Discovering Your Voice (Rising 10th-12th Graders)

Find your voice and your community this summer! In this creative writing workshop, rising 10-12th graders will join a unique community of writers on the UAlbany campus. Young writers will visit multiple spaces on campus for inspiration as they explore multiple genres of writing. On each day of the workshop, acclaimed professional authors affiliated with the New York State Writers Institute will visit to give readings and engage in craft discussions. Gifted facilitators from the Capital District Writing Project will lead carefully designed writing exercises and provide prompts to help young writers find their voice and go on a journey of creative discovery. After a week of writing and individualized feedback, young writers will share their writing in a culminating celebratory showcase and contribute to an online space highlighting the work of workshop participants past and present.

This workshop is for highly motivated and creative high school students who are eager to develop their craft and to find their voice in a supportive writing community.

Highlights:
• July 7-11, 2025, 9am-4pm
• For rising 10th-12th graders
• Creative writing across multiple genres
• Visits and readings from acclaimed guest authors
• Small class size
• One-on-one writing conferences
• Expert guidance from exemplary writing teachers
• Lunch provided
• Culminating celebratory showcase
• Publication opportunities

Facilitator Bios
Chelsea Goodbred - For the last seventeen years, Chelsea Goodbred has taught English and writing at Columbia High School in East Greenbush. Currently, she teaches tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade, as well as a Creative Writing elective. As an English major at the University at Albany, she began exploring the many ways she could inspire her students to understand and appreciate the connections between literature, writing, and individual life experiences. While exploring the power of memoir and poetry writing in her own writing practice, she discovered the importance and value of encouraging students to tell their own meaningful stories with beautifully crafted language. For the last three summers, she has co-facilitated the Discovering your Voice workshop and looks forward to a fourth summer of magical and meaningful writing.

Emily Hass - Emily Hass currently teaches English 9 Honors, English 10, Creative Writing, and Drama at Niskayuna High School. She could not be more excited to be heading into her third summer co-facilitating the Discovering Your Voice workshop! Having earned a degree in English and theatre from Bucknell University, she has a deeply rooted passion for theatre and film and is always looking for creative ways to weave elements of both into the classroom to promote student engagement. She believes in the power of the written word to transform, ignite, and empower and loves using visuals in the classroom to inspire students to discover their voices and share their stories through writing. Emily enjoys exploring different genres in and out of the classroom, but particularly loves poetry and nonfiction.

Shannon Spollen - Shannon Spollen currently teaches English 10 Honors, College Composition, Literature & Writing, Creative Writing, & Public Speaking at Clayton A. Bouton High School in Voorheesville. Being dual-certified in ENL (English as a New Language), she has spent time in various classrooms spanning grade levels and deeply understands that the written word often serves as its own language. Her personal experiences with narrative writing, as well as the integration of writing as a social-emotional outlet into her curriculum, affords her the opportunity to assist students in their own exploration of poetry, prose, and varying other genres. She believes that every student, from every background and at every level, has a story to tell.

If you have any questions, please let us know! For more information, please email Nancy Czachor at CDWPWriteNow@gmail.com.

The cost of this workshop is $550. Please note that payment is not due at the time you submit your application. If you are accepted into the workshop, the payment fee would be due prior to the start of the workshop. Scholarships may be available.

Application:
• Online application form
• A 300-word Statement, Essay, Story, or Poem that illustrates how writing has been meaningful in your life
• Letter of Recommendation (from a teacher or advisor)
• Optional: Creative Writing Sample
• Application deadline extended to May 23rd, 2025

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION