After-School Creative Writing Programs

After-School Creative Writing Programs include semester-long creative writing clubs where students practice creative writing through writing prompts, voluntary sharing, and wiggle breaks and playtime. Participants learn to write poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, give and receive positive feedback and encouragement, and polish, edit, and revise their work for publication in a professional 916 Ink anthology. Every participating student has the opportunity to publish writing in an annual anthology of student work and to practice public speaking skills in front of friends and family at a book release and reading party.

• Ages: 8–18 years old
• Schedule: Semester-long after-school creative writing clubs with weekly sessions during the spring
• Price: Cost: FREE (Word Squad and Author’s Lab)

In Word Squad and Author’s Lab, younger students in grades 3–6 learn about creative writing in a playful and encouraging environment, while older students in grades 6–12 explore genres and strengthen their skills in a judgment-free space. Workshops operate as a writing community with two trained facilitators participating fully in each session, and writers must attend 2 out of the first 3 sessions to secure a spot. Students are encouraged to write in their own authentic voice, including in languages other than English, using cultural terms or slang, or a preferred dialect of English, and they decide which pieces to develop further and which pieces get published.

916 Ink is Sacramento’s arts-based creative writing and literacy nonprofit that provides workshops and tutoring, and its mission is to empower youth through creative writing. Since 2010, 916 Ink has published 350 anthologies featuring the poetry and prose of more than 7,000 youth authors across the Sacramento region, has tutored 200+ striving readers, and has provided 10,000+ hours of one-on-one tutoring. 916 Ink recognizes that communities of color in Sacramento have been left behind by decades of systemic racism and oppression and prioritizes accommodations for participants and staff who may need them, develops structures for community feedback and culturally appropriate outreach, and is intentional about facilitator and volunteer placements, selecting individuals who come from the communities they serve. 916 Ink encourages residents to celebrate and support young storytellers and confident readers by helping to amplify their voices and recognize their power, and it expresses gratitude for local partners for amplifying the message of Young Storytellers Month. In February 2026, its Read On! program was recognized with Stanford University’s National Student Support Accelerator Tutoring Program Design Badge for alignment to research-backed standards in high-impact tutoring program design.

Last updated March 10, 2026.