Our motto is “Write Your Truth,” and while writing is often a solitary art, it needn't be a lonely one. The conference takes place at Washington College, a thriving community where aspiring poets, novelists, and journalists study with prize-winning authors to hone their craft. The college is also home to the famous Sophie Kerr Prize, the world’s largest undergraduate creative writing award, worth more than $70,000.
At the Cherry Tree Young Writers’ Conference, students take intensive creative writing workshops with nationally renowned authors in one of three genres (poetry, fiction, or journalism), discuss literature with English faculty, and attend professional readings and craft panels. They explore the world of literary internships and grants in publishing, writing, and editing. Additionally, they learn what it’s like to work at college publications such as Cherry Tree, Washington College’s national literary journal.
This summer, our 10th annual literary extravaganza takes place July 15-18. The cost is $849 per participant, which includes our "Writing a Successful College Admissions Essay" workshop. We offer a number of merit, regional, and/or genre scholarships that cover the full cost of the conference.
To be considered for a scholarship, please upload a writing sample that corresponds to the workshop track you have chosen. For poetry please submit up to three poems as a single document. For fiction and journalism submit one document of no more than 750 works in your chosen genre.
All writing samples should be submitted as either a PDF or Microsoft Word document. The heading of your document should note the workshop track you have chosen, and the scholarships for which you are eligible.
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