Young Writers' Workshop
This 2023 Humanities Tennesseepartnership event brought over 40 high-school aged students to ETSU's campus for a week to explore their passion for writing and hone their skills by interacting with their peers and published authors.
This year's camps take place in a library in each of Tennessee's Grand Divisions: West, Middle and East. Each iteration will be three days jam packed with writing, writing, and writing. Our hope and goal is that this year's format will continue the workshop's tradition of providing a vibrant space for students to learn, write, discover, grow, maybe be bewildered and, of course, forge all sorts of connections on and off the page. To get notified when the application opens, subscribe to the Humanities Tennessee's newsletter.
ETSU's College of Arts & Sciences hosted its first annual Tennessee Young Writers'
Workshop from June 5-11, 2022, bringing more than 50 high school students from all
across the state to participate in intensive writing classes taught by award-winning
authors. The program marks a new partnership with Humanities Tennessee that will enliven
our campus with students engaging with exhibits, including the Reece Museum and the
Warden Herbarium.
Special thanks to Humanities Tennessee and other campus sponsors such as the College of Arts and Sciences, Literature and Language Department, and Bert C. Bach Written Word Initative.
For 2023, ETSU's Young Writers' Workshop had over 40 students on campus June 11-17th. Other than their daily workshops, they returned to the Reece Museum for a morning of responding to art and this year, students toured the Sherrod Library and visited the Archives of Appalachia.
In a letter of gratitude to the sponsors of the workshop, one student reflects, “Attending this camp has become the highlight of my summer each year. I love making new friends, honing my skills, and creating lifelong memories. I’ve truly learned a great deal from our instructors, mentors, and peers. Without supporters like you, our generation may quickly lose the art of writing in favor of AI generators or other technology. Thank you so much for supporting the camp, humanities, and writers like me!” -2023 Student
Writer Sheree Renée Thomas talks with her students about pieces in the exhibit during
the museum workshop.
Young writers look at artwork in the Sammie Nicely exhibit to find inspiration for
poems or stories.
Young writers immerse themselves in the Galaxy exhibit in the Reece museum to write
and share their drafts in small groups.
Students get the opportunity to read their work for their peers, the writing faculty,
and the camp staff during the final night of the workshop.
One young writer composes a piece in response to the quilt exhibit in the Reece Museum.
Students get the chance to explore the museum and respond to the artwork for the morning
writing session.
Local songwriter Florencia Rusiñol returns to the workshop to help students turn
their writings into songs.
In the Reece's galaxy exhibit, one student sits to respond in their writing.
Young writers look at artwork in the Sammie Nicely exhibit to find inspiration for
poems or stories.
The 2023 Faculty: Valencia Robin, Sheree Renée Thomas, Molly McGhee, and Jesse Graves.
The 2023 Staff: Patrick Shaffner, AK Stites, Lacy Snapp, Melissa McKnight, Holly Todaro,
Jaimie Maltese, and Chloe Philpot.
Students and the writing faculty gather with Dr. Kimberly McCorkle, the ETSU Provost,
during a morning visit.
The 2023 Young Writers' Workshop group photo of students, faculty, and staff.
Writer Sheree Renée Thomas talks with her students about pieces in the exhibit during the museum workshop.
Young writers look at artwork in the Sammie Nicely exhibit to find inspiration for poems or stories.
Young writers immerse themselves in the Galaxy exhibit in the Reece museum to write and share their drafts in small groups.
Students get the opportunity to read their work for their peers, the writing faculty, and the camp staff during the final night of the workshop.
One young writer composes a piece in response to the quilt exhibit in the Reece Museum.
Students get the chance to explore the museum and respond to the artwork for the morning writing session.
Local songwriter Florencia Rusiñol returns to the workshop to help students turn their writings into songs.
In the Reece's galaxy exhibit, one student sits to respond in their writing.
Young writers look at artwork in the Sammie Nicely exhibit to find inspiration for poems or stories.
The 2023 Faculty: Valencia Robin, Sheree Renée Thomas, Molly McGhee, and Jesse Graves.
The 2023 Staff: Patrick Shaffner, AK Stites, Lacy Snapp, Melissa McKnight, Holly Todaro, Jaimie Maltese, and Chloe Philpot.
Students and the writing faculty gather with Dr. Kimberly McCorkle, the ETSU Provost, during a morning visit.
The 2023 Young Writers' Workshop group photo of students, faculty, and staff.
Another student wrote in a thank you letter: "Thank you to everyone who funds and supports and works at this program. This is my third and final year at the workshop and I could not possibly speak to how it has changed me as a persona and a writer. Programs like this one encourage the creative youth of Tennessee to explore rather than stifle their creativity, with guidance from our teachers and mentors, while still having fun with others who share the same interests. I would not be who I am today without the support I have received from this workshop over the last three years. Thank you, again and again and again." -2023 Student
Young Writers Workshop students engage with materials from the Herbarium.
Poet Taria Person and some students discuss art in the Reece Museum and how to transcribe
the emotion from an image onto the page.
Local musician Florencia Rusenol ends her songwriting workshop with a group selfie.
Students practice using art as a prompt for writing by studying this musician possum
and his motives.
A final staff photo of the Young Writers' Workshop mentors and ETSU's campus director
of the event (middle). From left to right: Stella Rodenberg, Tuck Ledbetter, Lacy
Snapp, Madeline Rodenberg, and AK Stites.
Some of the 2022 Young Writers' Workshop staff from left to right: Madeline Rodenberg,
Lacy Snapp, Stella Rodenberg, AK Stites, and Dr. Jesse Graves.
Florencia Rusenol and a student collaborate on a song using lyrics written during
the workshop.
2022 Young Writers' Workshop group photo of students, faculty, and staff.
Young Writers Workshop students engage with materials from the Herbarium.
Poet Taria Person and some students discuss art in the Reece Museum and how to transcribe the emotion from an image onto the page.
Local musician Florencia Rusenol ends her songwriting workshop with a group selfie.
Students practice using art as a prompt for writing by studying this musician possum and his motives.
A final staff photo of the Young Writers' Workshop mentors and ETSU's campus director of the event (middle). From left to right: Stella Rodenberg, Tuck Ledbetter, Lacy Snapp, Madeline Rodenberg, and AK Stites.
Some of the 2022 Young Writers' Workshop staff from left to right: Madeline Rodenberg, Lacy Snapp, Stella Rodenberg, AK Stites, and Dr. Jesse Graves.
Florencia Rusenol and a student collaborate on a song using lyrics written during the workshop.
2022 Young Writers' Workshop group photo of students, faculty, and staff.
2022 Group Photo:
