Ventures Scholars Member Institution Enrichment Programs

Simon's Rock College of Bard
Great Barrington, MA

Young Writers Workshop
The Young Writers Workshop began in 1983 and is modeled after the innovative three-week Workshop in Language and Thinking required of all entering students at Bard College. Each year 70-80 students are selected to participate. Unlike conventional workshops in creative or expository writing, Simon's Rock's focuses on using informal, playful expressive writing as a way to strengthen skills of language and thinking. The subjects range from stories and poems the group has read, to personal experience, natural phenomena, and works of art. Out of this informal writing, using techniques of peer response, students develop more polished pieces, from poems and stories to interpretive essays. Classes are small and emphasize an atmosphere of trust and collaboration. Emphasis is given to discovering one's personal voice as a writer. Former students have gone on to enroll in such colleges as Amherst, Bard, Harvard, Haverford, Princeton, Simon's Rock, Smith, Williams, and Yale. During the three weeks students have the opportunity to attend plays, concerts, and other cultural activities that are part of summer life in the Berkshires

Learn more about the Young Writers Workshop at www.simons-rock.edu/young_writers.

Prerequisites/Application Process:
Applicants must be in ninth grade or above, possess solid verbal skills, and be intellectually motivated and socially mature.

Rolling admissions begin in January and typically end in May. Early application is recommended. A personal essay is required along with a teacher's recommendation. Application materials may be downloaded from the college's web site or can be requested by contacting the workshop Director.

Cost:
$1925.00

Scholarships:
Need-based financial aid is available. The applicant's family must submit a financial aid application form. This is included as part of the standard packet of application materials.

Application Deadline:
Rolling admissions, January to May

Program Dates:
June 26, 2005 - July 16, 2005

Contact:
Jamie Hutchinson, Director
Simon's Rock College of Bard
Phone - 413-528-7231
Email: jamieh@simons-rock.edu

*last updated 01/13/05