Sarah Lawrence Writers Week: A Complete Guide

If you’re a high school student who’s serious about writing, a typical classroom probably isn’t enough. If you’re looking for a quick and intensive summer program that can upgrade your skills in a short period of time, why not try the Sarah Lawrence Writers Week?

With small workshops, daily practice, and a supportive environment, the program gives you a chance to push your writing further than you can during the school year. In this article, we’ll talk about what the program includes, how to apply, and what you can expect if you attend.

• What Is the Sarah Lawrence Writers Week?
• Sarah Lawrence Writers Week Acceptance Rate
• Sarah Lawrence Writers Week Application Deadline
• Sarah Lawrence Writers Week Requirements
• How to Get into the Sarah Lawrence Writers Week
• Why Join the Sarah Lawrence Writers Week?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Takeaways

What Is the Sarah Lawrence Writers Week?

The Sarah Lawrence Writers Week is a summer program that offers high school students an intensive, week-long immersion in creative writing and the performance arts.

The curriculum balances creative writing exercises with performance arts activities, reflecting the idea that storytelling spans both page and stage. The week also features mini-workshops taught by faculty or guest artists, readings by instructors and students, and ends with a celebratory showcase of student work on the final day.

Each day of the camp, participants engage in writing and theater workshops led by practicing writers, poets, and performance artists—who are often Sarah Lawrence College MFA students or alumni. Together, the dual focus on writing and theatre makes Writers Week a holistic creative experience: students exercise different creative muscles in each, and often the skills in one inform and enrich the other.

The Sarah Lawrence Writers Week is offered in two formats: on-campus and virtual sessions.

• On-campus sessions are run as day camps (basically commuter programs with no overnight housing) at Sarah Lawrence College’s campus in Bronxville, New York. These in-person sessions include lunch and snack breaks each day and give you a chance to collaborate face-to-face with other participants and experience the college campus.
• Meanwhile, the virtual session is conducted online so that you can participate remotely regardless of where you’re from.

For 2025, Writers Week has three sessions:

• July 7 to 11 (online)
• July 21 to 25 (on-campus)
• August 4 to 8 (on-campus)

The Writer’s Workshop

The Writer’s Workshop is the core morning session of each day at the Sarah Lawrence Writers Week, focusing intensively on creative writing across genres. These workshops create a collaborative space for students to experiment with writing, try out new genres, discuss craft techniques, and develop their unique voice.

Each writing workshop is led by two Sarah Lawrence MFA writing graduate students who act as teaching artists and mentors. They provide generative writing prompts that span genres (fiction, poetry, memoir, flash fiction, fantasy, etc.), encourage students to share works-in-progress, and guide group discussions on narrative craft.

By the end of the week, each student comes away with new ideas, new writing pieces or drafts, and concrete techniques to continue developing their writing.

The Writer’s Theatre

The Writer’s Theatre is the complementary afternoon component of the Sarah Lawrence Writers Week, integrating performance arts into the creative experience. This part of the program recognizes that the work of a writer and a theater artist shares common ground in that both involve storytelling, character, narrative, and engaging an audience.

In the Writer’s Theatre workshops, students approach creativity in an intuitive, playful way through activities like improvisation games, collaborative group projects, and theatrical exercises. Faculty and students participate together to shape both individual and collective forms of expression.

No prior drama or theater experience is required to join this workshop since the environment is welcoming to newcomers. In fact, participants get to choose a theatre specialty to focus on, based on their interests, including screenwriting, comedy sketch writing, musical songwriting, playwriting, and more.

You’ll be a more well-rounded storyteller by exploring performance-oriented writing and improvisational creation. You’ll learn to consider voice, dialogue, and physical expression, which can improve your narrative skills on the page. You might even find that trying out theater exercises can boost your confidence and help overcome creative inhibitions.

Like the writing workshops, the theater sessions are run in small groups with hands-on mentorship.

Sarah Lawrence Writers Week Acceptance Rate

The Sarah Lawrence Writers Week technically has a 100% acceptance rate. As long as you meet the basic criteria (which we’ll discuss later) and there are still slots available, you’ll be accepted when you register.

Sarah Lawrence Writers Week Application Deadline

The Sarah Lawrence Writers Week doesn’t have a hard application deadline. Registration will stay open as long as there are available slots or until 24 hours before the class starts. Here’s a quick look at other important dates:

The virtual information session is optional. However, if you miss the date of the meeting, you can still watch the recording.

Sarah Lawrence Writers Week Requirements

Even though we’ve mentioned that the Sarah Lawrence Writers Week accepts everyone, you’ll still need to hit some requirements.

Eligibility

To be eligible for Writers Week, you must meet be:

• A high school student entering 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade in the fall of the year of attendance
• 14 to 18 years old
• Greatly interested in creative writing and have an openness to theater arts

Required documents

Since Writers Week is a registration-based program, you don’t need to submit writing samples, grades, or teacher recommendations as part of the application. Instead, you’ll only need the following:

• Online registration form. Complete the official Writers Week registration form on the Sarah Lawrence College website. Be aware that the virtual session, first on-campus session, and second on-campus session all have different forms, so make sure you’re answering the right one.
• Deposit payment. Regardless of whether you’re registering for the virtual or in-person session, you’ll need to deposit a nonrefundable fee of $250.
• Scholarship documentation (if applicable). If you’re a Yonkers Public School student, you may qualify for a scholarship. To inquire, contact your principal or send an email to the Writing Institute at [email protected].

Program cost

For 2025, the virtual session costs $1,095, and each on-campus session costs $1,750. These fees cover the full week of instruction, and the on-campus fees also include daily lunch and snacks for the student during the program.

How to Get into the Sarah Lawrence Writers Week

Getting into the Sarah Lawrence Writers Week is a simple process since it’s based on registration rather than a competitive application. Below is a step-by-step guide to applying for the program:

Step 1: Check your eligibility and interest.

Before anything else, make sure you meet the basic requirements and that the program suits your goals. No advanced experience is needed in either writing or theater, but you should have a genuine interest in both those art forms.

Step 2: Decide on a session.

Consider your schedule and whether you prefer an in-person or online experience. The on-campus sessions are great if you live within commuting distance (or can stay locally with family/friends) and want the face-to-face experience. However, the virtual session might be better if you live far from New York or need the flexibility of attending from home.

All sessions cover the same curriculum, so the choice is mostly about format and timing. It’s also a good idea to have a backup choice so if one session fills up, you could opt for another that’s still available.

Step 3: Secure your spot.

Remember that registrations for sessions are open only as long as slots are still available. Because of that, as soon as you’re absolutely sure about the session you want to attend, fill up the corresponding application form.

To secure your slot, you’ll also need to pay a $250 downpayment. The remaining balance will be due 21 days (3 weeks) before the start of your session.

If you’ve paid the full amount but for some reason won’t be able to attend, you can request a refund 14 days before the start of class. However, the $250 downpayment won’t be refunded.

Why Join the Sarah Lawrence Writers Week?

The Sarah Lawrence Writers Week can be a great experience for aspiring writers. Here are some reasons to join this summer writing program:

1. Intensive creative growth

Writers Week provides an intensive burst of creative development. After all, in just one week, you’ll write every day, try out multiple genres, and receive constant feedback on your work. Because of how immersive the experience is, you’ll be able to make way more progress in five days than you might in English class at school in the same timeframe.

The fast-paced, focused nature of the camp pushes you to experiment and actually produce writing instead of just thinking about it.

2. Small class sizes

Another major benefit of attending the Sarah Lawrence Writers Week is the high level of personal attention each student gets. Each class has no more than 18 students and is led by two instructors—which is great since instructors can get to know you and your writing individually.

Instructors provide constructive critiques that are tailored to your work and suggest specific ways for you to improve. If you have a unique voice or interest, they can encourage it and guide you accordingly. This personalized feedback helps you grow much faster as a writer.

3. Exploration of both writing and theatre

Writers Week has an unusual combination of creative writing and theater. This dual exposure can make you a more versatile and imaginative storyteller by also exercising your performance and dramatic skills.

For instance, in the theater workshops, you might do improvisations, develop characters through acting, or learn to write dialogue by physically enacting scenes. These activities get you thinking about story structure, character motivation, and audience in a new way, which can improve your writing. On the other hand, your writing skills help you create better scenes or sketches in the theater portion too.

You’ll also have the chance to try forms you might not otherwise try, like writing a short play or a movie scene, which could spark new interests. You might find the theatre component liberating since it’s active, collaborative, and fun in a way that sitting alone writing might not be.

4. Supportive environment

Everyone is in the Sarah Lawrence Writers Week to improve their craft and help others improve. Feedback is given in a constructive and kind manner, so you feel encouraged to experiment without fear of failure—which can be very refreshing compared to typical classroom pressure.

This supportive environment can boost your confidence. If you’ve ever been shy about letting others read your work, Writers Week might change that. By the week’s end, you might be proudly sharing stories or poems during the group readings!

5. Literary community and networking

When you join Writers Week, you become part of a community of young writers and get a taste of literary life.

On a personal level, it’s inspiring and fun to bond with peers who love writing as much as you do. You’ll spend the week collaborating in workshops, discussing books or ideas during lunch, and cheering each other on during readings. You’ll be able to form friendships that last beyond the program because you’ve met others who share your passion for storytelling.

On a professional level, Writers Week can be a networking opportunity. You’re being taught by emerging writers and experienced instructors affiliated with Sarah Lawrence College, which is an institution known for writing. These mentors can become contacts, whether you’re asking for a recommendation letter in the future or asking for advice on college programs.

The visiting authors who give talks also connect you to the broader literary world since you might discover new favorite writers or learn about writing careers directly from them.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is Sarah Lawrence College a good school for writing?

Yes. Sarah Lawrence College has a strong reputation for writing, thanks to its intensive writing programs and having one of the largest writing faculties available to undergraduates in the country.

2. Can I receive school credit for attending the Sarah Lawrence Writers Week?

No, you can receive school credit for attending Writers Week. However, the program can provide a letter to your high school confirming that you participated, if you need it for your records.

3. Does Sarah Lawrence have an undergraduate writing program?

Yes, Sarah Lawrence technically has an undergraduate writing program. While students don’t declare rigid majors, you can focus on writing through the Writing discipline as part of your studies.

Takeaways

• Sarah Lawrence Writers Week is a summer program for high school students focused on creative writing and performance, offered in both virtual and on-campus formats with small group workshops led by professional writers and theatre artists.
• The program is non-competitive and operates on a first-come, first-served registration basis with no application process; students must simply meet basic eligibility and submit payment to secure a spot.
• Participants benefit from intensive writing practice, personal mentorship, and exposure to theatre arts, gaining skills and experiences that support both creative growth and future academic goals.
• Want to pursue creative writing and unsure what opportunities you should also try? An academic and extracurricular roadmap can pinpoint other activities you can take advantage of.