Over the past several years, one of the most meaningful parts of building the Creative Youth Collective has been watching our young writers grow in confidence, depth, and commitment. Many of you have asked what comes next as your children move into high school and begin thinking more seriously about long-form writing, portfolios, and sustained creative work.
I’m excited to share that this fall, we are launching a new track within the Creative Youth Collective designed specifically for writers ages 14–21.
Studio II: Worldbuilding & Vision will begin on September 15, 2026 and enrollment is now open.
While Studio I: Story & Voice (Ages 10–13) remains centered on imaginative development and foundational storytelling skills, Studio II is structured around architectural thinking: designing internally coherent worlds, sustaining thematic threads, and refining projects through careful revision. It is a natural extension of our mentorship model, allowing older writers to deepen their practice within the same supportive CYC community.
Studio II was developed by Dr. Joshua Levi Ian Gentzke and reflects his particular strength in long-form creative and research-based projects, while remaining fully integrated within our personalized mentorship model.
While Joshua has been working behind the scenes for several years now — helping shape our curriculum, philosophy, and long-term vision — this fall he will be stepping into a mentorship role alongside me with the launch of Studio II.
Joshua earned his Ph.D. from Stanford University and has taught at Stanford, Santa Clara University, Michigan State University, and Monmouth College. His writing has been published by Cambridge University Press, Harvard University Press, and Routledge and his large-scale writing and research projects have received support from numerous grants and fellowships, including the Fulbright Program and the Mellon Foundation. In addition to his scholarly work, he is an internationally released songwriter and creative writer whose multimedia projects have been presented in collaboration with institutions such as SFMOMA and the San José Institute of Contemporary Art.
For over a decade, Joshua has mentored writers through large-scale research and creative projects. His approach combines structural clarity, philosophical depth, and sustained editorial rigor. Studio II reflects that orientation: careful, individualized mentorship grounded in long-form creative project development. I couldn’t be more thrilled to have Joshua on our team.
Writers in Studio II will meet one-to-one with their mentor for 75-minute sessions, develop a clear roadmap for their projects, receive detailed feedback, and build a creative portfolio. For those preparing to apply to selective colleges, we are also happy to provide personal letters of recommendation. This level of sustained commitment and publication-ready work can be a meaningful differentiator.
If you believe Studio II might be a good fit for your young writer, we encourage you to reply to this email to schedule a parent consultation. Enrollment is very limited.
CYC Scholarship Applications Open until March 21
We’d also like to remind you that we are currently accepting applications for our Creative Youth Collective Scholarship. This scholarship round is specifically for writers qualifying for Studio II (ages 14-21) – full details and application instructions can be found here.
We would deeply appreciate it if you could share this information with any young writers you think might benefit from the CYC experience. Thank you for being an integral part of our community!
Sincerely,
Kathryn