Young Emerging Writers 2026 Intern & Staff Showcase

What: Young Emerging Writers 2026 Intern & Staff Showcase
When: Thursday, July 23
Time: Social at 5:30 p.m., YEW Interns & Staff Reading at 6:00 p.m.
Where: RIPL Watts-Midtown Branch (2715 30th St, Rock Island, IL)
Cost: Free & Open / $5 suggested donation to support youth writing programs at MWC

MWC celebrates 21 years of The Young Emerging Writers Program (YEW) with a showcase of selected YEW 2026 interns and staff on Thursday, July 23 at the RIPL Watts-Midtown Branch.

The event will start at 5:30pm with a social, followed by the Young Emerging Writers showcase, followed by readings from a selection of this year’s YEW interns and staff, previewing THE ATLAS 21 literary magazine, which the program will publish on 8/13 (pre-orders coming soon). Back issues of The Atlas will be available for $5/copy, as well as other MWC Press books.

Event will be archived to Midwest Writing Center’s YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/midwestwritingcenter

Event is free and open to the public, with a $5 suggested donation to support youth writing programs at MWC.

For more information, or for media queries, please contact Sarah Elgatian,

sarah.elgatian@mwcqc.org

Funding and material support for the 2026 Young Emerging Writers Summer Internship Program generously provided by the the Illinois Arts Council Agency, IAC Summer Youth Employment in the Arts Grant, the Moline Regional Community Foundation, Modern Woodmen of America, the Melvin McKay Charitable Trust, the Mary Iva Gittens Knouse Trust, the Quad Cities Community Foundation, the Rock Island Public Library, Carlisle Ryan Digital Print Services, and Rozz-Tox.