life talks, field trips, and participant readings. In non-pandemic times, the young writer institute is hosted on the UMass Amherst campus during the summer giving teens an exceptional pre-college experience. The online programs have been offered during the winter and summer months since 2020. MFA candidates can apply to teach in the Juniper programs for young writers, or work as program assistants, chaperones, or studio artists.
Program Assistants work for both the adult and young writers programs, earning a stipend of $9,000 per year (paid hourly) and gaining insight and experience in the administration and production of successful literary programming.
Creative Writing Instructors for JYWO earn $1,700 to teach online in the summer, and $700 to teach online in the winter, gaining experience in developing mixed genre curricula and working with high school students.
Working Fellows lend a hand with event programming and participant support, and in 2023 will have the opportunity to participate in a workshop free of charge.
Scholarship Readers assess scholarship applications for the Juniper Summer Writing Institute during the month of January.
The Young Writer studio artist positions, and chaperoning opportunities will be offered once in-person programming for teens resumes.
For more information, please contact Betsy Wheeler, Director.