The Lighthouse Summer Writing Intensive is led by published and award-winning writers, and each workshop is designed to foster creativity, self-expression, and excitement about writing. During camp week, young writers will work at length with a number of published instructors in a variety of genres and will leave camp with new knowledge about the craft of writing, at least one completed piece of work, and enthusiasm about pieces-to-come. Campers will be invited, but not required, to share a piece of writing in a public reading at the end of the week. Writers of all experience are welcome to apply; we look for campers who are excited to write and spend a week as part of a writing community.        

This IN-PERSON camp is held at Lighthouse Writers Workshop at 3844 York Street, Denver, CO 80205. This is a NOT an overnight camp. Camp dates for 2025 are July 14-18 for middle school ages and July 21-25  for high school ages. Camp hours are 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM.      

Our full day camps include a lunch hour for eating (please bring your lunch), free-writing, hanging out with new friends, and lawn-cartwheeling. The camp culminates each year in a public reading, where students have the opportunity to showcase their work.

Each camper will have the opportunity to submit their writing to the annual youth anthology, And We Created Worlds, to be published. Each student that submits to the anthology will receive a copy of the professionally published anthology in December of 2025. 

ADMISSIONS POLICY

Lighthouse staff and faculty review each application, looking particularly at a student's expressed interest in writing and writing sample. Beginning in January 2025, we'll review and accept applications on a rolling basis. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance status within two weeks of submitting their application. If a camp fills, we'll create a waitlist. If any student declines or cancels their acceptance, we'll contact the next student on the waitlist. If a camp is full, we'll post that information on our website. Currently, space is available in all camps.     

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

We strive to fill our camp with students who show a passion for writing, a creative spark, a desire to explore new topics, and openness to discovering new things. Group dynamics are especially important in a camp as small as ours, so we expect that all applicants will be respectful of instructors and their peers, and motivated to write. We also welcome a diverse range of interests in our students—some are experienced writers with hundreds of pages under their belts, while others excel at sports, music, math, or science, but want to gain more experience in writing. We do not discriminate based on the need for financial aid.     

PAYMENT POLICY

The cost of the camp is $575.00. This cost includes a copy of a professionally published book after the camp weeks are completed for campers who submit work to be published. Payment is required to secure a spot once you have received an acceptance. After you’ve received an acceptance letter, please register online, call with payment, or send us a check. For cancellations and refunds, see our cancellation policy.      

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Lighthouse believes that all young people should have an opportunity to explore the world through creative writing. Therefore, we offer a sliding scale to families who need financial aid. To request financial assistance, please fill out the appropriate sections of the application form. We'll contact you about financial aid at the time of your acceptance to our camp.

The Post-Grad Year is for graduates of the Book Project looking for additional writing structure, support, and inspiration. Join a cohort of five other writers and a new mentor for a streamlined, yearlong program aimed at polishing an existing manuscript or starting a new one. 

Read more about the Post-Grad Year here.

Mentors so far: 

• Tiffany Quay Tyson (novel, short stories)
• Natalie Hodges (memoir, fiction, NNF)
• Sarah Elizabeth Schantz (novel, short stories, NNF)
• Shana Kelly (publishing expert)

Additional mentors will be added based on the number of interested applicants.

Keep in mind these dates:

• The fall intensive is September 19–21 (keynote by George Saunders)
• The spring intensive is April 10–12

Deadline extended to July 1!

 

Young writers in grades K-12  who've taken a Lighthouse workshop (either in-house, online, or off-site) from September 2024 through August 2025 are welcome to submit up to three typed, double-spaced pages of creative writing for our annual anthology, And We Created Worlds. 

 Work must have been written or started in a Lighthouse workshop between September 2024 and August 2025.
 Please note that we will not accept submissions that discriminate against others, contain gratuitous violence, or plagiarize existing pieces. We also ask that writers include content warnings on their pieces, which can be indicated in our submission portal. We cannot guarantee that all submitted pieces will be included in the final Anthology. We will respond by mid-September of the submission deadline with confirmation and next steps. 

 Learn more about the Young Writers Program. 

Any participants who have taken Lighthouse classes in any of our adult community engagement programming (either in-house, online, or off-site) from August 2024 through August 11, 2025 are welcome to submit one piece of creative writing that is up to five pages, double spaced, with 1-inch margins, in 12-pt Calibri font for the sixth installment of our annual anthology, All the Lives We Ever Lived. Please submit as a .doc or .docx (to make in-document commenting easier), and make sure your NAME is on the document and that the document has PAGE NUMBERS.

Community engagement programming at Lighthouse is ever-evolving with each new partnership and workshop. If you took a Lighthouse class in any of the following programming, please continue on to submit a piece for publication. If you're unsure about eligibility, please contact info@lighthousewriters.org and we'll be happy to assist you.

• Hard Times (any location)
• Writing in Color Meetup
• 2024 Writing in Color Fest
• Queer Creatives Meetup
• 2024 Queer Creatives Fest
• Writing with Cancer (at Lighthouse and/or UCHealth)
• Rocky Mountain Regional VA Workshops

Work must have been written or started in a Lighthouse workshop between August 2024 and August 11, 2025. Please note that we will not accept submissions that discriminate against others, contain gratuitous violence, or plagiarize existing pieces. We also ask that writers include content warnings on their pieces, which can be indicated in our submission portal.

Please note, we will only be accepting one submission per person. We cannot guarantee that all submitted pieces will be included in the final Anthology.

You can expect to hear back from a Lighthouse staff member within one month after the submission deadline to confirm receipt and next steps.

Learn more about Lighthouse's Community Programs!

We’re pleased with your interest in the Portfolio Year. This is a yearlong (August–July) program for writers who know they work well with a mentor and small cohort. With this in mind, please take your time with this application. Answer questions as fully and honestly as possible. We encourage you to apply early, as we'll be grouping ideal cohorts as applications roll in. But you have until 11:59 PM MDT on July 1, 2025 to apply. 

Applicants will be contacted regarding spots no later than mid-July.

If you're interested in this program but also in the Book Project, you should apply to the Book Project and you will be considered for this unless you opt out. 

For program and tuition details, please see our website.  We'll also be holding a Q&A session on all of our mentor-based programs on Friday, May 9, 6:00 to 7:00 PM mountain time. (This will be in-person and on Zoom.)

Applications for Young Authors Collective are open for 2025-26 school year 

        The Young Authors Collective (YAC) is a group of high school writers who meet to engage in a literary community and write. YAC Denver meets weekly from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM. YAC Online meets weekly from 5:00 to 7:00 PM MDT. 

YAC Denver meets weekly on Wednesdays in-person at Lighthouse Writers Workshop at 3844 York Street. 

YAC Online meets weekly on Thursdays via Zoom.
 

YAC members must attend all meetings and respond to emails and/or text messages from the instructor and Lighthouse staff in a timely manner.
 

YAC is an ideal place to create long-lasting connections and develop as a writer. We’ll look to marginalized and traditionally underrepresented writers for examples and prompts as well as to expand our notion of the literary canon. Members of YAC build their skills across forms, including fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and hybrid/experimental; by workshopping (giving and receiving feedback) on their pieces; and engaging in craft lessons. They are also expected to meet deadlines, contribute to the group blog, and set writing goals. YAC members may also participate in Lighthouse community-based projects, which can include collaborating with established adult writers, joining the editorial board for the And We  Created Worlds and community anthologies, gaining non-profit management experience, and teaching young writers at the Free Creative Writing Lab through the Young Writers Program.
       YAC Denver Instructor: Gary Garrison
       YAC Online Instructor: Jesaka Long

Tuition is $550 per semester; full and partial financial aid is available. (Apply to YAC first, and after you are accepted, you can request financial aid.) YAC members make a year-long commitment to the program, but can pay by semester!

Please take your time with this application. Answer the questions as fully and thoughtfully as possible.