Two Camps.
One
Creative Summer.

Where brain science meets creativity!

We help kids build confidence, discover their voice, and write stories they can’t wait to share.
For kids in grades 5-12

Shorts Camps

June 1 - July 10
A fast, joyful burst of creativity.

Kids experiment with short fiction, poetry, scripts, spooky stories, micro-stories, and all kinds of imaginative writing — using the brain-based Tiny Stories™ method.

Each week has a completely new theme, so writers can attend once or come back for more.

Perfect for: beginners, reluctant writers, multi-creative kids, and anyone who needs a spark.

What they’ll do:

  • Tiny Stories™ warm-ups

  • Fast, fun writing challenges

  • Fiction, poetry, humor, mystery, and more

  • Build confidence through experimentation

  • Collaborate and share work

  • Publish a piece in a printed anthology

  • Make new friends from all over!

Ages: 5th–12th grade
Schedule: 1 week | 9 AM–3 PM
Dates: June 1 - July 10, one-week sessions
Bonus: Their work will be included in a published anthology to take home and treasure.

SIGN UP

June 15 - June 26
A focused, high-energy home for storytellers.

Writers build characters, worlds, and plots — and write their hearts out! We get past their mental blockers, use brain science for good, and sneak in all sorts of learning along the way.

They gain structure, momentum, and end camp with a clear plan for finishing their book.

Perfect for: big idea-kids, storytellers, kids who crave coaching, and anyone with big dreams.

What they’ll do:

  • Tiny Stories™ warm-ups

  • Story architecture + character arcs

  • Worldbuilding + plot mapping

  • Word count goals + accountability

  • One-on-one coaching

  • Novel pages + a finishing plan

  • Write a full-length novel during summer!

Ages: 6th–12th grade
Schedule: 2 weeks | 9 AM–3 PM
Dates: June 15 - June 26, two-week session
Bonus: A Novel Starter Packet, PLUS a for-real published copy of their novel when it’s finished!

Novel Camp

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Where you’ll write in 2026

We’re thrilled to announce that ANI’s camps will be hosted at Oglethorpe University!

The Philip Weltner Library is one of the most magical spaces we’ve ever seen. We know your stories will come to life writing in this beautiful location!

4484 Peachtree Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30319

Interior of a public building with a high ceiling, stone wall, and gothic-style windows, featuring hanging string lights, large lamps, wooden tables and chairs, and an ornate fireplace or architectural feature on the wall.

ANI Kids Summer 2026

ANI Kids Shorts Camp 2026 ANI Kids Shorts Camp 2026
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ANI Kids Shorts Camp 2026
$550.00

Shorts Camp

One Week of Awesomeness

Short stories. Short poems. Short songs. Short plays.
(Short pants welcome.)

This is ANI’s “everything but the novel” writing camp — a playful, high-energy week designed to help young writers fall in love with writing without pressure.

Writers will experiment across genres, play with language, share ideas, and discover that creativity doesn’t have to be serious to be meaningful. We’ll write, read aloud, collaborate, and generally act like joyful word nerds together.

There are no red pens, no grades, and no right answers here — just curiosity, imagination, and the radical act of making something new.

Side effects may include:
– Increased confidence
– Unexpected laughter
– A sudden lack of fear around writing
(Results may vary. 😉)

Tuition Includes

  • One full week of creative writing camp

  • Genre-hopping workshops and guided writing time

  • A supportive, pressure-free creative environment

  • One copy of our professionally published anthology, featuring student work

  • Two tickets to our Conferring Ceremony & Gala in December to celebrate your achievement

Scheduling & Registration
June 1 - July 10 2026

Please select your desired week during registration.
Each Shorts Camp week is different, and writers are welcome to attend more than one.

Families registering for multiple weeks may request a multi-week discount.

Novel Camp: The Jumpstart 2026
$1,500.00

Novel Camp: The Jumpstart (Atlanta · Summer 2026)

This is the Big One.

Novel Camp: The Jumpstart is a two-week immersive writing experience for kids and teens who are ready to begin a novel — or finally give a half-written one the attention it deserves.

Held on the beautiful campus of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, this camp combines focused writing time, expert guidance, and creative community to help young writers move from idea to real momentum.

Dates: June 15–26, 2026
Time: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, Monday–Friday
Location: Oglethorpe University · Atlanta, GA

Tuition Includes

  • 60 hours of guided writing instruction over two weeks

  • Daily structured writing time and creative workshops

  • Visits from working authors and guest lecturers

  • Individual feedback and small-group support

  • A printed copy of your novel draft

  • Two tickets to our Conferring Ceremony & Gala

  • The quiet confidence that comes from doing something real and hard

(Yes, bragging rights are included.)

Want to Keep Writing?

Many writers aren’t ready to stop after two weeks — and they don’t have to.

Novel Camp students can extend their experience in two ways:

Writer-in-Residence Weeks
For $300 per week, continuing novelists may stay on campus after Novel Camp ends to keep writing alongside other committed writers. These weeks are quieter and more self-directed, with space to revise, deepen characters, and polish drafts — no additional registration fees required.

Premium Book Package (Optional Upgrade · $400)
For writers who want a truly finished keepsake, the Premium Book Package includes an upgraded, professionally designed print edition of your novel, additional revisions, and special finishing touches that make your book feel like something you’d proudly place on a shelf — or give as a gift.

Both options are completely optional and designed to support writers who want to go a little further.

What Parents are Saying

  • An old, rusty key with a round bow and a bit worn out on a white background.

    Early Access

    First pick of weeks and locations.
    Pre-registered families get access to registration before the general public.
    Choose your weeks first — before seats fill.

  • Pink ceramic piggy bank with black eyes and a snout, on a white background.

    Save on Summer Camps

    Save 10% on all Summer 2026 camps.
    Use your Early Bird code to save on the most delightful camps in Atlanta!
    EARLYWORDYBIRD is active now through February 28.

  • Close-up of a hand holding a red pushpin to mark a location on a detailed city map with additional red pushpins placed on the map.

    Best Locations

    Tell us where to open camp.
    Our camps this year are hosted by Oglethorpe University!

    Let us know where additional camps should be held!

Scholarships Available

ANI Foundation, Inc. offers need-based summer camp scholarships for families across Atlanta.
Pre-registered families receive early access to the scholarship application — before public release.

✨ Register Early to Access Scholarships

FAQs

  • Yes! Each week is totally different, with new themes and new creative challenges.

  • Perfect. ANI Kids camps are designed for every writer — especially the unsure, the reluctant, and the perfectionists. If something is stopping them, if they have a highly-active inner critic, or if they “have nothing to write about,” then ANI Summer Camps will be a revolution that carries them from the classroom to the boardroom.

  • Shorts Camps are $550 per week. Register for as many weeks as you like.
    Novel Camp is $1,500, 2-weeks long, and includes publishing your child’s novel.
    Early Bird families save 10%.

  • Pre-registration ensures you won’t miss early access — you’ll register before the general public. Early Bird registration is open through February 28, and general registration begins March 1.

  • Shhhh… don’t tell your kids.

    But yes—absolutely. And in a way that actually sticks.

    At ANI, we don’t teach writing by drilling rules or assigning essays. We teach it through practice, play, and confidence-building—which turns out to be exactly what helps kids most with school writing.

    Here’s why it works:

    Practice beats pressure.
    Writers get better by writing a lot, not by being corrected a lot. Our short, timed writing exercises help kids practice starting, finishing, and trusting their ideas—skills that transfer directly to school assignments.

    Play unlocks thinking.
    When writing feels playful and low-stakes, the brain shifts out of perfectionism and into creative problem-solving. That’s when ideas flow, details emerge, and voice develops—things teachers are always looking for.

    Confidence changes everything.
    Kids who believe “I am a writer” approach school writing differently. They start faster. They write more. They revise with less resistance. Confidence is the hidden multiplier.

    Structure without stress.
    Our method quietly builds skills schools care about—clarity, organization, descriptive language, and stamina—without kids feeling like they’re “doing school.”

    Parents often tell us:

    “My child’s teacher asked what changed.”
    “Writing homework is suddenly… not a fight.”
    “They actually start their essays now.”

    So yes—ANI camps support school writing beautifully.
    We just get there the fun way.

Give Your Kid Their Most Creative Summer

ANI Kids Summer Camps are a joyful, brain-based writing experience
they’ll talk about all year long.

Let's Do This!