Creative Writing Portfolio Requirements for Summer Programs (High School Students)

Please submit up to five PDF files for Interlochen Art Camp's creative writing summer programs.

PDF #1: A one-page, double-spaced personal essay that addresses these two points:

  1. How the practice of reading and writing enriches your life.
  2. How your time at Interlochen will help you attain your goals for creative writing.

PDFs #2-5: Assemble a portfolio that includes at least two of the following genres:

  • Poetry—four to five poems, preferably non-rhyming, that offer a variety of forms, styles, and subject matter.
  • Fiction—two short stories, only one of which may be so-called "genre" writing (science fiction, fantasy, etc.).
  • Playwriting—two dialogue-driven scenes or plays.
  • Nonfiction—two personal or outward-looking essays. Please do not send academic essays, like book analyses for English class.
  • Experimental or Unclassifiable work—one or more pieces that don't play by the rules and which perhaps include visual or sonic components.

All portfolio materials should be typed and proofread, double-spaced, with a standard 12-point font. Single-spacing is preferred but not required for poetry. Portfolios must not exceed 25 pages.

Apply