Written by Madeline Arcaro, Administrative Associate and Assistant Instructor In the spirit of winter relaxation and renewal, on the weekend of February 13th we held our first-ever DC-area winter retreat at Camp Hanover in Mechanicsville, Virginia! We split into two tracks – creative writing and RPGs – for a full weekend of fun, relaxation, and …
Written by Bianca Turetsky, Director Of Programs and the Brooklyn Region On Tuesday evening, a small but mighty group of young writers and their loved ones battled subway delays, spring break plans, and joined together in the basement community room of the Park Slope Library to celebrate the end of the winter trimester with a …
Written by Imani Parker, Specialty Programs Coordinator On March 14th, 2026, thirteen Writopia debaters bravely logged onto Zoom to take part in an abbreviated World Schools Style debate tournament alongside our partners at Debate Spaces. They competed internationally, going up against debaters from different parts of the world. It was my first tournament as Writopia …
Written by Léna Roy, Chief of Education and Program Innovation Yes, we braved frigid temperatures yet again and hosted another Teen Open Mic: the first one in Westchester since the pandemic. We were invited to collaborate with Mt. Kisco Arts Council and were hosted by a boutique bookstore called Curio Room. Stepping into Curio Room …
Excerpt from the Foreword of “Frightopia: Creature Feature” First, congratulations to all of the writers who submitted wonderfully spooky Halloween stories and poems to the third edition of Frightopia. We are thrilled to have been able to include 133 pieces out of the hundreds that made us think, smile, imagine, gasp, wince, and, sometimes even… …
Written by Léna Roy, Chief of Education and Program Innovation Even with frigid temperatures and excitement about Sunday’s snowstorm, teens still bundled up and came out to La Marqueta in East Harlem for a Teen Open Mic. In concert with the Nuyorican and hosted by Yesi’s Bookstore and Giftshop, we were given a warm welcome …
Written by Rita Feinstein, D.C. Regional Manager On the evening of December 11th, 2025, DC families braved the cold to come support their young writers at our Fall Reading at the Tenley-Friendship Library. Co-hosts Gabe and Mason—members of our advanced teen Creative Portfolio program—brought flair, humor, and natural charisma to the event. We had a …
Written by Peter Quinn-Jacobs, Associate Director of Operations On Saturday and Sunday, jurors gathered at our labs in New York and DC to read student writing that was submitted to the Scholastic Writing Awards this fall. As part of our commitment to uplifting teen voices, Writopia has been a steadfast partner of the Scholastic Awards …
Written by Léna Roy, Director of Teen Programs Saturday, November 22nd, 2025 marked Writopia and the Nuyorican’s new partnership with Yesi’s Book Store and Gift Shop, where we had our first Teen Open Mic since July. Under the Metro North train line in Spanish Harlem, Yesi’s is part of a community space called La Marqueta, …
Written by Léna Roy, Director of Teen Programs In partnership with the beautiful Greenburgh Library in Southern Westchester, we had our final Reading Celebration of 2025 upstairs in the Teen Room. Emi Shapiro, long-time Writopian and current freshman at Dartmouth, was able to step in at the last minute when one of our co-emcees was …