We empower young people to write their own stories. 

An exciting, challenging, and supportive community where young authors thrive

Based in Washington Heights, Uptown Stories offers after-school, weekend, and summer creative writing workshops for children ages 8-18, led by rockstar teachers, who are also professional authors and artists.

Students learn the art and craft of writing, how to revise their work, and how to give and receive constructive feedback. Each workshop ends with a celebratory reading at the Word Up Bookshop in Washington Heights, and the publication of a paperback anthology, so every student leaves our program as a published author.

To ensure our program is accessible to our ethnically and economically diverse community, our tuition is “Pay-What-You-Can.” Uptown Stories creates an exciting, challenging, and supportive community where young authors thrive.

Why Creative Writing?

We believe that writing is an essential tool for:

Developing
Communication Skills

Creative writing helps young people develop their communication skills.
By learning to express their thoughts and ideas in writing, they become better able to articulate their ideas verbally, which is beneficial in all areas of life.

Stimulating Imagination

Creative writing encourages young people to use their imaginations and think creatively. This helps them become more innovative and adaptable in their thinking, which is useful in many different contexts, from problem-solving  to artistic expression.

Enhancing
Self-Expression

Creative writing provides young people with a medium for self-expression. This can be especially important for those who struggle with expressing themselves verbally or who may feel misunderstood or marginalized in other areas of their lives.

Building Confidence

As young people develop their creative writing skills and see their work improve, they gain confidence in their abilities. This translates to other areas of their lives, such as academics or social situations, where confidence and self-assuredness can be valuable assets.

Promoting
Critical Thinking

Writing creatively requires young people to think critically and analyze their own work. This helps them develop their critical thinking skills, which is needed in a wide range of academic and professional pursuits.

My daughter takes her writing seriously because Uptown Stories takes her seriously.

Kimberly

Parent

I've met a fantastic group of people and become a much better writer. Kate and the rest of the staff are hardworking and fun to work with.

Joseph

Student

When it's Monday, I'm so excited for class to start! Favorite time of the week! Uptown Stories made me like writing even more.

Tallulah

Student

Uptown Stories redefined "after school enrichment" for me. The kids were learning the fundamentals of good writing, but in a way that felt like a fun romp, rather than a two-hour slog through rules and thesis statements.

HK

Parent

Thanks to [Uptown Stories], a passing interest has become a passion.

Gerry

Parent

Uptown Stories has helped me come out of my shell and explore my imagination. My writing has become more complex and descriptive over the years. It is helpful and fun to anyone who is interested in writing or not!

Kayla

Student

I really appreciate the fact that every every student has a voice in their class. They trust each other and they listen to each other. All of this is happening because Uptown Stories has created a community of learners where everyone learns from each other.

Nina

Parent

Being able to expand my mind in a loving and supportive environment has shaped my mind in so many wonderful ways, and I'm eternally grateful for it. I've come a long way, and it's all thanks to the community at Uptown Stories.

Susannah

Student

Ready to Join a Workshop?

Poetry at The Met Cloisters

Want to spend time with unicorns, jewels, tombs, and all things medieval? Ever look at a painting and find yourself spinning an epic story behind it? If that’s you, join us in our Poetry at The Met Cloisters workshop! In this special workshop in collaboration with the Met Cloisters, we’ll be creating our own ekphrastic poetry. This big word is simpler than it looks. Ekphrastic means “description” in Greek, and so our ekphrastic poetry will be vivid descriptions of paintings, statues, tapestries, and other works of art at this iconic site. Every week we’ll make our way through the park to The Met Cloisters, taking in our surroundings, sketching, looking closely at art, and expressing all it sparks in our imaginations through writing. The class will end with a super exciting reading at The Met Cloisters!

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Writing Dialogue

Writing dialogue seems like it should be a breeze but when it comes down to it, writing great dialogue is one of the hardest skills to master. It reveals character nuance and mood; it can set the tone for the entire story; and can be pivotal to your reader’s experience.

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For four weeks this winter join original rockstar teaching artist, Kate Reuther, to embark on the writer’s journey toward authentic and impactful dialogue. Together, as a group of motivated and curious writers, we’ll draw inspiration from fiction and screenplays, and fine-tune this skill that can make or break your next short story, novel, or screenplay.

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Come ready and excited to engage with some of the most influential voices of our past and present! We’ll read and watch Zadie Smith, JD Salinger, Tana French, Oscar Wilde, Quentin Tarantino, and more.
Don’t just talk about it - register now!

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One Page Wonder

Craft the world of a novel on a single page — yes, you can do it! In the The One-Page Wonder workshop, we’ll look at the shortest stories from around the world, and explore the limitless possibilities of flash fiction. Starting small, we’ll build from the sentence, to the paragraph, and then finally to the page. These stories are all about building mood and mystery, painting clear images, and dropping the reader into a world that is already alive, and ready for exploration. Surprise yourself with writing that packs a punch in your own piece of microfiction.

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