Writing Rockstars
Ella Gilliam has attended Inkspire Writing Camp for four summers, as well as our Revolutionary Girl Dreaming program. She tied for first-place in Kentucky’s 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. poetry contest and was recognized during a ceremony in Frankfort on January 8, 2026. Her poem was entitled “Hope” as part of the 2026 theme of “Equality for All, Hope for Tomorrow.”
Evelyn Lawson has attended Inkspire Writing Camp for two summers, as well as our Revolutionary Girl Dreaming program. She won first-place in Kentucky’s Daughters of American Revolution (DAR) contest with a poem about the heroics by women during the Bryan Station Siege. Her poem was entitled “She Steps” and will advance to regional competition.
2026 Theme: INKdependence
Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday
Registration opens February 1, 2026
Camps run 9 am-3:30 pm M-F
Cost: $200
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Downtown Lexington: June 15-19
Downtown Winchester: July 26-31
*Camp includes includes music, art, drama, guest speakers, story telling, recreation, and writing
Summer Camps
Join folks like Ella and Evelyn at our summer creativity camps!*
Start the New Year
by reading and writing.
Unwrap stories of women long ago.
Fall in love with new young women poets. Never look at a pencil the same way.
In 240 pages, A Pencil Grows in Kentucky weaves together listening lessons, creative writing lessons, and true stories of amazing Appalachian women of Kentucky. Best of all, the book features the powerful poetry of 70 young women from her Appalachia Girl Dreaming workshop.
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An inspiring read for dreamers of all ages.
$14.95​​​
Jacqueline is glad to coordinate book club discussions via Zoom at no charge! Email her to set up a date: jacqueline@whywrite.org
Available at Court Street Gifts in downtown Winchester, KY.
Every dollar from this book purchase goes directly to Why We Write to help us
create more free writing programs.
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Thanks to Shade Hatmaker, our cover artist!
A Pencil Grows in the News
Thanks to Bob Hill, columnist for the Courier-Journal, for his great story about our writing nonprofit and the publication of our new book A Pencil Grows in Kentucky.
Students Listen
Our camp director Mizz JJ loves to visit schools and read stories she has written. A group of students at Strode Station Elementary School in Winchester, enjoyed her story Ocean Eyes about a blue sea turtle.
Writers are
shell-ebrities
