Austin Bat Cave hosts a number of free, half-day creative writing summer camps all over the city.
Summer camps explore genres like Post-Apocalyptic Fiction, Poetry Writing, Horror Writing, Magical Realism, and more. Whatever your interests, we have a camp for you!
For the young writer who craves a deeper intensive and wants to discover their writing community, our week-long Overnight Writing Retreat for Young Authors at St. Edward’s University is the perfect getaway. Scholarships for eligible students are available.
Half-Day Summer Camps
Below are our 2021 Summer Camps!
3rd – 5th Grade
Intro to Poetry Camp
June 28th–July 2nd,
10am–12pm each day
Zoom interface
This workshop for young poets will explore a variety of different poetic forms including lyrics, sonnets, blank verse, and more, all while teaching campers how to find poetic inspiration in the world around them! For the young William Carlos Williams or Louise Gluck in your life! Campers will work on learning various literary devices and crafting several different types of poems over the course of the workshop and will work towards a live performance at the end of camp.
8th-12th Grade
Courageous Cadence: A Performing Justice Project
July 5th–16th,
11am–1pm each day;
Final Performance on
July 17th at 7pm
Zoom interface
Courageous Cadence: A Performing Justice Project is a spoken word poetry action-residency in which high- school-aged Black, Indigenous, and Youth of Color can come together to make meaning around race and gender (in)justices. Led by Jasmine Games and Quinn Wozniak, this residency is a space for youth to play games, participate in discussions and activities, and write creatively in response to various prompts and topics. We enthusiastically encourage trans, queer, and nuerodivergent BIPOC youth to apply. We welcome youth of all levels of experience with spoken word poetry and theatre to apply for this free residency. Whether you are someone who writes and performs frequently or someone who has never written a poem before, we believe that you are an important part of the community we hope to build together. This residency is completely free and online through Zoom. Join us as we find the rhyme in resistance and make a stand! We can’t wait to see you there!
6th – 12th Grade
The Past & Present: Fiction Camp
June 28th–July 2nd
2pm–4pm each day
Zoom interface
Where do we get our stories from? How can history and personal memories play into our short stories and other writings? This workshop will investigate how to write stories inspired by different kinds of history—both history written in books and history that we remember during our life experiences. During the week, we’ll explore different modes of research, and how fictional worlds can be created out of these facts. Campers will be given a variety of different prompts—writing from historical photographs and newspaper headlines—and will work toward producing one or two short stories during the weeklong workshop. Assignments will include virtual trips to the library and other unexpected resources. Only prerequisite: curiosity and a desire to discover!
S. Kirk Walsh’s debut novel, The Elephant of Belfast, was published by Counterpoint Press in April 2021. The novel is inspired by true events that occurred in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during World War II. She is the founder of Austin Bat Cave, and is excited to be working with ABC students again. To learn more, visit skirkwalsh.com.
3rd-5th Grade
Dungeons & Dragons Camp: Beginners
July 19th–23rd,
10am–12pm each day, Zoom interface
In this camp, students will create a D&D character, designing everything from their physical traits to their backstory. Campers will then work together in small parties to solve problems, defeat monsters, and save the day as they invent fantasy stories and keep a journal of their daily adventures. Join a wonderful team of adventurers and Dungeon Masters and lead your party on an unforgettable quest!
6th-12th grade
Dungeons & Dragons Camp: Advanced
July 19th–23rd
1pm–3pm each day,
Zoom interface
In this camp, students will create a D&D character, designing everything from their physical traits to their backstory. Campers will then work together in small parties to solve problems, defeat monsters, and save the day as they invent fantasy stories and keep a journal of their daily adventures. Join a wonderful team of adventurers and Dungeon Masters and lead your party on an unforgettable quest!
Advanced D&D students will have the opportunity to learn how to become a Dungeon Master, directing the narrative flow of the game and creating scenarios and settings that the other players encounter.
6th – 12th Grade
Speculative Fiction Camp
June 14th–25th, 11am–1pm M-F each week (Two-Week Camp)
Zoom interface
Have you ever imagined new worlds and/or radically different futures? Do you read Octavia Butler and think, “I could do this!” Join us to explore the world of speculative fiction. In this workshop, you will write your own speculative stories that imagine new forms of connection, living, and community that span science fiction, dystopian worlds, and themes of mutual aid and care. Over the course of the workshop, campers will complete at least one short story or scene and showcase their work.
6th-12th Grade
Poetry Camp
June 28th–July 2nd, 11am–1pm each day
Zoom interface
We all have a story to tell, and expressing these stories through poetry can be a great way to share your story with others. In this workshop, you will learn about a variety of poetic forms and how to share your memories, experiences, and personality through the art of poetic writing. Campers will learn the different styles that poems can take, and, using inspiration from published poets, will write a few poems about meaningful themes or experiences from their lives.
3rd-5th grade
Intro to Science Fiction Camp
June 14th–25th, 10am–12pm, M-F each week (Two-Week Camp)
Zoom interface
Robots, extraterrestrial life, time travel—when it comes to sci-fi, the possibilities are endless! In this camp, you will learn about the genre of science fiction, and will hear from sci-fi writers and guest speakers in STEM fields in order to discover how different forms of science can be incorporated into your stories! Campers will work on completing one short story over the course of the week and will have the opportunity to participate in a final reading!
Overnight Retreat
Stay tuned for our 2022 retreat.
6th – 9th Grade
Summer Writing Retreat for Young Authors
July 13th — 17th, 2020
St. Edward’s University
Join Austin Bat Cave for our week-long overnight writer’s retreat dedicated to fiction, poetry, and autobiographical storytelling. Perfect for young authors who want to immerse themselves in their craft! Campers will engage in daily creative writing workshops taught by local Austin writers, guest speakers, and educators, all while experiencing the lifestyle of a university campus. Past ABC instructors and guest speakers have included Karen Russell, Natalia Sylvester, and Carrie Johnson, Naomi Shihab Nye, and more!
Our interactive workshops will encourage students to delve into their imaginations while learning forms and structures of literary genres and subgenres. As students develop poems and stories, they will learn to critique and receive feedback, edit and revise, working closely with instructors and fellow campers to develop pieces they are proud to share and publish. As a culminating project, students will work together to prepare for a public reading (parents invited!) on the final evening of camp!
Following a full day of writing, students will spend evenings engaging in art and leisure activities guided by camp counselors, along with team-building and relationship-building games and adventures. Opportunities for one-on-one mentorship and feedback on writing will be provided each evening as well. Each camper will stay in a private, single-bed dorm room in St. Ed’s residence halls, chaperoned by program staff, and eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the university cafeteria.
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