by MaKenzie Copp, 2025 Summer Coordinator, The Writing Institute
Since 1999, Writers Week at Sarah Lawrence College has offered creative young people an immersive week-long experience in creative writing and the performance arts, and since 2023, the program has taken up special residence in my life and work! Over the last three years I have worked closely with the Writing Institute, serving as a Graduate Assistant, a Lead Writing Teacher, and the new Summer Coordinator for Writers Week. Every year, no matter my role, I am reminded just how special this program is, and how insanely talented the students are, breathing life into my own work outside of the program, both as an educator and a creative!
The Collaboration
One thing that makes Writers Week such a special program is the rigorous collaboration folded into its ethos. The program not only works to educate and inspire young writers, but also provides meaningful teaching experience to Sarah Lawrence graduate students. MFA Writing students and alumni lead writing workshops, while MFA Theatre students & alumni, with support from faculty Christine Farrell, lead the theatre workshops. .. I was lucky enough to serve as a Teaching Artist my second year with the program, and working alongside my peers in that professional role was one of the highlights of my MFA, getting to collaborate with other creatives not as students, but as educators. Writers Week Teaching Artists work together in interdisciplinary pairs, creating unique curriculums that combine passions across genres and modes. Every year, I am inspired creatively by bearing witness to the expertise of these Teaching Artists! The passion they hold for their respective disciplines, whether it be poetry, prose, acting, playwriting, or comedy shines through in their every move, making Writers Week a uniquely generative environment, not only for the students, but for us as well.
This year, I got to enjoy Writers Week from a whole new vantage point, working behind the scenes as a part of the Writing Institute team, and I would be remiss to not shout out that collaboration as well. Director Courtney Gillette and Assistant Director Ava Robinson care so deeply about the success of this program and the well being of our students. They are the lifeblood that keeps Writers Week going, demonstrating from the top down the kind of respect, collaboration, and enthusiasm that we expect in all areas of our programming.
Cabaret
My favorite day of Writers Week is always Friday, when we hold our famed Cabaret! Cabaret is a celebration of the students’ accomplishments, where everyone is invited to share something that they created during the week. Some read pieces they wrote, others work together with their theater classes to act out collaborative scenes. Getting to witness the students' passion and talent is the highlight of the week, topped only by the way they show up for each other in the room— cheering loudly, laughing unabashedly, exuding pride in one another like old friends!
At the 2023 Cabaret, our musical theatre class got up together and sang a rendition of Rent’s “Seasons of Love,” which they altered to pay homage to Writers Week. Standing in a long line across the stage, they sang “How do you measure Writers Week? In friendships, in lunches, in word counts and inspiration, in goldfish, perception, trying new things.” I remember looking over at Ava in that moment and both of us were crying, overcome with gratitude for these students and this program. It's no small undertaking to put these programs together each year, but Fridays in the Donnelly Theatre, listening to students surprise and inspire each other, praise and admire each other, makes it all worth it!
The Students
At the risk of sounding rather cliché— the students are what make our work worth it! Every year I am in awe of their open minds, killer talent, and their willingness to lead with curiosity and kindness! As a creative writer myself, it heartens me in a big way to see the time and dedication these young people are bringing to their craft, and how seriously they take the business of writing, because it IS serious business! I’ve heard students ask teaching artists about the intricacies of their educational journeys, and guest authors about the realities of health insurance as a freelance writer. Like, WHAT?! These kids are miles ahead of where I was at their age, and getting to be a part of this cohort each summer is a gift— one that does not come lightly, as I know just how many parents plan and rearrange their own lives to accommodate and encourage their students’ creativity!
Because of the students' passion, Writers Week is able to extend beyond the five days we have together into a lasting community! I know of students who met for the first time at our program who are still friends years later, and still writing together. It warms my heart to see students keep returning to our program each year, and getting to watch them grow. In 2025, I happily greeted a student who I taught in an afterschool workshop back in 2022-2023, while he was still in middle school! Now, he is returning to Writers Week for the third year in a row! It is such a privilege to play a role in these students' creative journeys. Their dedication is what inspires me to keep coming back year after year!