Literary Arts Conservatory
The Literary Arts Conservatory is a community of scholars and student-writers engaged in a four-year writing program. The course design provides aspiring, dedicated young writers in Nashville the curricular foundations, space, support, and guidance to learn the skills of the writing process and the habits to become successful writers.
Conservatory students study inspiring authors, extraordinary literature, and various modes and genres of writing, while honing their craft and building a portfolio. Students are privileged to interact with published authors and creatives, such as recent guests, novelists Jeff Zentner and Claire Gibson. Throughout the four years, students develop their craft in a real-world setting, as the conservatory collaborates regularly with partners such as Southern Word, The Porch Writers' Collective, Oz Arts, and Belmont and Vanderbilt Universities.
Opportunities abound for students to perform and share their voice and writing talents in community events and engagements. Students of the conservatory have won contests such as Nashville Youth Poet Laureate, Scholastic Writing Awards, and The Nashville Scene Inaugural Student Essay Contest. They have also received writing internships, fellowships, and scholarships. Some graduates have gone on to become published authors. As students conclude the program, they will leave NSA as proficient writers and powerful communicators.