by Mike Allegra, TWC Instructor Years ago, I wrote and edited for an alumni magazine called The Lawrentian, a job that allowed me to meet a lot of fascinating people. One such person was Ken Hakuta, the inventor of The Wacky Wallwalker—a sticky, octopus-ish thing that…

By Rebecca Kilroy, Summer Intensive Coordinator We’ve said it countless times, so much so that it’s become a refrain during the Summer Intensive: we would be lost without our interns. From directing car loops on the very first morning to stacking chairs on the last,…

TWC Instructor Mike Allegra talks about why writing crap can be a good thing. Sometimes I need to get a weird idea out of my system. That’s why my picture book manuscript, Momma No-Nose, exists. Momma No-Nose is the poignant tale of a mom who,…

TWC Instructor Katie Barasch talks about the ups and downs of launching her debut novel As I write this, it’s been a whirlwind month since my debut novel, A Novel Obsession, was published by Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The novel follows an…

by TWC Co-Director Michelle Cameron We were understandably nervous as we planned our very first Summer Creative Writing Intensives. What if the teens were bored after the first hour? What if someone burst into tears at a critique? How would we manage those kids who…

TWC instructor Kris Waldherr discusses her journey from traditionally published to hybrid author I’m one of those lucky authors who was able to get published almost immediately out of college. My first book came out in 1988 with an imprint of Putnam Books, one of…

compiled by Rebecca Kilroy, SCWI Coordinator It’s impossible to imagine what the Summer Intensives would be like without our incredible team of interns. Lively lunchtimes, epic Frisbee games, far-flung field trips and some of the funniest short skits you’ve ever heard are all possible because…

Reminiscing with TWC Directors Judith Lindbergh and Michelle Cameron After nearly a decade of running the Summer Creative Writing Intensives, The Writers Circle’s completely out-of-the-box, super-fun, creative writing program for teens, TWC directors Judith Lindbergh and Michelle Cameron got together to recall about how it…

TWC creative nonfiction instructor Kathy Curto discusses process and product, chaos and vision The book weighs a little over eight pounds, contains 472 pages and is about the size of those classic briefcases seen in old movies. It’s what some consider a coffee table book.…

TWC poetry and fiction instructor Jared Harel delves into the beauty he discovered reading children’s books I don’t remember being read to as a child. My parents were good ones—doting and thoughtful—so perhaps I was, but nothing comes to mind. In fact, I recall only…

By TWC Founder/Director Judith Lindbergh  For years, I’ve been saying that I don’t believe in writer’s block—that I prefer to call it writer’s challenge. Well, I’ve been experiencing a whole lot of writer’s challenge during these last few weeks.  According to my research, it’s not…

We’re excited to welcome publishing pro and author Rachel Kempster Barry to our teaching staff.  Rachel knows this business inside and out and will help you get a handle on how publishing runs and how you can strategize for the good of your own writing. …