Registration open!

Add your name to our youth program email list to be kept up to date on all our programs.

Description of Program
2023 Remote Courses
2023 In-Person Camps
Registration Information
Basic Requirement for Participation

Description of Program

This summer we will be offering both in-person camps and online virtual courses. Both of our programs give children who are interested in writing the time and opportunity to explore writing through a range of genres of writing. Each of our programs this summer draw upon the unique skills of our Bay Area Writing Project Teacher Consultants (classroom teachers from around the Bay Area!). Kids will be able to explore their interests, discover their strengths and take writing risks that they might not be able to in a traditional classroom setting.

Participants will experience writing instruction with trained writing teachers, writing time, flexibility in what types of writing they want to pursue, guided group and peer response, and daily opportunities to share writing. 

Our teachers strive to nurture kids’ growth into independent writers. Instruction includes craft lessons, such as –how to incorporate imagery into one’s writing, how to write clearly, how to create believable characters — as well as method lessons — how to get started, the ins and outs of drafting, how to get a lot out of your peer editors. 

In addition to our regular programs we offer our writers the opportunity to sign up for a remote 1-on-1 revision session with a teacher, join the family write night where we can show off our new writing skills to family and friends, and submit a piece to our end of season Youth Ambush Digital Zine. Stay tuned for all these exciting options during the summer!

Please email bawp@berkeley.edu if you would like to be placed on a waitlist for any of our full courses.

2023 Remote Courses

Remote Course: Science Fiction Journey: Exploring Space and Time
June 20 – 30, 2023 (2 Weeks – Starts 6/20)
9:00 am – 12:00 pm PST
Grades 3rd – 8th
$625.00

Are you ready to explore space and time? Whether you think technology is taking over the world or it’s the cure to our problems – this course was created for you! Design a world where time travel is possible, animals have developed the ability to talk, life can happen in dual realities, or people have evolved to be half human/ half robot (cell phone replacing the right hand – anyone?). The scope of your creativity is the only thing limiting you!

In this course we will touch upon many Sci-Fi themes that could include world building, space exploration, time travel, fantasy fiction, supernatural, and alternate forms of life.

Full!: Remote Course: Yes, You’re a Poet!
June 26 – 30, 2023 (1 Week)
9:00 am – 12:00 pm PST
Grades 6th – 8th Only
$350.00

The world is filled with poetry and we are all poets. A poet is a noticer, paying close attention to the world around them. In this course we’ll discover ways to sharpen our focus and be open to the invitation to write anytime, anywhere. Using artifacts, memories, and daily experiences, we’ll generate several drafts and learn how to mine our own work for poetry gold. 

Kate Moore has been writing her entire life. A three-term Poet Laureate for the City of San Ramon, Moore infuses poetry into all her work. Her poetry has been featured in numerous journals, and she’s the author of two poetry collections as well as two middle grade novels. She has taught all grades from elementary school through graduate level courses, and currently teaches online writing courses. She always has a poem in her head.

Remote Course: Alternate Worlds: Fantasy Beyond the Orbit
July 10 – 21, 2023 (2 Weeks)
9:00 am – 12:00 pm PST
Grades 3rd – 8th
$650.00

Create wondrous new places and bring enchanting beings to life. What’s more exciting than having your character jump on a magic carpet and soar among the stars? What’s more fun than designing a quest for brave elves trying to save their forested home? Let your imagination take you beyond the known – we can’t wait to see where you take us!

In this course we will develop characters as they change, grow, and overcome obstacles on their Hero’s Quest or journey. Explore world building, developing compelling characters, and dip your writer’s pen into the world of fan fiction.

Remote Course: Superhuman: Marvel at Our Universe
July 24 – August 4, 2023 (2 Weeks)
9:00 am – 12:00 pm PST
Grades 3rd – 8th
$650.00

Have you ever wanted to create your own superhero? Now’s your chance to create marvelous adventures for superhumans – people (or beings we think are people) who can do exceptional things. Maybe your superhuman is like Usain Bolt and can run at superhuman speeds. Maybe your hero has super-strength like She-Hulk or is a master of martial arts like Black Panther. Maybe you want to join superforces and team up your super characters. We just hope you don’t scare us with stories of superhuman villains like Loki who can shape-shift (shudder). 

In this course we will learn techniques that help us build our characters (heroes, villains, secret agents, space ninjas, etc.) and their worlds (world building, galaxies, multi-verse, etc.).

2023 In-Person Camps

In-Person Camp: The Art of Journaling
Park Day School Campus in Oakland, CA
June 12 – 23, 2023 (2 Weeks – No 6/19 to observe Juneteenth)
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Grades 3rd – 8th
$625.00

Welcome makers, artists, creatives, fun makers – come join this space to dabble and explore as you are prompted to write using words, imagery and color. For this hands-on camp each writer will receive a small package of supplies that we will use for creating and writing. Discover the joy of adding visual life to your writing!

In-Person Camp: Fan Fiction
Kent Middle School in Kentfield, CA
June 20 – 30, 2023 (2 Weeks – Starts 6/20)
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Grades 3rd – 8th
$625.00

You know what’s annoying? When you love a story but it’s missing something great or it ended too soon. Did you think The Mandalorian was awesome but the ending was a bit of a let-down? Write your own ending! Or maybe you think Harry Potter’s world of wizards needed more wizards of color. Or maybe a supporting character should have been the main character. The author Toni Morrison once said, “If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it.” Well what if the story has been told but you know how to tell it better?

In this camp we will use Fan Fiction to guide our creative writing but young authors can opt to write outside of the fan fiction genre.

Full! In-Person Camp: Berkeley Writing Academy
UC Berkeley at 2121 Berkeley Way
July 10 – 21, 2023 (2 Weeks)
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Grades 3rd – 8th
$700.00

In this course we will blend the arts of arguing and persuading. Our focus will be demonstrating different methods of expressing your views on a subject. It will help you share your ideas and opinions in a constructive way, something you’ll rely on in your academic and personal life.

Knowing how to make the best use of these forms of nonfiction writing can help in many ways, such as writing school essays, writing letters advocating for a cause you are passionate about, writing a blog, or even writing that sci-fi fiction piece. So join us – let’s write!

In-Person Camp: Yin and Yang
California High School in San Ramon, CA
July 17 – 28, 2023 (2 Weeks)
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Grades 3rd – 8th
$700.00

In this camp we will explore creative writing under the umbrella of opposites. Yin and yang represent opposites yet they co-exist together in harmony. Perhaps we write about superheroes who struggle between right and wrong. Or maybe we step outside to write poetry about the way plants need both the sun and the moon to survive. We will provide the lessons and writing prompts to guide you on this exploration of up and down, left and right, day and night, water and fire, inside and outside – – – yin and yang.

Full! In-Person Camp: SF Berkeley Writing Academy
St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco, CA
July 24 – August 4, 2023 (2 Weeks)
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Grades 3rd – 8th
$700.00

In this course we will blend the arts of arguing and persuading. Our focus will be demonstrating different methods of expressing your views on a subject. It will help you share your ideas and opinions in a constructive way, something you’ll rely on in your academic and personal life.

Knowing how to make the best use of these forms of nonfiction writing can help in many ways, such as writing school essays, writing letters advocating for a cause you are passionate about, writing a blog, or even writing that sci-fi fiction piece. So join us – let’s write!

Registration Information

Registration now open! Using the link below, submit camper information and then select the course or courses you would like your writer to join. Sibling discounts (-$50 for each additional child after the first registration) will be automatically deducted before checking out.

Remote Courses Registration Link

In-Person Camps Registration Link

If you encounter any issues with the registration process please try using a different browser (Chrome is preferred). If that doesn’t help, email us at bawp@berkeley.edu.