MWC's Young Emerging Writers summer internship program now accepting applications

Applications now are being accepted for the Young Emerging Writers (YEW) summer internship program through the Midwest Writing Center.

The six-week program is for teens ages 15-19 who are interested in creating and publishing works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and/or drama. The program will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. June 9-11, 16-18, 23-25, June 30; July 1-2, 7-19, and 14-16, culminating with The Atlas Launch Party at 7 p.m. Aug. 13.

Students who worked on the school newspaper, school literary magazine or yearbook, or who just love writing, or page layout and graphic design, are ideal candidates for YEW.

The ultimate goal of the program is the development of writing abilities, professional skills and the production and distribution of a literary journal, The Atlas, which represents the best work of the participants, and more.

Internships feature intensive seminars in poetry, narrative prose and collaborative writing and more. Interns will learn about magazine design and layout, as well as gain editorial and copy-editing experience, the release states.

Ten to 15 interns will be selected based on applications, writing or design samples, and interviews. The writing and editing of stories, essays, poems and/or plays at home is required, as is reading and responding to work by other interns.

Each intern also will receive a small stipend, a free full-conference registration to the David R. Collins Writers' Conference at St. Ambrose University June 26-28, a one-year membership to the Midwest Writing Center and three copies of The Atlas.

 Applications are available and the deadline for submission is May 17. For more information, contact Ryan Collins, 563-324-1410, or mwc@midwestwritingcenter.org

New Youth Endowment

Starting with funds generously received from the Tim Curry Memorial, 


Tim Curry

a Youth Program Endowment was begun with the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend. This Fund will permanently provide annual support for youth writing programs such as the Young Emerging Writers Summer Internship Program that Tim developed and implemented in 2006. The objective of the Fund is to eventually support all of MWC’s youth writing programs to ensure that future generations of youth can be encouraged to write and develop their creative talents.

Please consider supporting Tim’s dream and life’s work of encouraging young writers by supporting the Midwest Writing Center’s Endowment for Youth Writing Programs. Contributions to the Fund may be made by sending a check, payable to the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, to:

Community Foundation of the Great River Bend

ATTN: MWC Endowment for Youth Writing Programs
852 Middle Road, Suite 100
Bettendorf, IA 52722 

Online donations can be made by clicking here and then “Donate Now” on the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend’s website.

If you are an Iowa taxpayer, your gift to this Fund may be eligible for the Endow Iowa Tax Credit. Through the Endow Iowa Tax Credit Program, your gift could qualify for a 25% tax credit in addition to the standard charitable deduction. If you are interested in including this endowment fund as a beneficiary in estate plan please contact Barb Melbourne, CFGRB’s Vice President of Development at 563-326-2840 or barbaramelboune@cfgrb.org.

August 10th- The Atlas Launch Party

The Young Emerging Writers (YEW) Summer Internship Program will host the launch party for their publication The Atlas on August 10, 2011 at 7 p.m. at the Midwest Writing Center. The Young Emerging Writers are students ages 15-19 who underwent an application and interview process for the privilege of participating in this six-week paid internship.

The YEW Internship Program provides skills in editing, writing, decision-making, and project design. In a mere 40 hours, students receive instruction in prose, poetry, and drama. The Atlas is a compilation of this writing and illustrates the students' newfound skills in magazine design and publication. The students also plan and organize the launch party to showcase their magazine – which will be sold nationally.

This event is FREE and open to the public. Come help us celebrate!!

The Midwest Writing Center’s Young Emerging Writers Summer Internship Program is now Accepting Applications

For those young people in the Quad Cities who are passionate about writing, the Midwest Writing Center offers the Young Emerging Writers (YEW) Summer Internship Program.  This selective six-week program is for talented graduating and continuing high school students, ages 15-19, interested in creating and publishing works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and/or drama.  Students who worked on the school newspaper, school literary magazine or yearbook, or who just love writing or page layout and graphic design, are ideal candidates for YEW.  The ultimate goal of the program is development of intern writing abilities and the production and distribution of a literary journal representing the best work of the participants. 

Young Emerging Writer internships feature intensive seminars in poetry, narrative prose (fiction & nonfiction) and collaborative writing among other kinds of creative writing in a professional learning atmosphere.  Interns will learn about magazine design and layout as well as gain editorial and copy-editing experience.  The program culminates with the production of The Atlas, a high-quality literary journal featuring the best work produced by the interns over the course of the program.  The journal will be released at The Atlas Launch Party, an open house where interns read from their selected works and the journal is made available to the public. 

Ten to twelve interns will be selected for the program on the basis of their application forms, writing or design samples, and interviews.  The writing and editing of stories, essays, poems, and/or plays at home is required, as is reading and responding to work by other interns.  Each intern will also receive a small stipend, a free full-conference registration the David R. Collins Writers' Conference, a one-year membership to the Midwest Writing Center and three copies of The Atlas. 

The 2011 YEW program schedule is as follows:
June 13-15, 6:00- 8:30 p.m.
June 20-22, 6:00- 8:30 p.m.
June 27-29, 6:00- 8:30 p.m.
July 5-6, 6:00- 8:30 p.m.
July 11-13, 6:00- 8:30 p.m.
July 18-20, 6:00- 8:30 p.m.
Launch Party TBA

Applications are available online.  The deadline to submit an application is May 15^th.  Interviews will be by appointment or conducted via telephone.  If you have any questions, please contact the Midwest Writing Center at (563) 324-1410 or via email at mwc@midwestwritingcenter.org or Ryan Collins via email at ryancollins3@netzero.com. The Young Emerging Writers Internship Program is supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council, the Mary Iva Gittens Knouse Trust, the Melvin McKay Charitable Trust and Quad City Arts Dollars.