Scribes

Apply now for Scribes 2013!

Scribes is an intensive two-week creative writing program for middle and high school students. You'll acquire a tool kit of literary forms, pick up exercises and techniques to develop your writer's voice, get serious feedback from your instructors and peers and tour the city with a writer's eye.

Sessions are facilitated by professional writers who will help you bring out the best in your work. Each session is composed of 20 students and two instructors. Class runs 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday–Friday with lunch and a snack included. Community readings are held at the end of each session on Thursday evening, and beautiful anthologies are published at the end of the summer.

Session I (for students completing grades 7 & 8) – July 15 - 26, 2013
Session II (for students completing grades 9-12) – July 29 - August 9, 2013
Session III (for students completing grades 9-12) – August 12 - 23, 2013
Tuition: $650, scholarships available

Scribes students are accepted on the basis of their written application and writing sample as well as an in-person interview with Hugo House staff. We are looking for students who are excited about writing; who are able to talk about their writing process and challenges; and who are ready to be contributing members of a creative environment. Download a brochure to learn more about Scribes!

Apply now for Scribes 2013!

Apply by January 31, 2013 for early registration. Regular registration deadline is April 30 2013.

** Please note that applying and interviewing for Scribes does not guarantee admission. Scribes is a selective program drawing students from the Seattle area and around the country.

“My inner writer had never felt so alive than during the hours spent in that Cabaret space of Richard Hugo House. Ideas and words came so easily.”
–Adriane, Scribes alumna

What can you expect from Scribes? Here are some of the highlights from past summers:

Acclaimed guests
Besides your primary Scribes instructors, many illustrious guests visit Scribes to share their knowledge and experience. Monologuist Mike Daisey came to discuss his own writing life, and even gave Scribes a sneak preview of his latest show. Megan Kelso showed us the secrets behind her graphic novels. Macklemore performed for us, gave us a writing prompt and critiqued our work. David Shields talked about his life as a writer and Steven Schardt gave us the 411 on writing for the silver screen.

Unique field trips
Just because Scribes is a writing camp doesn’t mean that you’ll be holed up in the House all day long. In Scribes, you'll take trips to neighborhood art museums, parks and city streets to get us out and about, observing the world with writers’ eyes. We’ve gone to cemeteries, thrift stores and fire stations, Pike Place Market and Everyday Music in search of scene, scent, character and story.
 
Hands-on projects
There’s more to writing than simply putting pen to paper. ZAPP (Hugo House's Zine Archive and Publishing Project) provided supplies, inspiration and guidance for making a zine. Book artist Jennifer Borges Foster visited and led a workshop on how to make handmade books and broadsides. A visit to the Frye Art Museum got Scribes thinking about how to combine story with image, and if and how words can cure the world.

Inspiring prompts
Do you know what blackout poems are? How about Magical Realism? Do you think you could write a story using only book titles? What do you think a spleen would say if it could talk? At Scribes, you will draw inspiration from learning new styles, genres and forms, reading various authors, collaborating with your fellow participants and observing the world around you.