What if you wrote The Teenage Anthem ?

As an artist, I look back at my own teen years and I think, “Thank God, that’s over!”

But I forget that the most important foundation of who I am now as a writer came to me when I was a teen in the form of a creative writing workshop.

These classes helped me with my self-esteem, kill boredom, and they even helped me break the barrier in academics, I was able to use my passion for writing, to turn my grades around and get into a competitive UC. Who knew?!

A lot of new writers feel insecure deep down about themselves. And teenage years can amplify this. Society teaches us that we are always doing it wrong.

Either we’re too loud or too quiet. We’re never cool enough. We lack focus or we’re too shy.

It’s always something.

Have you ever felt cool in your life? If you have, lucky you. For the rest of us…listen up:
Let me tell you a story about one of the young writers in Creative Writing Camp. Let’s just call her Suzy.

Suzy was very shy about being petite. And this combined with being one of the youngest writers in the workshop made her a little bit quiet.

She was smart as a whip though. Read all the time. Novels that were way above her grade level. And she didn't have anyone to talk about them with.

During the whole camp, she didn’t talk and during “lunch” – she stayed by herself and read. (Our lunch is later because we start at noon to accommodate “writers’ hours” aka teenagers’ need to sleep in.)

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Most of the writing exercises I gave, she did not write anything, but listened and then went back to reading her novel. But then, one day she wrote a poem about how she was really bad at this one sport. But how it was a metaphor for life.

And it was one of the best poems I ever read in any of my classes.

Of course, it wasn’t just about a sport. It started out as a journal entry.

But then I showed her how to break the lines, and she let me read it out loud to the class. Everyone could relate.

She went deep (like the assignment said she was supposed to) and had a break-through. Suzie didn’t just write a poem. She wrote a teenage anthem.

Then it ended with such a punch. About the world trying to get Suzie down before she has a chance to get up. But there was some kind of hope in that line. Because implied in the line was how she was learning to get back up. It added a tremendous strength to the piece.

I love this poem so much. It starts out pretty self-conscious, sad, feeling sorry because of failing at the sport (and maybe even at life), but ending was so strong.
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It could be about any sport. Tennis, or karate, or surfing. But it’s a metaphor for life. For trying new things. Failing…in the moment right before getting back up. Wow. It could be an anthem for all of our coming of age.

A lot of writers feel insecure about themselves just starting out. What we learn to do (wrong) as adults is silence our voice and move on.

Smooth over this insecurity to look cool. But if we’re brave enough to write from a place of truth like Suzy, we can really move people, and reach an audience.

In our creative writing summer camp, we strive to do just that. Write work that moves us.
This will not only help young writers feel better about themselves, find like-minded peers, but also it helps academically, too.

Here is what two parents said spontaneously about our writing camp in an email to me afterward:

If you’re already signed up, get excited! I look forward to welcoming you next week!

Ready to Join Us at Writing Camp next week? (Or the week after??

All you have to do is reply to this email to let us know youre in (and for which week), or register by clicking on the link below.

August 11-15: [4 spots left]

$450.00 Creative Writing Summer Camp Join our Teen Creative Writing Summer Camp this August! In this one week-workshop style summer camp, teens will write... Read more Sign Up Now

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August 18-22 [Plenty of Room - SFUSD goes back to school Aug 18. That's why.]

$450.00 Creative Writing Summer Camp for Teens | Week 2: August 18-22 Join our summer camp for young writers who love to write! Taught by professional published writers. Fun for beginning... Read more Sign Up!

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Here are some pictures from one of our zines:

And here's the cover of the zine we made last year containing the best work of the week. The students made it themselves. I supervised.

Dear Writers,

Thanks for reading!

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Sincerely,

Alexandra Kostoulas,

Founder & Executive Director,

SF Creative Writing Institute

415-371-9054

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