Young Writers Residential Workshops

You are eligible to apply if you will be between 16 and 18 years old at the time of the program and will be a rising junior or rising senior in high school, or a recent high school graduate. Rising sophomores are not eligible to apply, even if they are already 16. Most of our participants are rising juniors and seniors, but we occasionally accept talented students who have just graduated high school before the program begins. Students who are current high school sophomores but will not turn 16 until after the program are eligible to apply. We cannot make exceptions to our age requirements.

International students are eligible to apply, as are students who have participated in online Young Writers workshops in the past. International students enrolling in the workshop will need a B-2 or B-1/B-2 visa to attend. Students who have already attended our residential workshop are ineligible to apply again.

Young Writers participants are a diverse group, representing a wide range of academic and personal interests. You should apply for the Young Writers program if you like to work with other people, are open to experimenting with new approaches, are willing to be playful and take some risks as a learner, and are interested in the process of learning more than final goals.

You will need to create a free Submittable account in order to apply, which you can do on our application page. A complete application consists of the following:

• The online application form on Submittable (available in early January)
• A 300-word statement, essay, story, or poem that illustrates why and/or how writing has been meaningful in your life (you may be as straightforward or creative with this prompt as you like, but you cannot exceed 300 words)
• A high-school transcript, to be uploaded with the application form (we accept official and unofficial transcripts)
• The email address of the person who will provide a letter of recommendation (this does not need to be from a school teacher; it can be written by anyone who has worked with or is familiar with your writing, such as a writing coach or mentor)
• Financial aid information and optional supporting financial aid documentation (if you will be applying for need-based financial aid)

We do not accept supplemental materials.

Applications must be submitted by March 1st at 11:59 pm PST. Teachers will have until March 7th at 11:59 pm PST to upload letters of recommendation. We do not accept applications beyond the March 1st deadline.

How do I submit my transcript?

We strongly prefer that you upload a copy of your transcript when you submit your online application form. We accept both official and unofficial transcripts. Unofficial transcripts may include a scanned copy or photograph of a recent report card, a screenshot of an online report card, or any other document that clearly shows your name and all of your high-school grades and classes thus far.

If you are unable to upload a transcript with your application, you may upload a document in place of your transcript that indicates how we can expect to receive your transcript: email (yw@kenyonreview.org), fax (740-427-5522), or mail (Kenyon Review Young Writers, Finn House, 102 W. Wiggin St., Gambier, OH 43022)

The total cost of the program is $2,575, which covers program tuition, accommodations, all meals, and all activities. We do not cover travel costs.

In order to enroll in the program, accepted students must pay a non-refundable $500 deposit and submit enrollment forms by April 8th. The balance of the program cost is due on or before May 18th.

We offer need-based financial aid for families who cannot afford the costs of the program. Financial aid decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. We are usually able to offer the amount of financial aid requested to all admitted students. Financial aid decisions are made in conjunction with admissions decisions; however, acceptance decisions are not affected by aid requests. Please note: we can only offer aid to cover the $2,575 cost of the program and cannot provide funding for travel.

In order to apply for need-based financial aid, please fill out the “Financial Aid” section of the online application form.

The selection committee pays particular attention to the 300-word statement and the teacher recommendation. We are looking for students who show real talent and passion for writing, as well as students who will thrive in both the workshop and residential setting. We strive to admit a diverse group of students with a wide range of academic and personal interests.

The Young Writers Workshop is a highly selective program. We are only able to admit a small percentage of applicants and have to turn away many talented writers each year. If you are not accepted this year and will still be eligible next year, we encourage you to reapply.

Submitting your application early does not provide any advantage. All applications are reviewed together after the deadline, and decisions are released at the same time. We aim to notify applicants by the end of March, though timing may vary depending on the number of applications received.

Due to the volume of applications we receive each year, we cannot comment on individual applications or offer feedback on application essays.

Workshop groups of 12-14 students meet for five hours a day. All workshops follow a similar curriculum covering all genres of writing. Workshop time is spent freewriting, responding to writing prompts and assignments, discussing assigned readings, and sharing and discussing each other’s work. 

Everyone in the classroom, including instructors, writes and shares work every day. The workshop is ungraded and student work is not evaluated in any formal sense. Instead, instructors emphasize techniques for responding to work in ways that will help the writer recognize their strengths, potential, and avenues for productive revision. Instructors also meet with each student in individual conferences.

In addition to the regular workshop group, students have the opportunity to sign up for a genre session, which is a mini, three-part workshop focusing on a specific genre or craft element. These sessions give students the chance to work with a different instructor and student group, and to hone in on an element of writing that interests them. Genre session topics vary each session.

Our instructors are talented writers and teachers from around the country who have a long association with The Kenyon Review and the Young Writers program. Many of our instructors have been published in The Kenyon Review and several are Kenyon College alums. Most have advanced degrees in creative writing and teach high school and/or college during the academic year. Because many of our instructors have been teaching in the program for several years, they are a strong team with a deep understanding of the curriculum and philosophy of the Young Writers program.

The Young Writers Summer Online Workshop will take place June 14–19, 2026. Applications for this workshop are now open. Students may only attend one Young Writers Workshop per summer, but are welcome to apply to both programs.