Between the Lines International Writing Program

Application Deadline:March 9, 2021.

BTL: Peace and the Writing Experience will bring together 40 international and 10 U.S.-based students, ages 15-18, for two weeks of intensive BTL summer programming hosted online by the International Writing Program (IWP) and the University of Iowa (UI). All programming is conducted in English and includes creative writing workshops, world literature seminars, literary readings and Q&As with visiting authors, youth and mentor conversation sessions, social opportunities for cultural exchange, as well as group and individual writing assignments outside of class. The virtual program is free of cost for all selected participants.

This year’s version of Between the Lines (BTL) will bring together participants from Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Georgia, India, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Poland, Sri Lanka, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Tunisia, UAE, and Ukraine.

Requirements

Candidates must be between the ages of 15 and 18 as of July 10, 2021, proficient in English (reading, writing, and speaking) and able to participate effectively in online intercultural exchange.
All participants must have the ability to read, write, and converse in English. During the two-week program, students will take a writing-focused literature seminar—in English—with their American and international counterparts.
They will also participate in a writing workshop with BTL faculty. Active discussion is an essential element of instruction.

All program activities will be in English and will include synchronized writing workshops, world literature seminars, special literary events, and social opportunities for cultural exchange, as well as group and individual writing assignments outside of class. Upon the completion of the program, each participant will receive a certificate (PDF) and IWP will digitally publish the students’ writing as an anthology. BTL: Peace and the Writing Experience 2021 alumni may also be eligible to apply for BTL follow-on microgrants. These funds will support new work that promotes creative writing and literature, youth leadership skills, professional development, community engagement, and community transformation through collaborative literary projects.

The application package includes:

Completed application
Original creative prose and/or poetry in English (6-8 pages). Book reports and other academic writing will not be accepted. You may submit one piece or several pieces of creative work to make the 6-8-page requirement. (Maximum file size is 20MB)
Prompt #1: Personal statement about how your identity influences you as a creative writer and reader. (3 pages maximum; maximum file size is 20 MB)
Please include your personal response to the following:
In our daily lives, we navigate many different roles—student, sibling, daughter, son, peer. We negotiate family, friends, religious groups, as well as class, gender, race, country, and so many other groups, adjusting the way we speak or behave to fit the demands of each encounter. As we move through the day, we work through how and why we occupy each particular role. What do you consider to be the strongest, most central aspects of your identity? What does it mean to you to be a member of (or seen as a member of) a particular group? In what way does your identity influence you as a creative writer and reader?
Prompt #2: Describe a time when you had to engage with a new situation, person, or idea that initially felt uncomfortable or strange (400 words maximum; maximum file size is 20MB).
Please respond to the following:
Describe a time in your past when you had to engage with a new situation, person, or idea that initially felt uncomfortable or strange. How did you proceed? If you had the chance, what would you do the same, and what would you do differently?
Statement of purpose describing why creative writing is important in your life, and what you hope to learn through our BTL program. (250 words maximum; maximum file size is 20MB).Please note: The following formatting standards are required for all submitted documents. If not followed, applications may not be considered.Format: Typed (Microsoft Word document preferred but not required)
Font type: Times New Roman
Font size: 12 point
Spacing: Double
Margins: 1 inch on all sides
Header: Include your name, name of piece (creative work, Prompt #1, Prompt #2, Statement of Purpose)
Footer: Include page numbers
Citations: If using other people’s words/content, always give them credit

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Between the Lines International Writing Program 2021

Application Deadline: April 1st 2017

In the summer of 2017 BTL will once again host its combined session, which unites students from Russia, Arabic-speaking countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and the United States. Focusing on Peace and the Writing Experience, the session will bring together young writers from diverse backgrounds to explore distinct histories, languages, and cultures while also approaching world literatures and writing as a dialogue that leads to empathy and a shared understanding of the human condition.

For two exciting weeks, participants learn from one another through creative writing workshops, global literature seminars, and special events featuring international authors, guest speakers, and cultural exchange activities.

BTL is a small, structured program run by experienced staff of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, a UNESCO City of Literature and home to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Participants live in university dorms with trained counselors—themselves writers—and are taught by a faculty of prize-winning poets and writers from the U.S. and abroad. By the end of each session, participants will have grown not only as writers but also as citizens of the world, becoming part of a tight-knit international network.

Eligibility Requirements:

Students must be between 16-19 years old by the start of the program.
International students travel to the U.S. with an adult chaperone. If you are between the ages of 25-40 and interested in being a chaperone, please read the Chaperone Application Form listed under “Additional Resources” on the BTL 2017 page.
Chaperones are typically teachers and/or writers in eligible countries with an interest in learning about writing pedagogy and improving their own craft of creative writing.

Eligible Countries:

BTL Russian/Arabic session: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emerites, and Yemen.

BTL Sessions:

BTL Russian/Arabic: July 1-15
BTL Identity & Belonging: July 22-29

Benefits:

Because international students accepted into BTL have all expenses paid for by grants from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, international applicants will apply to the participating U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your country.
You must then go through a process of nomination.

Application Documents:

International Student Application Form
Copy of Passport, if available
6-8 pages of creative work (fiction and/or poetry) in your native language. Essays or other forms of nonfiction will not be accepted.
6-8 pages of creative work in English. Essays or other forms of nonfiction will not be accepted. All submitted materials must be unique, untranslated; select samples that best represent your abilities as a writer
The 2017 Between the Lines session will include discussion of identity as it relates to creative writing, and the life of a writer. Please include 3-5 pages in personal statement/response to the following:Family, friends, region, tribe, religious denomination, ethnic groups, class, gender, race,work, neighborhood, country, political parties—in our daily lives we navigate between different markers, adjusting our speech patterns and behavior to the demands of each encounter, narrating to ourselves stories about how and why we come to occupy a particular place in the scheme of things. What do you consider to be the strongest, most central aspects of your identity? What does it mean to you to be a member (or be seen as a member) of particular identity groups? In what way does your identity influence your creative writing?
A statement of purpose (250 words maximum, in English) describing why creative writing is important in your life, and what you hope to learn at our program in Iowa.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Between the Lines International Writing Program 2017

Between the Lines International Writing Program

Between the Lines International Writing Program 2021 for young Aspiring Writers.

Between the Lines International Writing Program 2017 for Young Aspiring Writers – Iowa, USA (Fully Funded)