#UMassGives 2019

At the Juniper Institute for Young Writers, high school students from all over the country, with vastly different life experiences, find access to the writer's life and bond over a shared love for the literary arts.

Through a curriculum that facilitates wild invention, participants generate new writing, experiment with style and form, access tools for finding inspiration in their day-to-day lives, and learn how to connect with an audience. Living together in close-knit "pods," Young Writers participate in workshops, studio sessions, readings, and field trips across the Pioneer Valley. Many also earn academic credit while they enjoy a pre-college residential experience on the UMass Amherst campus.

In more than a decade of offering this summer Institute, hundreds of young writers have immersed themselves in the writer’s life here, an experience that they tell us continues to resonate with them for years to come.

Ways to Help:

Donate during our Power Hour: noon-1 pm on April 29th. If we have the most individual gifts in that hour, we win a $2000 Power Hour bonus--that’s the equivalent of an entire scholarship! We've come up with some pretty great incentives too! 

Anyone who donates $5 or more during our Power Hour is in the running to win one of these gifts:

• A personalized (soma)tic ritual from the poet CAConrad
• A handmade sketch from poet & visual artist Bianca Stone. 
• One-page instructions for a headstand by fiction writer Noy Holland.
• A brief voicemail recording for their phone from poet Peter Gizzi.
• A ten-minute hangout with poet Dara Wier and her dog MiMi.

Also, donors who give $50 or more will receive a signed, framable piece of writing from either the fiction writer Joy Williams, poet Ross Gay, or poet CAConrad! 

Spread the word about our Power Hour. The more individual gifts we receive, the better our odds of reaching our goal and winning the bonus. Share on social media! Text or email friends!

 Follow us on Facebook & Instagram to share our posts to your network to garner more support!

Juniper participants say:

“Never had I been exposed to kids interested in the same things, leading such different lives in such different places than myself. We were able to engage in meaningful discussions with such different perspectives, ideas, and opinions, and appreciate the work of others.”

“Sometimes I think writers seem far away behind that microphone, unreachable to mere 17-year-olds, but these were people who ate lunch with us, people we had real conversations with. People we could be someday.”

“Because writing is such a solitary activity, it's good to spend time living in a community of people who are as passionate about writing as you are. My friends and fellow writers definitely fueled my love of writing.”

Every year, many more talented young writers apply for scholarships than the number we have available. We are grateful to our scholarship sponsors: the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, the Hayden Foundation, Four Wings Photography, Raw Art Works, and the Scholastic Awards Summer Scholarship program, for offering scholarships to young writers this summer.

You can help make this pivotal experience available to even more young writers with your #UMassGives donation. Our goal this year is to raise $4,000 to fund two new Young Writer scholarships.

Every writer can remember a moment when the path to a creative life became visible to them for the first time. We hope you’ll join us in nurturing that spark.

Thank you!

More information about the Juniper Institute for Young Writers

Hear what Young Writers have to say about their Juniper experience