Centrum is offering two full-time tuition scholarships for Jefferson County high school students to attend a new high school writers' conference, taking place July 9-15.

Jordan Hartt, writing programs manager at Centrum, is encouraging local students of all abilities to learn from some of the best professional writers in the country. "Since 1974, Centrum writing workshops in Port Townsend have been a foundational experience for Washington state students," said Hartt. Hartt, who also teaches writing classes at Peninsula College, said he has noticed the high level of talent within the county. "Maybe it's because local students grow up in this incredible area of natural beauty and artistic immersion," he said.

The high school students are to learn from authors who have earned recognition for publishing poems, essays, short stories and novels, said Hartt. Those same authors are slated to teach during the adult Writers’ Conference, now in its 43rd year, which takes place July 16-23.

For more information, visit

centrum.org/high-school-writers-conference.

Scholarship applications are embedded in the online registration process. Every student can apply, and Hartt said he will consider each application.