Creative Writing Intensive
Sunday, July 12 – Saturday, July 18
For rising 9th – 12th grade girls
This one-week summer writing retreat provides students with individualized attention and a choice of activities to develop core skills in fiction, poetry, and personal narrative. At Hollins, we value helping students find and hone their own voices. Lectures, workshops, and special events with Hollins faculty and visiting authors encourage participants to experiment with new forms and styles of writing in a supportive environment. Past keynote topics have included fantasy writing, publishing, graphic novels, screenwriting, #ownvoices, and picture books. Each day includes unstructured time for students to practice writing, work one-on-one with leaders, and get to know the other students.
Costs & Payment
- Residential Rate: $1,150
- Day Rate (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.): $550
- $200 deposit to enroll
- Balance due in full by June 1
Instructors
Jordan Humphrey
- Graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill (B.A. in English) and Hollins University (M.F.A. in Creative Writing).
- Writing consultant at Grace Church School
- Public health coordinator at Yale University, where he is pursuing a Master of Divinity
Throughout the last decade, Jordan has worked with high school and college students, both in the classroom and beyond. He taught literature and writing at a community college in downtown Manhattan, helped start a therapeutic boarding school in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and led wilderness trips through the Utah desert.
Lucy Marcus
- Graduate of the M.F.A. program in creative writing at Hollins (was a teaching fellow and graduate assistant)
- Teaches at Borough of Manhattan Community College
- Served as the 2019 Writer by Bus Roanoke
- Essays and stories have appeared in STORY, Kestrel, and other journals.
Sydney Tammarine
- Graduate of the M.F.A. program in creative writing at Hollins
- Assistant Professor of English, Creative Writing at Davis & Elkins College
- Essays and poetry translations have appeared in Ploughshares, The Kenyon Review, and other journals
- Director of Cleaver Magazine‘s editorial internship program for high school and undergraduate writers
Sydney has led workshops at Hollins University, The Ohio State University, Otterbein University, and at various high schools, including as Writer-in-Residence at Appomattox Regional Governor’s School.
Questions?
hollinsummer@hollins.edu
800-456-9595
Sample Daily Schedule
Breakfast
8 – 9 a.m.
Getting Artsy with Poetry
9 – 10:30 a.m.
Guided Writing Time; Writing Prompts
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Lunch and Break
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Flash Fiction
1 – 2:30 p.m.
Guest Speakers, Field Trips, Writing Feedback, Graduate Classes Visitation
3 – 5 p.m.
Dinner
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Evening Activities: Crafts, Movies, Swimming, and More
7 – 10 p.m.
2025 Daily Schedule
| Sunday | |
| 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. | Camper check-in (Randolph Hall) |
| 3:30 – 4:00 p.m. | Day camper check-in (optional) |
| 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. | Introduction activities and campus tour |
| 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. | Dinner (Moody Student Center) |
| 3:30 – 4:00 p.m. | Day campers depart |
| 6:30 p.m. | Evening activities and hall meeting (Moody Dining Hall) |
| Monday | |
| 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. | Breakfast (Moody Dining Hall) |
| 8:50 – 9:00 a.m. | Day camper drop off (Moody Student Center) |
| 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. | Introductions, ice breaker, and camp overview (Dana) |
| 10:00 a.m. – 12 noon | Exploring campus library (Library) |
| 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. | Lunch (Moody Dining Hall) |
| 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. | Lecture: General Chemistry (Dana) |
| 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. | Lecture and exploration: Chemistry in the World & Career Speaker (Dana) |
| 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. | Introduction to Materials Science and Literature Searching (Dana) |
| 5:00 p.m. | Day camper pick up (Moody Student Center) |
| 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. | Dinner (Moody Dining Hall) |
| 6:30 p.m. | Bingo (Moody Dining Hall) |
| Tuesday | |
| 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. | Breakfast (Moody Dining Hall) |
| 8:50 – 9:00 a.m. | Day camper drop off (Moody Student Center) |
| 9:00 – 12:00 p.m. | Lecture and Experiment: Organic Chemistry (Dana) |
| 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. | Lunch (Moody Dining Hall) |
| 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. | Lecture: Organic Chemistry and Career Speaker (Dana) |
| 2:00 – 2:15 p.m. | Break |
| 2:15 – 5:00 p.m. | Lecture and Experiment: Polymer Chemistry (Dana) |
| 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. | Dinner (Moody Dining Hall) |
| 6:30 p.m. | Bridge building competition (Ballator) |
| Wednesday | |
| 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. | Breakfast (Moody Dining Hall) |
| 8:50 – 9:00 a.m. | Day camper drop off (Moody Student Center) |
| 9:00 – 12:00 noon | Topic selection and exploration: Green Materials, Renewable Energy, Green Policy |
| 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. | Lunch (Moody Dining Hall) |
| 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. | Lecture: Research Methods, Survey Design, and Career Speaker (Dana) |
| 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. | Dinner (Moody Dining Hall) |
| 6:30 p.m. | Embroidery and canvas painting (Ballator) |
| Thursday | |
| 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. | Breakfast (Moody Dining Hall) |
| 8:50 – 9:00 a.m. | Day camper drop off (Moody Student Center) |
| 9:00 – 12:00 noon | Lecture and Experiment: Biopolymers (Dana) |
| 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. | Lunch (Moody Dining Hall) |
| 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. | Data Collection Downtown & Chemistry in the World Train Edition (Dana) |
| 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. | Dinner (Moody Dining Hall) |
| 6:30 p.m. | Karaoke (Rat) |
| Friday | |
| 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. | Breakfast (Moody Dining Hall) |
| 8:50 – 9:00 a.m. | Day camper drop off (Moody Student Center) |
| 9:00 – 12:00 p.m. | Review, Biopolymer Analysis, Organize and Share Results (Dana) |
| 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. | Lunch (Moody Dining Hall) |
| 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. | Survey Data Analysis, Factsheet Development, Share Projects (Dana) |
| 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. | Feedback, Survey, & Final Activities (Dana) |
| 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. | Dinner (Moody Dining Hall) |
| 6:30 p.m. | Movie night (Babcock Auditorium) |
| Saturday | |
| 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. | Breakfast (Moody Dining Hall) |
| 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon | Camper check-out (Randolph Hall, lobby) |