Help a Young Writer

News from The Alpha SF/F/H Workshop:

alphaThe Alpha SF/F/H Workshop For Young Writers is running a scholarship drive February 16-23. Make a tax-deductible donation to change a teen writer’s life.

The Alpha scholarship drive will run February 16-23. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and all contributions are tax-deductible. Donations really do change the course of our students’ lives.

Every summer since 2002, Alpha has welcomed 20 teens to the University of Pittsburgh – Greensburg campus for an intense 11 days of writing, critiquing and lectures from top authors in the fields of science fiction, fantasy and horror. This year, guest authors include Malinda Lo, Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar, and Tamora Pierce.

Alpha works hard to keep costs low–every staff member is a volunteer, and tuition is set at the lowest possible level–but prospective students often require financial aid to attend. Donors at the $10 level or above will receive an e-book of the Alphanthology, a collection of illustrated flash fiction by past Alphans. Other thank you gifts include signed cards from the class of 2016, and high quality prints ofAlphanthology illustrations.

Alphans have sold novels and published short stories in dozens of markets, including Lightspeed, Clarkesworld, Analog and Strange Horizons. Many of them have placed and won in contests such as The Dell Magazine Award, Writers of the Future, and the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. This workshop is an incredible opportunity for young writers, but some of them can’t attend the workshop without your generous support.

You will be changing somebody’s life,” said Amanda Shu, a recent Alpha graduate. “You will be giving them this gift, this absolutely amazing experience that I think every young writer should be able to have.”

To donate, and to learn more about the Alpha SF/F/H Young Writers’ Workshop, please visit the Alpha website and follow @AlphaWorkshop on Twitter.