Outreach for Youth
The Muse believes in the benefits of creative writing and expression, having witnessed young people expand their minds, hearts, professional skills, and social skills by telling their stories. In our regular creative writing classes and camps, over 1,000 young people have explored their creativity in multiple literary genres, and were given the opportunity to perform or hear their peers share their work in spoken word programs, open mics, and public readings attended by their families, local teens and others within The Muse writing community.
We hope to share our community by joining with others. Every year, The Muse Writers Center sends creative writing teachers into local schools, afterschool programs, community centers, residential facilities, and youth organizations, fostering a love of literary expression.
What do we offer?
Our youth outreach classes are crafted to encourage creativity, social emotional health, and pro social skills while fostering joy and a love of learning.
Fiction and Poetry Classes: Our fiction and poetry teachers arrive at each community location with fun, engaging materials that offer craft tips, writing prompts, writing exercises, and opportunities for students to share their work. Popular classes include "Exploring the Myth: Fairytales & Lore", "Dissecting Poetic Forms", and "Killin' the Villain: How to Write Unforgettable Protagonists".
Writing for Games! Dive into the world of storytelling where every choice creators make shape epic adventures in video games, tabletop RPGs, D&D campaigns, board games, and even card games. Students will discover the secrets behind crafting compelling narratives, designing captivating characters, and building immersive interactive worlds for players. Whether students dream of creating the next blockbuster video game or crafting intricate quests for tabletop adventures, this class will ignite creativity and equip young minds with the essential skills to bring their gaming visions to life.
Write Now! Kids: We believe that every child has a story to write. They just need some inspiration and motivation! During Write Now! Kids A talented Muse teacher will lead children through an easy, fun, and creative workshop full of writing prompts and creative sharing. This class encourages peer review, collaboration, and project creation.
Express Yourself: Designed to meet the needs of at-risk and underserved teens, Express Yourself provides a safe place for teens to find a healthy emotional outlet through creative writing by teaching them to write their thoughts and feelings down. When teens are able to write their emotions down, it encourages expressive and communication skill development. These classes engage teens from various education levels by utilizing creative topics, prompts, and writing exercises that incorporate their interests and voices. Past topics include "Creating Their Personal Superhero’s Journey" and "What their Version of America would Look Like".
Pick Your Passion: We believe that every child has a story to write. They just need some inspiration and motivation! During Pick Your Passion, a talented Muse teacher leads children through a fun, creative workshop full of creative art prompts and sharing. Students will have the opportunity to write stories, poetry, create comics, sketches, and other arts & crafts based on prompts. This class encourages peer review, collaboration, and project creation.
Want something specific? We are proud to be an organization that is willing to build programs that meet the unique needs of the communities we serve. If you have a specific community need, reach out!
Have a Question?
If you would like more information about how The Muse can bring a program to your school or organization, please email our Youth Program Director, Jessica Grace Kelley, at jessica@the-muse.org.
Current Partners
Bateman Library at Langley Air Force Base