MDC’s Miami Book Fair Offering Free Creative Writing and Mentorship Summer Camps for Teens

Miami, May 10, 2023 – Applications are being accepted for Miami Book Fair’s (MBF) 2023 Speak Up Mentorship program for teens in grades 9 – 12, and its Speak Up Creative Writing Camp (ages 13+). Both programs are virtual and free of charge. The deadline to apply is May 31.  

The Speak Up Mentorship program, which meets weekly online July 17 – August 11 (plus monthly check-ins Sept. – Dec.), will allow students to work one-on-one with a published author from MBF’s pool of acclaimed teaching artists, who will provide six months of ongoing mentorship, including goal setting, generative writing prompts and personalized feedback. Six students will be selected based on their writing portfolios and participate in one of three genres – fiction, nonfiction and poetry. For more information and to apply, visit https://www.miamibookfair.com/miami-book-fair-speak-up-mentorship.

MBF is also offering a Speak Up Virtual Creative Writing Summer Camp for teens ages 13 and up from July 24-29. No previous writing experience required to attend the camp. Participants will engage in brainstorming activities, craft exercises, and daily writing workshops in general fiction, sci-fi/fantasy fiction, poetry and graphic novels/comics with established teaching poets and writers. Additional activities include masterclasses, live Q & A sessions with authors, one-on-one mentorship sessions, and more. For more information and to apply, visit  https://www.miamibookfair.com/virtual-creative-writing-summer-camp.

About Miami Book Fair

Founded in 1984 by Miami Dade College and partners, Miami Book Fair engages the community through inclusive, accessible programs that promote reading and support writers year-round. The annual eight-day festival has grown into the largest and most comprehensive community-rooted literary gathering in the United States, generating discourse on contemporary literature and current issues of international importance. Throughout the rest of the year, Miami Book Fair responds hosts an ongoing schedule of activities, including The Little Haiti Book Festival; creative writing and publishing workshops; author presentations; reading campaigns; and Read to Learn Books for Free, a partnership with The Children’s Trust that distributes more than 150,000 free books a year to children in Miami-Dade County.  Miami Book Fair programming is made possible through generous support from the State of Florida and the National Endowment for the Arts; City of Miami; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council; Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; Miami-Dade County Public Schools; Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; Miami Downtown Development Authority; and Friends of the Fair; as well as many corporate partners. Miami Book Fair: Building community, one reader at a time.

Miami Book Fair contact: Lisa Palley, Palley Promotes, 305-642-3132 lpalley@bellsouth.net.