English Studies Summer Camp for High School Students
June 14-20, 2026
This year's brochure coming soon! Check out last year's brochure: 2025 Camp Brochure! (Application Deadline: May 1, 2026)
Eastern Illinois University will once again run its English Studies Camp in June 2026. We look forward to welcoming high school students to who share our love of reading and writing. This one-week camp allows students to hone their English skills while providing them with a chance to sample life on a college campus and meet peers with similar interests. Offering courses that reflect students’ interests, our engaged faculty and tranquil setting provide that perfect opportunity for students to have an academically charged summer getaway where they can grow as readers, writers, debaters, and English scholars! For information on the 2026 in-person camp format, read on below.
Program Overview
The EIU English Studies Summer Camp is a unique program that allows students to customize their program of study, selecting two sessions from a range of offerings in creative writing, literature, professional/academic writing, media studies, and more. Students grow academically and socially as they prepare for college and are mentored by expert faculty who share their passion for reading and writing. Students receive individual attention through small class sizes and gain skills in analyzing and crafting texts and expressing their ideas both verbally and through writing.
The camp offers two levels of discounted tuition:
- a residency rate which includes tuition, housing, recreation, and three meals per day, and
- a commuter rate which includes tuition, some recreational activities, and daily lunches.
Scholarships for full or partial funding are available.
What will you typically experience at the in-person English Studies Summer Camp?
"The camp was probably one of the best experiences of my life." - Former Camper
View sample student projects from past camps: Queering Fairytales Zine, Marvel vs. DC Video Trailer.
2026 Course Offerings
Students will enroll in a morning and afternoon course from various course (such as those seen below).
From adaptations of classic texts and original graphic novels to superheroes deeply embedded in the American psyche, why do comics continue to speak to our imagination and attract such a wide variety of readers? In this short course, we will explore how comics create meaning with their innovative combinations of word and image. In addition to approaching this genre as an important literary form, some time will be devoted to you developing your own comics style. We are here simply to have fun and learn from the genre and each other—no prior experience needed!
In this session, we will explore the history of fanfiction, how some of what we consider classic literature could be considered fanfiction, and what fanfiction means to us today. We will look at the past, present, and future of fanfiction and how it has shaped a generation of young readers and writers. This form of literature has had a significant cultural impact and has even seeped into our mainstream media. But why is it still considered a lesser form of writing? Our final class project for this session will be a short fanfiction (oneshot) on the media of your choosing.
Do you have a favorite film, video, or series? Or do you think that show your peers watch could use some help? Well, this session gives you the opportunity to tell them about it. You’ll learn about workable ways to critique and evaluate media for reviews and practice writing them for a podcast audience. Then you’ll get the chance to write your own (in groups if you choose) and upload and edit it as a podcast you can share. If we’re lucky, you’ll also get the chance to take a look at Booth Library’s podcast studio!
Journaling—much like humans—comes in many different shapes and sizes. No two methods look the same. In this class, we'll discover how writing inhibition-free and jotting down all the things in your head can help bring you a sense of stability and help you find your way back to yourself. There truly is no wrong way to journal. TW: This class will almost certainly deal with some heavy topics. Please keep this, as well as your mental and physical health, in mind when considering this class.
We’ll begin this week-long class by discussing the following questions: What makes you laugh? Do you consider yourself a funny person? Why or why not? Does your sense of humor differ from that of your friends and family? Do you think that what people find funny has changed over the centuries? We’ll continue examining the nature of comedy by reading writers as varied as Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Dorothy Parker, David Sedaris, Mindy Kaling, and Nick Offerman. We’ll watch film clips of various stand-up comedians such as Josh Johnson, Jim Gaffigan, Melissa Villasenor, Nate Bargatze, and Leslie Jones. We’ll also write a lot, trying our hands at comic stories and monologues. Those who want to can try writing and performing stand-up, with class members as audience.
In this section we will talk about different adaptation across different media formats. We will talk about the pros and cons of different medias and why they might have made the decisions they made. We will look at many different pieces of literature vaguely, students will be encouraged to read the novella “The Haunting of Hill House” and watch the Netflix show prior to camp. Students will take what they learn in this section and apply it to make their own scene adaption for the showcase!
Have an idea for a story but don’t know how to turn it into something real? Or maybe you already write and want to work on your skills? In this course, students will learn how writers create compelling fiction by building characters, develop worlds, and experimenting with sub-genres of contemporary and speculative fiction. Students will experiment with short, creative writing activities each day, using prompts and exercises to build their stories step by step. This class is hands-on, creative, and welcoming to writers of all experience levels, and students will leave with a piece of flash fiction they’ve made their own.
In this session, students will explore various poetic forms and techniques (imagery, metaphor, concrete/abstract, rhythm, etc.) to understand the ways in which they can express themselves in their poems. They will also learn about crafting poems with intent. We will look at various examples together from both contemporary and old poets and spend time writing poems of our own based on activities meant to spark inspiration and creativity.
Activities
Camp participants will enjoy a range of fun recreational activities starting with the Welcome Pizza Party (an informal meet-and-greet for students and faculty) and ending with the Student Showcase (a public reception where students share their work with their families and the community). When not in class, students will participate in indoor and outdoor games, movies, picnics, karaoke jam sessions, slam poetry readings at the local coffee shop, and more. EIU admissions and campus tours will be available by appointment on the last day. Living, dining, learning, and socializing together, students will have the opportunity to form lifelong friendships.
How to Apply
Students who will be in the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th grade in the academic year following the camp, or those who have just graduated in the spring prior to the camp, can apply for admission by completing the following process:
Complete the Application- Along with this application, submit a one-page essay explaining your interest in the program (required for scholarship applicants only)
- Upon acceptance (following submission of application), submit payment online to reserve your spot in the camp.
- All applications and supporting materials must be submitted online by June 1.
Students will be notified of session placement by email by May 20. (Note: all communication will be electronically sent to the email address listed on the camp application.) Additional information, including a detailed program schedule and driving directions to campus, will be sent to all students prior to camp. Confirmation of camp attendance, required paperwork, and payment will be due by June 1. All payments must be paid through the online payment portal.
We are pleased to offer a variety of full and partial scholarships designed to recognize high achieving students and allow students demonstrating financial need to attend this camp. Notification of scholarships will be included with the notification of acceptance into the camp.
To apply for a scholarship, complete the online scholarship application.
Residential Rate: $425 – includes tuition, supervision, program materials, housing, and meals. Students stay in university residence halls and receive cafeteria-style meals served in the campus dining halls. Students will check in at registration on Sunday late afternoon prior to the opening celebration and will check-out on Saturday early afternoon following the closing reception. Students and families will have the option to attend pre-arranged campus appointments (e.g. admissions, campus tours) in the late afternoon.
Commuter Rate for Local Students: $225 – includes tuition, program materials, and daily lunches. Commuting students will check in at registration on Sunday late afternoon prior to the opening celebration and thereafter must arrive on campus by 9 a.m. for classes Monday-Friday and depart campus by 5 p.m. Students will also attend the closing reception on Saturday morning and have the option to attend pre-arranged campus appointments in the afternoon (e.g. admissions, campus tours).
Extended Stay/Supervision for Campers Arriving by Train: $50 - we are happy to provide additional supervision, meals, and entertainment for campers needing early arrival and late departure due to travel via Amtrak. Campers requesting this should book the train arriving at Mattoon at 11am on Sunday prior to the start of camp and departing at 6pm on Saturday after the end of camp. Camp counselors will provide transportation for these campers as well as meals and activities. This additional fee covers the costs for the extended camp attendance.
Student Cancellations: Refunds will be made for cancellations received by June 1. 50% refunds will be issued for cancellations received from June 2-June 7. Sorry, no refunds will be issued after June 7.
All payments must be made online.
A welcome email from camp director Dr. Melissa Ames will be sent to all accepted campers electronically by May 20th containing session placements along with importantant paperwork that must be completed by June 1st and submitted online. In case you lose these forms, there are links to all four of them below. (Note that print/scanned or electronic/typed signatures will be accepted on these forms.) If you do not receive an email concerning session assignments by May 20th, please contact Dr. Ames to inquire. Campers should receive preliminary notification of their acceptance upon completion of the application. Between now and the start of camp, we encourage you to RSVP for the showcase brunch and campus tour and/or admission appointments. Links to the RSVP forms are below. You can also learn more about the camp faculty and counselors from the faculty and counselor biographies.
Paperwork must be submitted by June 1 through this link.
RSVPs must be submitted by June 1
Eastern Illinois University is located in the city of Charleston in Central Illinois. Charleston’s historic setting, country charm, and tranquil scenery, coupled with the trademarks of a typical college town, make it a perfect backdrop to enjoy a week studying one of your favorite subjects and meeting students who share your interests.
The campus is conveniently located between three metropolitan areas: 2 hours from St. Louis, 2 hours from Indianapolis, and 3 hours from Chicago. With a train station one town over and airports just an hour or two away, transportation to and from campus is easy.
For Further General Information, please contact: EIU English Department, 600 Lincoln Avenue, Charleston, IL 61920. Phone: 217-581-2428. Fax: 217-581-7209. Email: mames@eiu.edu.
For Specific Information about the Program Schedule or Sessions, please contact: Dr. Melissa Ames, Program Director via email at mames@eiu.edu.
English Studies Camp Program Director
Dr. Melissa Ames
EIU Professor of English
217-581-2428
mames@eiu.edu