WritersCorps Apprentices is an after-school program for advanced writers, ages 16 to 22, who seek a community of writers. The WritersCorps Apprentices usually meet once a week after school to write together. They also go on field trips, work on annual publication projects (like this one), and participate in readings and other WritersCorps events.

We are looking for creative and committed individuals to join our group and to contribute to our new mapping and writing project. This project involves exploring the city and neighborhoods we live in, and finding new ways to experience and share our own unique vision and version of San Francisco.

Of course, we will do a lot of creative writing. But we will also go on field trips, explore the city, create collages and art, and use cameras and recording equipment to create our own interactive website and published anthology.

To apply:

1) Students must have a teacher, counselor, or mentor recommend them for an apprenticeship.

2) Please download and fill out this application (Word file):  WritersCorps Apprentice Application

3) Email completed applications to rick.delia [at] writerscorps [dot] org
Or mail them to: WritersCorps, 25 Van Ness Ave Suite 345, San Francisco, CA 94102

Applications are due November 22.

Questions? Call: 415-252-2546 or 415-252-4655

Young people, take note! Teenquake 2011 is right around the corner and this year they are co-hosting a writing competition with Figment.com for 13 to 18 year olds in the Bay Area. Teenquake will be running contests in four different categories — fiction, fantasy, poetry, and mystery. Entrants can submit writing for one, two, three, or all of the categories. There will be twenty finalists in total (5 for each category), and first, second, and third place winners will be chosen for each category by our fabulous author guest judges, and those authors will present the winners with awards and prizes at the Teenquake Awards Ceremony on October 14 in San Francisco.

This contest is moving fast – you only have until 7pm EST on September 18^th to enter, so don’t delay! More details can be found here.

Our friends at Intersection for the Arts just launched their Youth Art Workshop, which was designed to create a space for young people who live, work, learn, and play in this community to be empowered as leaders, innovators, and artists. The Youth Art Workshop includes a collaboration with a few organizations, including WritersCorps, Oasis for Girls, YMCA, and Larkin Street Youth Services.

WritersCorps teaching artist Carrie Leilam Love will be leading a writing workshop for young women from September through December that explores identity, architecture, and urban landscapes via visual art and writing. The workshop culminates in a performance reading on December 9.

The Youth Art Workshop will also include a slew of other opportunities and special workshops for young people. For more information, go here.

Now that the school year is starting up again, you’ll have a chance to get more acquainted with our teachers. Meet our second year teacher, Anhvu Buchanan, who will be teaching at the Juvenile Justice Center and Excelsior Branch Library for the 2011-2012 academic year.

What has been your favorite experience as a Teaching Artist with WritersCorps?
My favorite experience as a Teaching Artist with WritersCorps is definitely last spring’s WritersCorps event WordStorm. It was wonderful being surrounded by all the amazing participants of WritersCorps. I loved hearing the wonderful work they wrote during the school year, and the books that each site published were extraordinary and beautiful.

Would you say that your teaching style is similar to your writing style?
I would say that my writing style is very similar to my teaching style. As a writer, I’m not afraid to take risks and try different things on the page and with words. I feel as though I’m the same way in the classroom. I don’t mind being creative and different when it comes to creating my lessons.

Who or what have been your most inspirational teachers?
I’ve had two inspirational teachers in my life that I will never forget. The first was my psychology professor at Virginia Tech, Joseph Germana. He was the kind of teacher that I thought only existed in movies. The kind of teacher that would stand on top of the desk and rip up the textbook right in front of you. He didn’t have a computer and used a typewriter for everything. He had never used the Internet. He didn’t believe in grades and once, for another class, made them climb up a tree and yell out the grade they thought they deserved. But what was inspiring about him was his ability to think outside the box. He created engaging and thought-provoking lessons that I still to this day will never forget. Another inspirational teacher for me was Truong Tran at SFSU. He was inspiring in the sense that he went above and beyond for his students. He not only cared about how well you did in the classroom but how you did in life as well. I’ve never met anyone who looked out for their students the way Truong Tran does.

What are you reading now?
Currently, I am reading “The Savage Detectives” by Roberto Bolano and “Say So” by Dora Malech.

What’s your advice to young writers seeking to branch out and become more serious with their craft?
Read, read, and then read some more. The more you read, the better a writer you will become. Not only will it help build your vocabulary, but it can inspire you and introduce you to many different writing styles and voices. Secondly, I think it’s important to find a support system. Find a small group or community of other writers that you can get together with once every few weeks to share the work you’ve written and give you some feedback or ideas to expand your writing. WritersCorps has an amazing Apprentice Program that is perfect for any young writer in San Francisco who wants to become a part of a community of serious young writers.

Cover of "By Heart: Poetry, Prison, and Two Lives," by Spoon Jackson and Judith Tannenbaum

As part of Litquake 2011’s opening, this event is facilitated by WritersCorps training coordinator Judith Tannenbaum (and co-author of the recent memoir “By Heart: Poetry, Prison, and Two Lives”). This panel features books by four men serving long sentences in California prisons:

Kenneth E. Hartman’s “Mother California” (read by Alia Hartman)

Spoon Jackson’s “By Heart: Poetry, Prison, and Two Lives” (on DVD)

Jarvis Master’s “That Bird Has My Wings” (read by Susan Moon)

Boston Woodard’s “Inside the Broken California Prison System” (read by Jon Sievert)

The panel will include readings from each of the four books, plus time for audience sharing.

When: October 8, 2011, 12 noon

Where: Variety Preview Room
582 Market St., First Floor

Cost: Free