Mount Summer Stories: Sine Thompson '24 at The New York Times Summer Creative Writing Program

We're sharing Mount Summer Stories and Sine Thompson '24 has an amazing one. The summer Sine ventured to the big city for the The New York Times Summer Academy for Creative Writing Program. There is a 10% admission rate for the two-week international program, housed on Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus, in the heart of Manhattan.

Sine shared that the process was strenuous and "felt like a college application." There were three writing prompts and you had to share an excerpt of your previous writing. Sine submitted a sensory poem that she'd written about running with her dog during her time in Ms. Margaret DeStefano's English class. Obviously it left a good impression since she was admitted to the highly-respected program. 

When Sine was growing up, her parents kept her interested in world events—she grew up listening to NPR and The New York Times has always been one of her favorite news sources (Opinion is her favorite section!). The discovery of the Summer Academy opportunity came from her mother. Sine was immediately intrigued and started working on her application right away. 

New York City provided the perfect backdrop for creative exploration during her two-week immersive program. Sine engaged in various writing exercises, interacted with writers from all over the world and gained insight into the creative writing processes of her peers. She also had the opportunity to meet with professors and teaching assistants from Fordham University and nearby schools like NYU.

Sine found that the most valuable part of the experience was being able to meet and interact with young people from across the the US and even from as far away as Kenya and China. She described being part of her small cohort as unforgettable and transformative.