Young Adult Writers Program (YAWP): Writing to Music

This class will be hosted remotely! You will be able to participate in class via Zoom videoconference from wherever you’re most comfortable. All you’ll need is a laptop or a phone! About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting via Zoom–no need to download anything or sign up for Zoom in advance! If you have questions about remote learning, please feel free to reach out to [email protected] for more information.

Class Description: What makes music special for us? What part of a given song do we rewind over and over? What lyric hits us each time we hear it? In this session, we will spend time listening and talking about our favorite music as a means to get closer to the musicians themselves. Each writer will bring their own playlist of 5-10 songs which will operate as the source material for much of our work. We will listen to, study, and (most importantly) play with the songs all along finding different ways to speak back to the music we hold dear. Texts may include "America, Mine" by Sasha Banks, "Split Tooth" by Tanya Tagaq, "You Will Always be Someone from Somewhere Else" by Dao Strom, "The Life and Times of Susie Knuckles" by Safia Elhillo, and selections from Hanif Abdurraqib.

Who Should Register?
For writers ages 13 - 18 ONLY. Writing notebooks are available, but feel free to bring your own.

Remember, parents/guardians must also complete this permission form online before the start of the class. Otherwise, registrations could be voided and the cancellation policy will apply. If the student is 18, simply let us know at [email protected]

*If you are registering on behalf of your teen, add their email information in the “For a Friend or Child?” field on the right-hand side of the screen before you check out. This will send them a direct link and reminder to create their own profile with GrubStreet. (After adding the class to your cart, click “Checkout” and click “Add” next to “For a Friend or Child?” on the right-hand side to fill in their email. This is an easy way of linking the class to your child and encourages them to create their own account.)