Down to the Sea with Paper & Pen!
A one-week literary sailing adventure in June '08 for twenty teen writers.
Down to the Sea with Paper & Pen Get Application
Exclusively for teen writers and creative kids 13-17. Love to write and create? Join a one-week literary sailing adventure with 20 teen writers aboard a tall ship in the waters from Boston to Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod, and Martha’s Vineyard.
This program brings together former Merlyn’s Pen magazine editors, alumni authors, and creative teens for a week-long celebration of writing, literature, sailing, and the sea. Student writers will get to "rough it" for a week, help sail a tall ship, write together, read and discuss great literature of the sea, collaborate on a short video, explore the coves and beaches between Boston and Martha's Vineyard, publish their best at www.merlynspen.org, and experience life aboard a tall ship in the spirit of literary greats from Melville to Hemingway. More about Merlyn's Pen
When and Where is the Adventure?
Sunday, June 22, 2008, through Saturday morning, June 28, 2008. The sail begins and ends in Boston (more below).
Highlights of Week
- Write and receive positive feedback from Merlyn's Pen editors every day.
- Sail, swim, and explore beautiful New England coves and harbors.
- Choose among daily on-board workshops: "Writing for Publication," “Choosing Your Topics,” “Creating Convincing Characters,” “Writing the Personal Essay,” "Writing & Revising Poetry," "Narratives of the Sea," and "Finding Your Voice.” More topics will come from your suggestions.
- Film, narrate, and edit a short video with other writers; present it to rave reviews at "Movie Night Under the Stars." (No prior film experience required.)
- Meet Writer-in-Residence Amity Gaige, published as a teen in Merlyn's Pen, whose novel O My Darling has won critical acclaim.
- Enjoy several one-on-one mentoring sessions with Merlyn’s Pen editor R. Jim Stahl.
- Learn with friends the art of working together to raise sail, keep watch, steer a tall ship, read the sky, wind and current, and navigate safely from port to port. No sailing experience required!
- Make new friends, write and create with them, and publish your work online at www.merlynspen.org when the program ends.
- With your shipmates, design and paint an original pennant that will fly aloft, a symbol of your creative week together.
About the Program Leaders More about the leaders Get Application
Program Director Peter Jenkins is Senior Associate Director of College Counseling at the Northfield Mt. Hermon School, in Massachusetts.
Down to the Sea is designed by R. Jim Stahl, editor and founder of Merlyn’s Pen magazine (1985-2001) and the New Library of Young Adult Writing (est. 2001) at www.merlynspen.org. He and his staff of responsive editors have mentored and published young writers since 1985. Read more about Jenkins and Stahl.
Life Aboard a Traditional Tall Ship
“Down to the Sea” sails on the Harvey Gamage, a traditional schooner reminiscent of the great coastal sailors of the 19th century. Neither fancy nor modern (except for its high-tech safety and navigation features), the ship offers writers a chance to experience coastal sailing as their peers might have a hundred years ago. No cell phones. No Internet. And the only shower comes from a bucket--or the sky! Based in Boston, the boat is operated by the Ocean Classroom Foundation, with a decade of experience in bringing kids safely to sea in semester-long programs offering high-school credit. The captain and experienced crew of Ocean Classroom offer “Down to the Sea” students a safe, fun adventure that requires no prior sailing experience—only a desire to make new friends, "rough it" for a week, work together as a team, and step back to a time when literature's greatest lines were written by oil lamp.
Where Does “Down to the Sea” Take Place? Get Application
The week of writing, reading, and sailing begins and ends at the busy Fan Pier, in historic Boston, a brief walk from the Boston Aquarium, Children's Museum, and South Station (train, "T," and bus station). A water taxi runs between Boston's Logan Airport and the pier. Parents are invited to explore the Harvey Gamage during boarding Sunday afternoon.
Early-Bird Tuition C Get Application
Enroll and send your refundable deposit before May 15, 2008, and save $200: $1495.
Regular Tuition
Regular tuition is $1695. Send your deposit ($400) before May 15, 2008, to guarantee a space. After May 15, please send the entire tuition amount.
Friendly Tuition
Enroll with a friend, send both refundable deposits before May 15, 2008, and save $300 each: $1395.
*Deposits are refundable until May 1, 2008, less an enrollment fee of 4% of tuition.
Teachers and Chaperones Sail for Free!
Teachers or parents who enroll six students from their area are invited aboard. Just click below, email or phone 1-800-247-2027 to ask for Chaperone Information, which includes brochures for interested families and teen writers, 13 to 17. Chaperones are expected to be on duty a few hours each day and evening, assisting Merlyn’s Pen staff and editors and participating in activities.
Safety and Security
The Ocean Classroom Foundation and its largest tall ship, the Harvey Gamage, have a decade-long record of passenger safety. The vessel is U.S. Coast Guard inspected and certified for offshore waters. In "Down to the Sea," students sail only in coastal waters, and emergency services from nearby Massachusetts and Rhode Island hospitals are readily available. Dietary and allergy considerations may be discussed prior to enrolling and are eagerly accommodated. Students sleep in simple but cozy single-sex cabins of six to eight bunks, and staff and chaperones are on duty 24/7 in the cabin areas.
Scholarships Available & Writing Contest
Students seeking scholarships to the program should fill out and send in the Application but send no deposit. Scholarship decisions will be made in May as funding availability becomes known. In addition to sending the Application, students -- scholarship applicants or not -- may enter the Merlyn's Pen Writing Contest, deadline May 1, 2008, which offers a full scholarship to the First Place writer to attend Down to the Sea. Entering the Writing Contest is not considered an application to the program. Please apply to the program separately.
Community Life on Board
In the interests of safety and community on board the ship, students will be expected to respect appropriate rules of courtesy as well as the safety needs of the ship, its crew and faculty, and fellow students. Non-prescription drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes may not be brought aboard. Students will be asked to sign a code of conduct pledge prior to sailing.
Send a Second Writer to Sea: You can Gift this Adventure to a Deserving Teen
Wish to make this literary sailing adventure possible for a second teen, perhaps a child unable to afford such a wonderful opportunity? Merlyn's Pen is collaborating with the model inner-city academy Community Prep School, in Providence, RI; several deserving Community Prep students are hoping to join the adventure. You can help make it possible. Your tax-deductible gift of $900 or $1800 (a half or a full scholarship) to Community Prep School will put one of these eager students on board--all expenses paid, including travel! Email or call 1-800-247-2027 if you'd like to sponsor a scholarship student.
To receive the printed 4-color brochure, email Merlyn's Pen your name, grade, street address and contact phone number. In the subject line, please write: Down to the Sea. Or call 1-800-247-2027.
Please send me an Application
Please send me Chaperone Information
Merlyn's Pen, 11 South Angell St., Suite 301, Providence, RI 02906 1-800-247-2027. Email merlyn@merlynspen.org
