Summer at UMass
Juniper Institute for Young Writers
Program Dates: One-week program: July 29–August 2, 2024; Two-week program: July 29–August 9, 2024
Final Application Deadline (scholarships and self-pay): March 7, 2024
Cost: $2,600 for one week; $4,950 for two weeks.
Applications for the 2024 Juniper Institute for Young Writers are closed.
Admission to Juniper’s residential program is competitive and we have a limited number of available spots. The application deadline for both scholarship consideration and self-pay admission is March 7, 2024. Scholarship notifications and admissions decisions will be issued after the application deadline.
Applicants for the residential Juniper Institute for Young Writers can indicate in their application if they would like to be considered for acceptance to the Juniper Young Writers Online program August 5th through 9th, if they are not admitted to the two-week residential program.
Rising sophomores through seniors can apply to spend a week (or two!) living and writing in community with peers on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. There is no application fee! Learn more about how to apply here.
Participants will gain firsthand experience of student life at UMass, living in dorms, eating meals in the university’s award-winning dining halls and participating in programming held in the classrooms of South College, home of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. Throughout this immersive writing experience, participants will have the opportunity to interact with the vibrant literary and artistic culture of Western Massachusetts, home of the poets Emily Dickinson, Sylvia Plath, Robert Francis, Robert Frost, changemakers Sojourner Truth and W. E. B. Du Bois, and the UMass Amherst MFA for Poets and Writers. All Juniper Creative Writing Instructors are working writers and students in this esteemed program.
Participants in this summer’s Juniper Institute for Young Writers will take part in our long developed programming 9 AM to 4 PM Monday through Friday, including Writing Labs, Craft Sessions, Participant Readings, Writer’s Life talks, and Write-alongs, in addition to field trips to destinations associated with the poets, writers and activists who made Western Mass their home.
The second week of the residential summer program (the “Intensive Week”) is designed for young writers who have already established a regular writing practice and are ready to work on completing a longer project with the 1-1 guidance of a Creative Writing Instructor. Participants in the second week will also participate in Week One.
We’re glad to be collaborating for a second year with the UMass Summer Pre-College program, which offers programming after 4pm and over the weekend (for two-week participants). Each evening, Resident Counselors will run a series of social activities in the residence hall. Students are encouraged to join in, relax and have fun with new friends! With social events on campus and in the surrounding Amherst area, there's something for everyone to enjoy. For more information on the residential component of our program, please visit this page.
Juniper offers one-week and two-week residential programs, all of which are designed to help students take their 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. All Writing Labs are capped at 10 students, allowing participants the time and space to develop closer connections not just with their instructors but also with fellow teen writers. At the end of the week, Creative Writing Instructors will provide a written summary of participants' accomplishments, evaluation of their progress towards writing goals, and future considerations for their writing.
Craft Sessions: Creative Writing Instructors go in-depth on a particular element of craft. Creative Writing Instructors are professional teachers, published authors, and graduate students at UMass Amherst in the MFA for Poets and Writers or the MA/PhD program in English. 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 residential summer program is what we call the “Intensive Week.” It’s designed for writers who have already established a regular writing practice and are ready to work on a longer project with the 1-1 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.
Applications for the 2024 Juniper Institute for Young Writers are open now! Learn more about how to apply here.
Admission to Juniper’s residential program is competitive and we have a limited number of available spots. The application deadline for both scholarship consideration and self-pay admission is March 7, 2024.
The University of Massachusetts reserves the right to cancel any program it deems necessary. In the event of program cancellation, payment will be refunded in full.