Writing Classes for NYC Tweens and Teens

[UPDATED: July 12,2012]

Kids can learn pretty much anything in this town: gardening, swimming, foreign languages, circus arts, rock 'n' roll–you name it and there's probably a class for it.

Writing, however, is one of those subjects kids get in school, but also makes for a great extracurricular activity (especially these days with tweens, teens and even adults using IM-speak and condensing their deepest thoughts into 140 characters or less).

There are a number of wonderful local programs that are helping adolescents develop their writing skills beyond Twitter. Whether they're interesting in creating short stories or novels, plays or comic books, these classes are for aspiring authors.

826 NYC – ages 6-18
372 Fifth Avenue between 5th and 6th Sts - Park Slope
718-499-9884
This nonprofit org offers free writing workshops for students in elementary through high school. Classes are held in the evenings and on weekends at the Park Slope storefront, and admission is by lottery. Creative workshops include, The Zebra Who Took the D Train, where kids 7-12 write their own animal fables.  Check their website, as new workshops are added regularly. Since the instruction is free, 826 asks that families who are selected commit to attending every class, and requires a $25 deposit, which is returned upon completion of all three sessions.

The New Vic Studio Playwriting – ages 10 and up
229 W 42nd St between Broadway and Eighth Ave
646-223-3010
The New Victory Theater offers stage workshops all season long, but if your kid's more of a playwright than a performer, check the schedule for their periodic workshops on Playwriting. During the summer, the Vic also hosts a Playwriting Studio Week. During this week-long program, students put on a show from top to bottom, including writing, acting and producing their own work.

Kapow! A Comic Book Adventure – ages 10-12
1624 First Ave between 84th and 85th Sts
This Scribble Press summer course teaches kids how to create their heroes, map out a story and design illustrations to complete their own comic book in a week.  Many unique classes teach kids how to make their own books from start to finish. During the semester-long workshops, Scribes in grades one through eight hone their writing skills and ultimately author, illustrate and bind their own tomes.

Writopia Lab – ages 8 to 18
155 W 81st St Ste A between Amsterdam and Columbus Aves
212-222-4088
This nonprofit organization runs intimate creative writing workshops in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Westchester. Professional writers teach fiction, nonfiction, playwriting or screenwriting, and each class is limited to six students. A ten-class semester is $560. The fall session has already started, but there are other options, including a Winter Intensive. For the past two years, Writopia has also sponsored a springtime playwriting and screenwriting contest, Bestival, open to all aspiring authors in first through twelfth grades.

For more great kids' programs, check out our Classes Guide.