Programs

  • Zine making

    Writing Clubs

    Writing Clubs give students in grades 4-8 a weekly opportunity to build community through studying creative writing. We currently offer clubs at Furman Templeton, Mount Royal, Lakeland, The Green School, and Middle Alternative Partnership. Are you interested in bringing a club to your school? Get in touch here.

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    Baltimore Young Writers Summer Studio

    The Summer Studio is a one-week residential retreat for creative writing and college readiness for students who have completed grades 6-12. The Summer Studio takes place at Washington College in Chestertown, MD, where young writers live on campus for the week. The Studio has met annually since 2012.

  • YouthWorks

    In summer 2024, WBS became a YouthWorks site and employed twenty young writers for 5 weeks through the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development program. Our inaugural cohort of YouthWorks interns designed and launched The Playground, an anthology of writing from our 4 - 8th grade clubs.

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    Instructor Training Program

    Training creative writing instructors sits at the core of our work. Every year, we train a new cohort of instructors through the Teaching Writing in Baltimore Schools class in The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins. WBS alumni serve as mentors to our new writing instructors as they begin their journey in the classroom. Our 2024 - 2025 class marks our sixth cohort.

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    High School Program at Johns Hopkins University

    Each spring, we invite BCPS high school writers to take a college class alongside JHU undergraduates in The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins. In spring 2024, 15 students took Poetry & Social Engagement, led by Bruce Snider. Our spring 2025 class will mark the tenth year of this partnership.

  • Copies of 2020-2021 anthology

    Publications

    We publish two anthologies each year. For years, Baltimore by Hand published work from young writers in our Writing Clubs. In 2024, our high school writers rebranded this publication as The Playground, taking on design and publication during their YouthWorks internship. And the Baltimore Young Writers Studio releases an annual anthology of writing from the Studio.

  • Alumni pose on brick steps outside brick building

    Alumni Opportunities

    We love hiring alumni as Writing Club instructors, Summer Studio counselors, and mentors for the JHU Writing Seminars course. In 2022, we held our first alumni retreat at MidMidtown in Natural Bridge, VA. Alumni, please stay tuned for more programs and opportunities.

“I’ve grown as a writer by learning just how important community is to developing technique.”

— Aldrin, Grade 10

“[The Studio] is like a second home.”

— Amari, Grade 11

“Compared to my previous learning experiences, I felt more encouraged to seek guidance and ask questions in the Writers Studio. It offered an open space for me to learn not just by absorbing the information, but also interacting with it.” – Tayanita, Grade 12

— Tayanita, Grade 12

“I LOVE this program, and it’s always the highlight of my summer.” 

— Chiderá, Grade 12