The opportunity to share with one another
Gathered for morning announcements
Enjoying a gorgeous Denison sunset
Exploring off campus
Program Details
Program Details
Application & Tuition
The Reynolds Young Writers Workshop is open to qualified students who have completed their sophomore or junior year in high school by June of the program year. We do not admit current ninth graders/rising sophomores or current seniors.
The program fee for the on-campus workshop, including tuition, housing, and meals for the 8-day program, is $1,500. (On-campus residency is required.)
We encourage all students to apply, regardless of your financial situation. Generous financial assistance, made possible through the Reynolds Endowment, is available based on need. A simple financial aid request form is included in the online application. There is NO application fee. The online application includes:
- A few short-answer questions
- A creative writing sample (up to 10 pages of fiction, poetry, and/or creative nonfiction)
- A recommendation from an English teacher or school counselor. Note: Your recommender will be asked to complete a short online form, NOT to send a letter. A link will be provided via the online application.
Complete instructions can be found on the online application form (hosted by Slideroom).
Program Events
Upcoming Workshop Dates: June 14 to 21, 2025
Application Deadline: March 3, 2025 at 11:59pm (EST)
Program Details
Session Descriptions
At the Reynolds Young Writers Workshop, we meet daily in small morning workshops (limited to 12 students per group). In addition, sessions led by visiting writers, individual conferences, and structured writing time further enhance your skills.
Morning Workshops
Daily morning workshop groups, each taught by a core faculty member, introduce you to the fundamentals of creative writing across the genres. Classes may include writing exercises, short reading assignments, and discussions of technique and craft. Most importantly, you’ll share and critique (“workshop”) each other’s drafts (in your genre of choice). Workshops help you learn to recognize your strengths and explore a variety of approaches to revision in a positive, supportive learning environment.
Afternoon Activities
Daily afternoon craft workshops from core faculty and guest writers give you an opportunity to delve in greater depth into a variety of genres and topics. Writing exercises and craft discussions are designed to help you develop your skills and explore elements of craft and literary form. Fun, interactive workshops will take your creativity in new directions—even out of the classroom, for a hike in Denison’s 300-acre Bio-reserve, to a hybrid poetry/yoga workshop, or perhaps even a fencing lesson.
Visiting Writers
It’s one thing to read the words of published authors; it’s another to hear those words directly from them and to have the opportunity to spend time with them in person. The Reynolds Workshop brings acclaimed poets and writers to campus to conduct workshops and give readings. Reynolds faculty members, all practicing writers, also give readings and talk about their work.
WRITING TIME
Quality writing time is central to the Reynolds Workshop experience. You’ll have daily opportunities to put into practice the things you learn. TAs lead structured writing activities in the evenings and are on hand informally to critique your work. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet individually with faculty members to discuss your work, aspirations, writing goals.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Cultural and recreational opportunities in the Granville and Columbus areas abound. Each week typically includes an afternoon’s excursion to the Columbus Museum of Art. Other activities may include hiking in Denison’s 350-acre bio-reserve, swimming, volleyball, movies, bowling, and trips for Whit’s frozen custard (a local treat)! There’s also free time for socializing and, of course, for writing. We celebrate the end of the week with a Sunday banquet lunch for participants and their families.
Program Details
Daily Schedule
Each day at the Reynolds Young Writers Workshop is packed with activity! Workshop groups meet each day from 9 am to noon and from 1 to 2:30 pm. Sessions with visiting writers, TAs, and/or individual conferences take up the remainder of the afternoons. Evenings are devoted to readings, followed by recreation and other informal activities. On our last evening, workshop participants read from the work they have produced during the week.
8 am
Breakfast
9 am to 12 noon
Morning workshop groups
12 noon to 1 pm
Lunch
1 to 2:30 pm
Afternoon genre workshops
2:30 to 4 pm
Visiting writer and special topics workshops
4 to 5:30
Free time
5:30 to 7:30 pm
Dinner
7:30 to 8:30 pm
Faculty reading
8:30 to 11:30 pm
Writing time, recreation, and other activities
11:30 pm
Room check
Program Details
Housing
Workshop participants live on campus in one of Denison’s residence halls. Students are typically housed in double rooms or suites with bathrooms on the hall. All rooms have online access in addition to campus-wide Wi-fi. A lounge area and computer lab with printers, all dedicated to our program, are also in the dorm. Laundry and kitchen facilities are available as well. The Teaching Associates reside in the residence hall along with program participants.
