FARMINGTON — The University of Maine at Farmington’s Longfellow Young Writers Camp is looking for high school students who love to write and are interested in sharpening their creative talents.

New this year is the opportunity for all participants to earn one early-college credit for their Longfellow experience. Campers who participate in two additional online Longfellow workshops will earn three credits.

The week-long residential camp will be held from July 16-22, on the UMF campus. Student participants will reside in a UMF residence hall and be accompanied by UMF student counselors. Applications are being accepted until May 1.

This unique creative writing camp brings high school writers together to create, connect and collaborate in the beautiful lakes and mountains region of Maine. It is sponsored by the UMF Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program, and features small, supportive workshops in fiction, poetry, screenwriting, memoir, and songwriting, taught by distinguished UMF faculty, published authors, and guest lecturers.

“Longfellow Young Writers’ Camp will give high schoolers the chance to discover new approaches to their creative work. They will get feedback from published writers, learn how to workshop, have the opportunity to make chapbooks, read at an open mic, explore the natural beauty of the western mountains of Maine, and get a taste of residential life on the UMF campus,” said Lewis Robinson, UMF assistant professor of creative writing and Longfellow program director.

Lead faculty for the program include Kristen Case, UMF professor of English, and author Ron Currie.

Case is the recipient of the Maine Literary Award in Poetry (2016 and 2020), a MacDowell Fellowship, and the UMF Trustee Professorship. Currie’s work has won the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Award, the Addison M. Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Alex Award from the American Library Association, and the Pushcart Prize.

Amy Neswald, UMF assistant professor of creative writing, and Jaed Coffin, UNH associate professor of creative writing, will also teach in the program.

The Longfellow Young Writers Camp has an all-Inclusive Cost of $675. This includes tuition and room & board (on-campus housing and meals.) Scholarships are available. Applications for partial and full scholarships are due by April 15.

More information and a link to the application form can be found at Longfellow Young Writers Camp.

Or contact Lewis Robinson, assistant professor of creative writing and director of the Longfellow Program at [email protected] for more details.