About

The Young Writers & Leaders (YWL) program at The Telling Room in Portland, Maine, is an intensive nine-month writing and leadership experience for high school students (grades 9–12) that blends creative craft with community engagement. Unlike shorter summer camps, YWL meets weekly throughout the school year at The Telling Room’s writing center. The program is entirely free of charge, reflecting a mission to amplify diverse youth voices, particularly those from international and immigrant backgrounds.

The curriculum focuses on poetry, fiction, and memoir, using storytelling as a tool for social reflection and identity exploration. Participants are selected through an application process that prioritizes students who are eager to build their voices and leadership capacities. For the 2026–2027 cycle, the application period begins in late August 2026.

Participants engage in workshops led by experienced literary mentors and professional writers. The program is designed to move students from generative writing to professional publication; it culminates in a public reading at a major Portland venue and the launch of a professionally published anthology of student work.

YWL is a cornerstone of The Telling Room’s "year-round creative ecosystem." In addition to writing labs, the 2026 curriculum includes a specialized Climate Fiction component, where students contribute to a statewide anthology of youth environmental writing. Because the program is commuter-only and located in the heart of Portland’s Old Port, it utilizes the city as an "urban classroom" for sensory writing and field reporting. Graduates of YWL often move into the Young Emerging Authors fellowship, a 15-month program where individual students write and publish their own full-length books.