LINCOLN PARK — A new addition to Chicago's literary scene hopes to spark the light bulb in the head of the city's next great novelist or poet.
Writopia Lab is a workshop that caters to young creative thinkers between the ages of 6 and 18 and is taught by a published author or produced playwright.
The program, which launched in New York in 2007, is a place for students to let their ideas run wild, and eventually leave the week-long workshop with a finished piece.
"There's certainly a hunger for it in this city," said Eric Lutz, a fiction writer and journalist who manages the Chicago branch of Writopia.
Paul Biasco details the camp and why it's starting up a Chicago chapter:
Lutz's work has appeared in Salon, Paste Magazine, the Chicago Reader and most frequently, Newcity.
Writopia has hosted a number of workshops in Chicago sporadically, but this summer the nonprofit set up shop in the city fulltime with the first workshops being held at Next Door Cafe in Lincoln Park in early July.
The workshops are five days long, with three-hour sessions each day involving a mixture of writing games, free writing and workshop with their peers and instructor.
"The work they end up producing is so advanced," Lutz said. "It's really kind of amazing to see."
Writopia plans on moving its workshops to coffee shops in various neighborhoods until it can find a permanent location.
Many students who have previously participated have been interested in playwriting, poetry and fiction, but previous experience is not necessary.
Some students come into the workshops with a story in progress while others come in fresh, organizers said.
Because of Writopia's goal to allow all students to participate, the workshop's pay structure is based on a sliding scale.
The normal rate is $560 for a week, but lower prices ranging down to $180 a week are available if necessary.
"It's important for us to be able to do that because we don’t want to turn anyone away," Lutz said. "We don’t turn anyone away because of money. If a student wants to work with us, we will find a way."
