You Should Apply to YEW!

In the depths of a suffocating summer heat, writers from across the Quad Cities metropolitan area gather on the top floor of the Rock Island Public Library to create, critique, and talk about all things writing.

The Young Emerging Writers (YEW) Program is a paid internship dedicated to supporting young writers in the Quad Cities and beyond. Over the course of seven weeks—running Mondays through Wednesdays from June 8 to July 22—students collaborate to produce a new edition of The Atlas Literary Magazine. This summer marks the magazine’s 21st year of publication.

Through workshops and collaborative discussions, YEW introduces interns to a wide range of writing styles and creative processes, offering the perfect environment for writers to hone and mature their craft. Throughout the course, students will develop a variety of professional skills, including editing, magazine production, and collaborative project management. Not only that, but the Midwest Writing Center is located in Rock Island, making it quite close to North Scott. 

Participants also have the chance to share their work through public readings. While that may sound incredibly intimidating, the supportive atmosphere makes it far less daunting than expected.

For more information, make sure to check out the Midwest Writing Center website and consider submitting an application! Hybrid options are available as well, so even if you are unable to make it to every in-person meeting, you can still be involved! 

Submission Guidelines

• Submissions are due May 15th

• All writing must be typed in 12pt Times New Roman font

• Poetry: Send up to three poems (5 pages Maximum)

• Prose (fiction/nonfiction/hybrid): 1,500 words maximum

• Submissions must be sent as word documents **

• ** Works with specific formatting should also be sent as a PDF

  
  

For more information on submission guidelines, see the guideline flyer made by the center.

My Experience

I joined YEW for the first time last year, and I recommend this opportunity to everyone. Whether you’re wanting to publish your work or are just interested in anything to do with creative writing, this program is a fantastic way to get a glimpse into the realities of drafting, workshopping, editing, and putting a literary magazine together!

Rozz-Tox, a "listening bar" in Rock Island, IL

Breaking into creative writing can be hard, especially for young writers. YEW gives students the scaffolding they need to get their works out in the world, creating a space for them to publish more work as they age out of the program.

The public readings I participated in during YEW pushed me outside my comfort zone in a new way. Although I have experience in theatre and Speech, performing my own writing felt entirely different. My first public reading was at Rozz-Tox, and while it was intimidating at first, it quickly became an incredibly fun and exciting experience.

Even if you have minimal experience in creative writing, I urge you to send in an application! I know a few of my fellow interns had only begun writing a few months prior to submitting their applications.

Art is one of the most important things in a changing world; it's what we live for. In the wise words of Robin Williams' Character Mr. Keating from Dead Poets Society: "We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."

The powerful play of life never stops, but you may contribute a verse—what will it be?