Young Writers' Conference at Hood College
By: Elly Williams, Hood College

Wanted: Young writers passionate about their own creative work and want to work with published authors—young writers, who write on their own time and don’t know if they are succeeding or not—young writers, who want to join a community of supportive writers!

Hood College announces its first annual Young Writers’ Conference to be held August 2 through August 13, 10AM until 4PM. Students from ninth through twelfth grade are eligible to apply. Our hope is to offer our students opportunities that are otherwise hard to find, either at high schools or at other summer programs. Our workshops in fiction and multi-genre creative writing will be led by published writers of significant accomplishment.

A distinctive feature of the Hood Young Writers’ Conference is the impressive line up of accomplished guest writers. The writers this year—our premiere year—have won the prestigious Pushcart prize, the International Reading Association Students’ Choice Award, the Anhinga Prize for Poetry, the Paul Bowles Prize for Fiction, been named to the critical best-of-year books lists for The Washington Post, among many other awards and honors.

Our students will most likely arrive with widely varying levels of experience, but nearly all of them will leave with a portfolio of which they can be proud. Hood College Young Writers’ Conference goal is to make high school students better readers and expository as well as creative writers in high school and college.

The last day of the workshop, students will present their work before each other and anyone they choose to invite. These readings will be followed by a reception for all.

For more information, see the conference flyer or contact Director, Elly Williams at 240-446-1158.