Advanced Writing Seminar at Pratt Art Institute

Sunday, July 13th to Saturday, July 26th, 2025

Join Writopia Lab for an immersive two weeks of writing in the heart of New York City! In its fourth year, we have designed our pre-college program to be small, warm, and intensive, working with young writers to deepen and expand their craft, while also developing into curious, passionate observers of the world around them. To that end, we run our program not only out of the physical classroom at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, but also make a classroom out of New York City itself.

Writers will spend their mornings in intimate multi-genre writing workshops led by published authors and produced playwrights. Most afternoons will be spent in niche college-level genre intensives taught by experts in their field (last year’s intensives included spoken word poetry, villain psychology, detective stories, the site-specific ten-minute play, zinemaking, and micro/macro fiction). Afternoons and evenings will be spent expanding their writing horizons and exploring everything a global publishing capital like New York City offers. We’ll visit locations around the five boroughs both beloved and under the radar, with an eye on observational writing. (Past excursions have included walking the Brooklyn Bridge, reading Walt Whitman at Fort Greene Park, taking in the skyline on the Staten Island Ferry, poetry writing at the Brooklyn Promenade, people-watching on the Coney Island boardwalk, and sharing writing with the public at a teen open mic at the legendary Nuyorican poets cafe on the Lower East Side).

Writers stay on campus at the Pratt Art Institute (at 135 Emerson Place) in the historic Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, where they forge a caring community of young writers and artists.

Developed for dedicated teen writers, the Advanced Writing Seminar Residency in NYC and is open to rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and to rising college freshmen.

Tuition: $4200. Limited financial aid is available. To apply for aid, please email financialaid@writopialab.org with a copy of your tax returns and a brief statement of need.

Please email us at TeenPrograms@writopialab.org for any further questions.

Application Includes:

• Writer’s Statement
• Writing Sample (5-10 pages)
• Letter of Recommendation from a teacher

Click here to apply!

Details

Location

We are happy to announce our new partnership with the Pratt Institute in uber hip Brooklyn. Our university-based program will be located at 135 Emerson Place, Brooklyn, New York 11205.

Tuition

$3,950. Limited financial aid is available. To apply for aid, please email financialaid@writopialab.org with a copy of your tax returns and a brief statement of need.

Dates

Sunday, July 13th to Saturday, July 26th, 2025

Ages

Open to rising high school sophomores, juniors, seniors, and rising college freshmen.

Morning Workshops

For years, Writopia Lab’s Advanced Writing Seminar has provided pre-college writers with a fun and productive summer community. The NYC Session builds upon that, giving teen writers a memorable two weeks of experiences, relationships, and creative rigor.

Over the course of two weeks, participants will delve into their craft with published authors, and participate in two meetings with a prominent literary agent and editor/ publisher. The Advanced Writing Seminar places an emphasis on understanding how writing in a variety of forms (narrative, poetry, memoir, script) enriches and informs every writer. These workshops are fun, engaging, and designed to expand skills.

Each day is rooted in a multi-genre morning workshop, in which writers will have the time to develop their work, whether it be fiction, poetry, plays, or memoir. In this supportive but rigorous environment, writers will receive daily feedback on their work and will also participate in exercises, games, and lively group discussions. In the afternoons, writers will have the opportunity to take electives in poetry, memoir, ekphrastic writing, comedy, and more with our staff of published poets, essayists, comedy writers, and playwrights. Our instructors are working artists who train with Writopia Lab and teach our teen writers year-round.

A Typical Day

• 7:30 AM — Wake up
• 8:00 AM to 8:45 AM — Breakfast and morning meeting
• 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM — Workshop
• 12:00 PM to 12:45 PM — Lunch
• 12:45 PM to 5:00 PM — Excursions and electives
• 5:45 PM to 6:30 PM — Dinner
• 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM — Evening excursions and activities
• 10:00 PM — Curfew

Advanced Writing Seminar NYC Session FAQs

What are the dates?

Sunday, July 13th to Saturday, July 26th, 2025

I’m having trouble with the application process. Can you help me?

Please email TeenPrograms@writopialab.org for assistance with the application process.

How do I apply for financial aid?

This all happens in CampMinder, where you will apply for enrollment. To apply, fill out your application, indicate that you are applying for financial aid, and submit your complete financials via CampMinder. If you are applying for financial aid, you will not be required to pay a deposit. However, we will only be able to hold your spot for two weeks if you have not submitted your financials. Please do not email financial data directly to TeenPrograms@writopialab.org.

A $500 deposit is due upon enrollment. This deposit will increase incrementally as we get closer to the session. Following enrollment, parents will have the option to pay in full or set up a payment plan in CampMinder. This payment plan will set up equal monthly installments, with the last installment paid the first week of May 2024.

How many writers are attending?

At this time we are limiting the capacity to 30 writers.

What will meals be like?

Meals will be a mix of catering brought into the residential hall’s common rooms, and outings to New York's infinite assortment of great dining choices. The city is our dining hall!

What is the atmosphere of the workshops?

Morning workshops will have a ratio of ten writers to one instructor. All workshop leaders are published writers or produced playwrights with years of expertise in mentoring teen writers. Numerous Writopia Lab alumni have gone on to pursue studies and careers as journalists, novelists, screenwriters, and editors. Workshops are peppered with original and fun writing exercises, but focus primarily on developing—and completing—strong writing.

Does my teen have to bring their own bedding?

Yes. Each participant must bring a twin set of sheets and/or a sleeping bag, as well as a towel.

Have any further questions?

Email us at TeenPrograms@writopialab.org to learn more.