Campers from prior years shared what they loved most about their time at Shared Worlds!

“Shared worlds is magical. Everyone you meet has their own personal magic, and within the two weeks, you discover you have your own deep inside you.”
- Marianna Allen, student during 2014-2016.

_____________________

“Shared Worlds gave me a home. I found my family at SW, and I couldn’t be more grateful. This camp not only lets you explore your passion for writing and more, but you get the opportunity to meet amazing people. My only negative complaint with shared worlds is IT IS NOT LONG ENOUGH! By the end of camp you’ll wish it could last the whole year. It is truly a no judgement zone; I’ve never been in a place where I felt so comfortable being myself. Shared worlds brought me and my best friend together, and we’ll always be grateful. If you are hesitating to come to camp take a leap of faith and do it!”
- Ryan Healy, student during 2016.

_____________________

“What I loved most about Shared Worlds is the ability to embrace differences while still having alike interests. As I am a wildly different person to my peers, I still can connect with other people through the medium of world-building and creative writing. Not many other things out there accomplish that.”
- Kathrin Patterson, student during 2024-2025

_____________________

“Shared Worlds is easily one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had, there is truly no place where I have ever felt loved and cared about more. Shared Worlds is so much more than a writing camp. It’s a place where people from all over the country with all different backgrounds come together and make something either beautiful, horrifying, or more commonly some combination of the two. It is a place where you truly feel like a part of something, because you are a part of something. You are a part of the perfect team of magnificent people doing and creating magnificent things. It is impossible to go there without making friends unless you are actively trying not to. When I showed up, I started out feeling lost and always being alone. By the end of day one I was discussing the logistics of interdimensional travel and sliding around on mattresses with people I’d just met. By day two, I was turning some dumb joke into a terrifying science-fantasy world. (It’s time to slime!) Day three or four, people were actively trying to get me to join a massive friend group, and I happily obliged. Looking back, I regularly forget that Shared Worlds is a writing camp and not just a camp full of writers, and I will happily go back for as long as I can. There is truly no place I’d rather call home, and no group of perfect maniacs I’d rather call family.”
- Ashe Green, student during 2025

_____________________

“I was always an avid writer but Shared Worlds was the first time I met with like-minded people. It was the first time I felt seen. I became a better writer at the camp, but it was also a safe haven for me. Even after graduating, I've gone back to work there every year to help kids have the same wonderful experience I did."
- Aimee Hyndman, former student, instructor, and current program coordinator.

_____________________

“Shared Worlds is the best camp I have ever attended, and am glad to have gone even just the once. Having the perspective as a returning staffer as well, I can see so many changes [through the years], but the core remains the same: you live hard and fast over a mere two weeks, both in creating friendships that last you a lifetime, and in stretching your creativity in an environment where many campers for the first time ever are encouraged to share their wacky wonderful ideas with others without fear of being shot down or branded the weirdo. We're all weirdos here! And I have yet to see anywhere that does it quite like Shared Worlds.”
- Shannon Katz-Dean, former student and current instructor.