Wittenberg’s new summer immersive writing program, Champion City Write Now (CCWN), just received a big boost for 2024 with the awarding of $5,000 through the Springfield Foundation for operational expenses, including marketing materials, program supplies, and student supplies.

Open to students in the Clark County area, the program will be offered for two weeks this year with the additional funding. One week will be offered to local rising students in grades 10 through 12 starting Monday, June 17 through Friday, June 21, and a second week for local rising students in grades seven through nine starting Monday, June 24 through Friday, June 28.

“The Springfield Foundation has a long history of supporting education and arts initiatives for students in Clark County,” said Erin Hill, senior professor of practice in the education department at Wittenberg, who serves as the director of the program “We are thrilled that the Foundation has awarded us this grant, and we are deeply appreciative of their investment in young people’s artistic and academic development. The funding helps us expand to a second week of camp this year, and we look forward to connecting with the many young creative writers in our community.”

Attendees will participate in daily workshops throughout the week on Wittenberg’s campus. Led by CCWN’s team of instructors, students will learn about four different genres of writing, including fiction, poetry, narrative nonfiction, and graphics to create stories, poems, essays, and comics.

The writers’ camps will conclude with a final evening of celebration and showcasing as campers will read their best work at a public event. All participants will also publish their selected pieces in the printed CCWN Anthology.

Hill’s experience as an essayist and former high school creative writing teacher informs her work. At Tippecanoe High School in Miami County, she and poet-colleague Aimee Noel assembled a student editorial team of writers to found Inferno, a literary journal of student writing. They also hosted off-campus literary events for adolescent writers, including coffee house readings and Night Writes. Hill says, “After each event, students would ask us, ‘When can we do this again?’”

The CCWN team at Wittenberg knows students want to connect with other writers and publish their work. The team is eager to provide that opportunity for young people in Clark County and surrounding areas.

Applications will open in January 2024, and all local area students are encouraged to apply. Students in Clark County will be given priority application review. The cost for this year's camp is $100. Eligible students may apply for a partial need-based fee reduction. Applicants should submit a short writing sample of their best original work in their preferred genre (fiction, poetry, nonfiction, graphic work/comics) to be considered for the workshop. Applications are due by April 30, 2024, but will be considered on a rolling basis until all spots are filled. Candidates will be notified of their acceptance by May 28, 2024.

Only one entry per student is necessary and only a single author writing sample is required. All accepted students must pay a $50 nonrefundable deposit no later than June 3, 2024. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from campus each day.

For more information on the summer workshop, go to https://www.wittenberg.edu/academics/education/champion-city-write-now. Other questions may be sent to Hill at hille3@wittenberg.edu.