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About Young Writers Project

A FREE ONLINE COMMUNITY OF TEEN WRITERS AND VISUAL ARTISTS

​Young Writers Project (YWP) invites all young creators – 13 to 19 years of age – to join the YWP community. Sign up for a free account and explore a world of creativity with other teen writers and artists! YWP is an independent nonprofit that started in 2006 with a mission to inspire, mentor, publish, and promote young writers and artists.

SIGN UP FOR YOUR FREE YWP ACCOUNT

• If you are 13-19 years of age, sign up on our website.
• Use your personal email, not a school email.
• Choose a username, provide accurate information, get approved.
• Start creating your writing and visual art.
• Connect with others directly on the YWP site.
• Respond to inspiring writing and art challenges.
• Get published in YWP’s annual anthology and monthly literary magazine, and with our media partners in Vermont. 
• Embrace our guiding rule: Respect your fellow writers and artists. Help us keep YWP an oasis of civility on the internet.

Our website, the heart of YWP, is designed and intended specifically for teenagers, 13-19, who make up the majority of our online community. All new accounts are reserved for this age group. Younger account-holders who joined YWP before April 2024 are welcome to stay on the site, but new accounts for those 12 and younger will not be approved. We encourage younger writers and artists to keep creating and come back to us as soon as you turn 13!

QUICK LINKS

FAQ about YWP

How the Site Works

Terms & Conditions

YWP Newsletter

For Teachers

YWP Staff & Board

Alumni Advisors

annual report 22-23

YWP Archive Site

 CONTACT US

Questions? Contact Susan Reid, YWP executive director: [email protected] ,  (802) 324-9538

Upwright Youth

Unlock Your Writing Potential

Enhance your writing skills with personalized support, creative workshops, online courses and more – all 100% FREE for young writers.

About Upwright Youth

At Upwright Youth, we believe in the power of writing to transform lives. Founded by Mica P, a young passionate about education for youth and an avid writer, Upwright Youth is a free online program aimed at helping children and youth enhance their English writing skills. We believe that youth, regardless of background, can express themselves confidently and accurately through creative and academic writing. Our mission is to provide personalized support, one-to-one tutoring, writing resources, and engaging events to unlock their writing potential for a brighter future. Join us as a student, tutor, or donor and become part of an organization transforming the next generation into enthusiastic, capable writers.

Achieving Writing Perfection

Upwright Youth offers all a student needs to excel in their writing journeys. Our program is made to help every child and teen by giving them personalized support, one-to-one tutoring, writing resources, and engaging events all for free. From crafting a creative writing story, poem, or a college application essay there is an experienced Upwright Youth tutor ready to help you. Upwright Youth creates a supportive community where mentors and students work together and open the door to the limitless possibilities of writing while achieving writing proficiency. 

Join Our Team

Our dedicated team, composed of skilled writing mentors, educators, and passionate individuals, is united by a common goal: nurturing the next generation of writers and helping them excel in their writing endeavors. with diverse backgrounds yet a shared commitment to fostering creativity, our team is here to inspire and guide young writers on their literary journey..

Our Partners

Becoming a partner with upwright youth is more than a contribution; it's an investment in the potential of the next generation. your support directly fuels our efforts to provide personalized mentorship, dynamic workshops, and free online courses, ensuring that every child has the tools they need to become confident and accomplished writers. * due to that, we are not an official non-profit, upwright youth does not accept donations. , in the spotlight.

Upwright Youth Founder

I founded Upwright Youth because I want and  believe in a world where youth can express themselves confidently and accurately in both creative and academic writing. Writing has the power to transform lives, and I want to enable every child and teen to have the possibility to unlock their potential for a brighter future.

Upwright Youth Tutor

​ Having been here since the very beginning of Upwright Youth's development, I can see how much passion has been put to this project - everything is done straight from the heart by a passionate team! Literature is very beautiful form of art, able of capturing what other forms usually cannot so it is wonderful to have Upwright Youth to be able to nurture that in the younger generation. Young writers need that support, Upwright Youth provides them with that!

Upwright Youth Student

I love Upwright Youth because it has allowed me to better understand writing. The tutors take the time to help me with any writing assignments that I do not understand. With their help, my English grade has improved immensely!

Get Updates From Upwright Youth

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ABOUT US DONATE VOLUNTEER

Young writers project, application deadline: january 31, 2024.

The Carnegie Center invites young women and nonbinary writers in grades 9–12 to apply to the Young Writers Project, a  FREE series of intensive workshops focused on creative self-expression through writing. The selected group of participants will attend seven sessions (see below). In these workshops, experienced writers in their 20s and 30s will mentor on a variety of genres, encouraging participants to look within themselves for issues that are important in their lives. Participants will also learn techniques to deliver an effective literary reading and other business-of-writing tips. The program will culminate in a public reading and a Writing Mentor Day. Previously called the Young Women Writers Project, the Young Writers Project welcomes writers of all historically underrepresented genders who celebrate varied expressions of feminism. WHERE & WHEN:  All sessions take place from 10:00AM–2:00PM either virtually via Zoom or at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning (251 West Second Street, in downtown Lexington, KY). Participants must commit to attending all seven sessions. Workshops will be March 9 through April 27. **Workshops will cover a variety pf topics across different genres, all led by awesome, these local authors and poets: Elizabeth Kilcoyne , Danni Quintos , Kaitlyn Hill , Asha French , Olivia Cole , Savannah Sipple , and Mariama Lockington !** MARCH 9: Cohort Building with Elizabeth Kilcoyne MARCH 16: Seeing the Poem: Imagery, Ephemera, and Broadsides with Danni Quintos MARCH 23: From Meet-Cute to HEA: Writing Romance Your Way with Kaitlyn Hill MARCH 30: The Braided Essay with Asha French APRIL 6: NO SESSION APRIL 13: Writing the Self: Telling Personal Truths Through Fiction with Olivia A. Cole APRIL 20: What Now?: Revising and Reading Your Own Work with Savannah Sipple APRIL 27: Invoking All The Senses: Setting as Character! with Mariama J. Lockington WRITING MENTOR DAY: Participants will be required to attend a Writing Mentor Day at a local elementary school (typically one weekday in April from 3-5 PM; exact date/time TBD). The Carnegie Center can provide a letter to schools requesting early dismissal if needed. Participants will work in pairs, small groups, or individually on creative writing exercises with 4 th and 5 th grade girls. Cash stipends are provided for Mentoring Day participation.  PUBLIC READING: High school participants will be invited to showcase their writing talents in a public reading in May 2024 . Light refreshments will be served. Participation in the public reading is not mandatory, but strongly encouraged. Cash stipends are provided for participation in the public reading.  COST:  There is NO application fee or participation fee. Students admitted to the program will receive full scholarships covering all instruction and materials. Participants are asked to bring their own bag lunches, as lunch will not be provided. The Young Writers Project is funded in part by the Kentucky Foundation for Women. APPLICATION MATERIALS: To be considered for the program, please submit the following: • a completed cover sheet   • a one-page letter stating your interest and motivations for participation • a writing sample (5 pages maximum) • a photo/video release form (if you do not give us permission to use your photo, please make a note on the form) The cover sheet and the photo/video release form are included in the downloadable application (see below).  This program welcomes participants with diverse expressions of cultural identity; from varying communities of place; and with a range of worldviews, races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, and levels of ability. 

Questions? Please email Maggie Garnett at [email protected] .

The 2024 cohort will be limited to 15 Young Writers. Applicants will be notified no later than February 9.

The Carnegie Center is home to writers, lifelong learners, & the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame. We hope to see you soon!

251 West Second Street Lexington, KY 40507

(859) 254-4175 [email protected]

Monday – Friday: 10:00AM – 7:30PM Saturday & Sunday: CLOSED

Crazy Creatures 2024

Sos sagas: trapped, the big green poetry machine.

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The Big Green Poetry Machine | EXTENDED Closing Date: Fri, June 7 2024

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“the students were so excited to do this contest they were all engaged and even worked at home. the monster poetry support materials were great as well.”, promotes literacy in children.

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The Sunday Read: ‘Why Did This Guy Put a Song About Me on Spotify?’

The answer involves a remarkable — and lucrative, and ridiculous — scheme to game the way we find music today..

By Brett Martin

Read by Eric Jason Martin

Produced by Adrienne Hurst and Aaron Esposito

Narration produced by Tanya Pérez and Krish Seenivasan

Edited by John Woo

Original music by Aaron Esposito

Engineered by Sophia Lanman and Devin Murphy

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Have you heard the song “Brett Martin, You a Nice Man, Yes”?

Probably not. On Spotify, “Brett Martin, You a Nice Man, Yes” has not yet accumulated enough streams to even register a tally. Even Brett Martin, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and the titular Nice Man, didn’t hear the 1 minute 14 second song until last summer, a full 11 years after it was uploaded by an artist credited as Papa Razzi and the Photogs.

When Martin stumbled on “Brett Martin, You a Nice Man, Yes,” he naturally assumed it was about a different, more famous Brett Martin: perhaps Brett Martin, the left-handed reliever who until recently played for the Texas Rangers; or Brett Martin, the legendary Australian squash player; or even Clara Brett Martin, the Canadian who in 1897 became the British Empire’s first female lawyer. Only when the singer began referencing details of stories that he made for public radio’s “This American Life” almost 20 years ago did he realize the song was actually about him. The song ended, “I really like you/Will you be my friend?/Will you call me on the phone?” Then it gave a phone number, with a New Hampshire area code.

So, he called.

There are a lot of ways to listen to ‘The Daily.’ Here’s how.

We want to hear from you. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at [email protected] . Follow Michael Barbaro on X: @mikiebarb . And if you’re interested in advertising with The Daily, write to us at [email protected] .

Additional production for The Sunday Read was contributed by Isabella Anderson, Anna Diamond, Sarah Diamond, Elena Hecht, Emma Kehlbeck, Tanya Pérez, Frannie Carr Toth and Krish Seenivasan.

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