STUDENT RESOURCE PAGE

Are you interested in being a professional writer? If so, read the first section below. 
But if you're only here to find help with a writing project your teacher just assigned, skip down to the links. 
I hope they're helpful--and thanks for stopping by!

If so, first you need to identify what kind of writer: journalist? novelist? playwright? poet? Some writers do it all, but most focus their efforts in a specific genre. Decide where your heart (and your talent) is, then go from there.  Don't feel you aren't a "creative" writer if your gift or interest doesn't lie in songs or stories or scripts. I spent many years writing commercials and brochures for radio stations, grocery stores, and banks and, believe me, it takes a lot of creativity to make pork roast and certificates of deposit sound interesting, week after week! As with most careers, it's often the nuts-and-bolts work that pays the bills, while the "fun" stuff gets saved for the weekend. Do your best whether you're writing the Great American Novel or the quarterly report, and you'll be rewarded.

If you are passionate about writing, I sure hope there are people in your life who know that, who encourage you and provide you with opportunities to learn as much as you can. I'm a writer today because of teachers, librarians, and other adults who noted my interests and abilities and cared enough to nurture and guide them. I'm also blessed to be from a family where talent is appreciated and supported. Even so, I was pretty clueless when the time came to choose a college. There were no professional writers in my family, and none in my small rural community, so unless you are fortunate enough to have a guidance counselor familiar with writing programs, you may be just as unsure as I was about where to head after high school.

While I ended up at a college that was a great fit and equipped me well for my career, I wish I'd had more information to draw from as I was making that decision. I missed out on a lot of valuable opportunities (internships, scholarships, summer programs, etc.) simply because I didn't know they existed. So in case you're in the same situation I was, and to thank all those who helped me become a wordwoman, I'd like to "pay it forward" (if you don't know that phrase, read the wonderful book Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde!), by providing resources I hope will be helpful.

Whether you're doing it for love or money, working with words is tremendously satisfying and a lot of fun. Just remember my Ironclad Rule of Writing: Don't be boring!

Get Inspired!

• Watch this trailer for Louder Than a Bomb, a documentary by Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel about four Chicago high school poetry teams as they prepare for and compete in the world's largest youth slam.
• Learn how a poem is born by reading interviews with poets on Brian Brodeur's blog, How a Poem Happens.
• Check out Your Daily Poem's Poet Profiles to learn where poets go for their inspiration, how they got started on the poetry path, and the craziest topic they've ever tackled. 
• Read how rapper Dizzee Rascal uses classic poems to inspire him.

Getting Into College and Achieving Your Goal
Below are some schools that are either generally regarded as excellent environments for aspiring writers, or have been recommended to me by trusted sources. Unfortunately, most are ridiculously expensive. If money is no object, go for it. But if you're like most of us, cost is a BIG factor in determining where you'll go to college. Here's my best advice: 

• Focus on getting the absolute best grades you can from middle school on.
• Pour heart and soul into preparing for the SAT (the broader your vocabulary, the better you'll do).
• Never miss an opportunity to win accolades for your work; enter every worthy competition you come across--and create a resume that details every prize or award so you can include that with your college applications.
• Get to know your guidance counselor and make sure he/she is aware of your passion and gift for writing.
• Start looking for scholarships in your sophomore year. Community service is often a major component; consider starting or volunteering with a literary-focused organization.
• Earnestly and aggressively pursue financial aid at the school of your choice. You'd be surprised what they can do if you're in need and have lots of potential.
• All scholarship possibilities begin with a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form, which should be submitted as soon as possible after January 1st of the year you want to enroll in college. You'll need several documents to complete this form, including your, and your parents,' tax return. If you're filling out the form online (definitely the easiest way), you'll also need to apply for PIN numbers for yourself and the parent or guardian who will be signing the form. That takes a few days, so get that out of the way first, then you can work on the form while you're waiting. (There's a Save option, so you don't have to fill in all the information at one sitting.) It's time consuming and detailed, but not difficult. NOTE: The FAFSA is a free form and service, administered by the U.S. Department of Education. Do not be led astray by a copycat organization that charges a fee to do the same thing. Also note that you can submit your FAFSA using information from the previous year's tax return but, when you go back and update it with the current year's info, you will invariably be tagged for "verification," which means supplying mounds of extra paperwork to the financial aid office of every college you've applied to. My recommendation? Wait for the completed tax return of the year you're applying; just encourage your parents to file as soon as they possibly can.

Even with all that, you may come up thousands of dollars short for tuition at your dream school. If that's the case, spend your first two years taking core courses at a good, but inexpensive, junior college. Rack up great grades and more accolades, then apply to that school of your dreams. And if you still have to settle for whatever is the cheapest path to a diploma, don't sweat it. If you're a great writer, no one will care where you went to college. Honest. Just look for an accredited college or university that offers:

• introductory, intermediate, and advanced level courses
• intense study of both classic literature and writing technique
• a broad mix of genre instruction; you don't want specialization at this point, you want exposure--to everything from playwriting to arts reviewing
• internship opportunities; you'll learn a lot from real time spent at a magazine, radio station, newspaper, ad agency, PR agency, or theatre
• teachers with impressive writing credentials; besides being fun, you want to study with someone who has actual by-lines or books to back up their alleged expertise
• a heart for the arts - Not every school is arts-oriented; make sure the one you attend offers ongoing arts events, a literary magazine, visiting lecturers, department competitions, or some other tangible evidence of their commitment to a quality arts education.
  

Undergraduate Colleges with Good Creative Writing Programs (recommended by arts-oriented high school guidance counseleors)
Bard College - Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
George Mason University - Fairfax, VA
Hollins University - Roanoke, VA
Kenyon College - Gambier, OH
Knox College - Galesburg, IL
Miami University - Oxford, OH
Old Dominion University - Norfolk, VA
Prescott College - Prescott, AZ
Sarah Lawrence College - Bronxville, NY
University of Indianapolis - Indianapolis, IN
Virginia Commonwealth University - Richmond, VA

Places to Submit Your Work
A Near Miss - for grades 9-12;  poetry, short fiction, and visual art
Canary - an environmental zine that focuses on the natural world and threats to that world. Accepts poetry, short fiction, and essays
Hanging Loose Magazine - for high school age students; poetry and short stories
Launch Pad- for ages 6-14; fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual art
Maggie's Drawers - for middle school students; poetry, short fiction, and visual art
Polyphony H. S. - for grades 9-12; short stories and poetry
Teen Ink - for ages 13-19; all genres of writing plus artwork and photography
The Claremont Review - for ages 13-19; poems, short stories, short plays, interviews, art, and photography. Accepts submissions anytime and offers several contests

Poems & Poets You Should Read If You Think You Hate Poetry
Billy Collins
Robert Frost
Ogden Nash
Marge Piercy
Edgar Allan Poe
Poetry 180 - a collection of poems selected specifically for high school students by former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins
Your Daily Poem - wander around through the archives; you're sure to find something you like

Top Ten Graduate Programs in Creative Writing (according to The Atlantic Monthly Magazine)
Boston University
University of California at Irvine
Cornell University
Florida State University
University of Iowa
Johns Hopkins University
University of Michigan
New York University
University of Texas, Michener Center
University of Virginia

So You Want to Be a Writer?
Getting Into College and Achieving Your Goal
Places to Submit Your Work
Poems & Poets You Should Read If You Think You Hate Poetry
Writing Competitions
Writing Resources

So You Want to Be a Writer?

Writing Competitions
Bennington College Young Writers Award - for grades 10-12; categories in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Always a November 1st deadline.
Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series - For North Carolina students only. November 1st deadline. In this series, poets in middle school, high school, or college are invited to apply to be mentored by, and read with, a distinguished NC poet.
Iowa Young Writers' Studio - A two-week intensive seminar and workshop for poetry, fiction, or creative writing. 10th-12th grade, and the rare brilliant 9th-grader.
Letters About Literature - Write a letter about how an author's work has impacted your life. 4th-12th grade. Deadline is early December.
Manningham Student Poetry Awards - for grades 6-12. Deadline was March 1 in 2010.
Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest - for girls in grades 10-11; November 15 deadline.
Norman Mailer High School and College Writing Awards - Creative nonfiction; must be submitted online, usually during the month of April
Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers - for grades 10-11; submit during the month of November.
Poetry Out Loud - An annual spoken word competition for high school students. You can't use original poems, but this is still a cool opportunity for slam enthusiasts. Materials are distributed in September; finals are held in April. Get your English teacher involved so he/she can contact your state's coordinator and get you registered.
River of Words Poetry and Art Contest -  for anyone age 5-19; poetry.
Scholastic Art and Writing Awards - for grades 7-12; categories in visual arts and writing. Details for 2011 competition available October 1st.
Young Arts - for high school seniors. Apply online.

Writing Resources
Creative Writing Prompts - Clever and crazy ideas to help stimulate your brain and your word output.
Common English Errors - Great place to check all those things you're not quite sure about in your essay, compiled by Professor Paul Brians.
Glossary of Poetic Terms - Every poetic term you can think of (and a lot you didn't know existed!), defined and with examples
Introduction to Meter - Very helpful explanation from UCLA professor and poetTimothy Steele 
Online Thesaurus - Find the exact word you want or avoid repetition of the same word
On Rhyme and Form - More great insights and examples from Dr. Steele
Poetic Forms - Definitions of various poetic forms such as sonnet, haiku, ballad, limerick, cinquain, and more.
Rhyming Dictionary - For help with those pesky words like "orange"
Teen Reads - Book reviews, author interviews, lists, and a monthly newsletter to keep you up to date on great new reads
The Art of Becoming a Writer and Making It Happen - An informational/inspirational article in Teen Latinitas by Cristina M. R. Norcross
Word Counter - Do you, like, say the word "like" too often in, like, your writing? Or is everything "awesome"? Run your essay through this wordometer and prevent a few strokes of your teacher's red pen!
Writing Kid - offers advice, contests, writing opportunities, and more for elementary through college age. An excellent resource!

I would love to do a poetry workshop at your school! Please ask your English or language arts teacher to contact me. 
And if you have questions you don't see answered elsewhere on my site, feel free to ask!