Summertime, sunshine, green rolling hills, and you! Explore the forest, climb to the tree house, and meander with the stream while honing your writing skills with a professional writer and naturalist on our 24-acre wooded retreat, with trails that connect to the Finger Lakes Trail. Through hands-on exploration, you’ll learn about local plant species and draw inspiration from the landscape to create stories, dramatic monologues, and poems. Together, we’ll explore the past, present, and future of the region’s plants, animals, and ecosystems, using place as a springboard for imagination and creative expression while focusing on the genre(s) that best suit you. Selected pieces will be compiled into a collaborative group anthology to celebrate our shared work. Please dress to hike and pack a bag lunch each day. Campers are welcome to bring a camera if they have one. For some activities, participants will be split into age-based groups.

Teaching Artist(s): Emma Callahan and TBD

Please note: Writers & Books will not be providing transportation to and from Gell.

If your scholarship application is declined or the award does not meet your need, please email administrator@writersandbooks.org with the subject line “SW Scholarship” to discuss an adjustment.

For more information about SummerWrite visit our Things to Know page.

SummerWrite Tee Shirts
Every camper who registers on or before May 25, 2026, receives one complimentary tee. To reserve your shirt, please visit this link and indicate size and enter participant name in the “Additional information” box at the bottom of the checkout page.