A new endowed fund aims to provide aspiring teen writers with monetary support that will enable them to hone their skills at Wofford College.
In December, Shared Worlds, a science fiction/fantasy teen writing summer camp, gave $75,000 to establish the endowed fund. Proceeds from the fund will be used to provide financial aid to campers annually beginning in 2025. The cost of the camp is currently about $2,600 per participant.
“Our goal is to ensure that everyone who wants to participate in Shared Worlds, can,” says Dr. Joseph Spivey, associate professor of mathematics and the camp’s director. “This fund also gives Shared Worlds alumnae and other friends a way to pay it forward.”
The two-week residential summer camp is for rising eighth through 12th graders. It has been held on Wofford’s campus since 2008.
Participants are placed in small groups in which they engage in “world-building.” After imagining the landscapes and lifeforms of their worlds as part of a group, they then write fiction set in the worlds they have created, receiving direct, professional feedback from best-selling and award-winning authors who teach in the program.
“Shared Worlds is this really special, amazing and crazy thing,” Spivey says. “It’s exciting and wonderful… Every year, our alumnae want to give back to the program by working at the camp.”
Spivey explains the initial gift was provided by Shared Worlds through its savings. He credits the camp’s visionary Jeremy Jones and former director Dr. Tim Schmitz, Wofford’s provost, for establishing the fund and ensuring camp coffers continued to grow throughout the years.
“Jeremy envisioned this camp and Tim really made sure Shared Worlds saved money every year – kind of like a rainy-day fund,” he says. “Now, this fund will continue to generate resources and opportunities for future campers. It’s so exciting!”
This year’s camp will be held in-person July 14-27. Spivey says 60 campers have already signed up.
Isabel Astwood ’26, a psychology major from Irmo, South Carolina, participated in the camp while she was in junior high and high school. The experience introduced her to Wofford. Now, she serves as a member of the camp’s staff.
“It was a really fun time; a much different environment than school.” Astwood explains. “You feel like you can be friends with anyone. It allows you to explore creative writing with guidance from experienced authors… Everyone gives 100% and it inspires you.”