The Center for Writers at The University of Southern Mississippi will host a Young Authors Academy — a creative writing summer camp June 20-24 for young teens ages 9-14. The camp will be held from 1 p.m.- 5 p.m. on the Hattiesburg Campus.

YAA offers learning opportunities for teens who want to practice creative writing in a nurturing and collaborative space. Participants will be introduced to fiction, poetry, and related articles designed to diversify writing skills.

“We hope the writing camp sparks the creativity of students in the Hattiesburg community,” said Dr. Monika Gehlawat, Professor of English and Associate Director in the School of the Humanities. “We want to foster a love for literary arts in young people who discover how to tap into their talent and gain confidence in their own writing skills.”

Staffed by published writers in USM’s Creative Writing program, YAA participants will engage in creative writing workshops and field trips on the USM campus to popular destinations including the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection, M.M. Roberts Stadium, the Rose Garden and other sites.

As a way to give students a chance to showcase the work they produce, the camp will culminate with a public reading. In addition, they will get a printed anthology of their writing to take home and share with their families.

The summer camp cost is $175 per student. Contact usmhumanitiescamps@gmail.com for more information.

The Center for Writers is a creative writing program in the School of Humanities at USM. Students work toward M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in English with emphases in fiction, nonfiction, prose and poetry taught by distinguished faculty who are widely published in their field.