Young Writers Workshop Intern

Harnessing Creativity and Vulnerability

I had originally been a member of the Young Writers Workshop myself during my junior and senior year of high school. Once I was admitted and became a student at JCU, I was invited by Dr. Metres to become an intern for the YWW. I was then a Group Workshop leader from July 24th, 2022 - July 29th, 2022, July 22, 2023 - July 26, 2024, and July 21st, 2024 - July 26th, 2024. In this role I worked with a group of six high school students who were freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. I then provided feedback to Dr. Philip Metres after each session and facilitated constructive criticism in a collaborative environment with students.My main job was to lead a small group workshop, helping students to learn how to critique, revise, and edit their work for the class anthology and evening reading. 

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The Young Writers Workshop hosted by John Carroll University contains the keys necessary to building agency, repertoire, and adventure within writing. It also gave me the tools necessary to work in a sphere clocked in vulnerability. For some, YWW will be the first glimpse they have into being a part of a distinct writing community in which their writing is taken seriously while others can have their networks expand. Focused workshop groups develop a sense of vulnerability within a small group of campers who at the end of the five days create truly exquisite work. At YWW a student is more than just a pupil, they are at once drawn into a vast group of talented writers from those that teach to those they work among. Here you can immerse yourself amongst stories and poems that will change you, push you, and most of all challenge you. The Young Writers Workshop is more than just a writing camp, it is a family and this may be the most important mentality of all to have as a leader when dealing with intimate groups of people.