Metro Roundup: Young writers get support at UAB summer workshop

The Ada Long Creative Writing Workshop — held each summer by the UAB Department of English — is a chance for a select group of 30 high school students to work closely with nationally acclaimed novelists, essayists and poets. 

“This workshop is built around our students finding inspiration, guidance and support to express their ideas,” said Tina Braziel, director of the workshop, in a news release.

This year’s workshop will take place June 13-July 1 at the Spencer Honors House on the UAB campus. 

Applications from rising high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors will be accepted through May 1 or until all the spaces are filled. 

Participants can earn up to one hour of college credit and will receive one-on-one attention to develop their writing skills, Braziel said.

The Jimmie Hess Scholarship Fund offers scholarships to assure that all interested students can attend.

The program encourages students to find inspiration in Birmingham’s rich culture and history. 

Students are able to explore different genres such as poetry, fiction, memoir, and magazine production. 

They draft, critique, and revise original works weekly, culminating in a published piece in The Writer’s Block, the workshop’s yearly anthology. 

In the past, students represented over many Alabama schools including the Alabama School of Fine Arts, G.W. Carver High School, Huffman High School Magnet, Gadsden City School and Ramsay High School. 

The workshop is named for Dr. Ada Long, a professor of English and the founding director of the UAB Honors Program.

Long was a lifelong advocate for community outreach, the value of a liberal education and the enduring significance of literature. 

Braziel is an award-winning poet. Her collection, “Known by Salt,” which won the 2017 Philip Levine Prize for Poetry, was published by Anhinga Press in 2019.

She earned her MFA at The University of Oregon, has been published in numerous journals and published a poetry chapbook, “Rooted by Thirst,” in 2016

To apply and for more information about the workshop, call 205-934-8573 or go to go.uab.edu/ada.