ELKINS — The Modern Language Association (MLA) awarded Davis & Elkins College $10,000 to sponsor a summer writing retreat titled the “Woods Program.” The MLA Pathways Step Grant is designed to increase recruitment, retention, diversification, and career readiness for college students who study writing, literature, communication, and similar fields. Davis & Elkins College was one of nineteen programs selected by the MLA for the award.

“When we give students permission to focus on the humanities by showing them pathways to success during college and after graduation, they choose the humanities,” said Paula M. Krebs, the executive director of the MLA. “We are so glad that, with the support of the Mellon Foundation, we can bolster the work of faculty members whose initiatives make a significant difference to their students, departments and institutions.”

The grant will fund the Woods Program, a summer retreat tailored towards nature writing in West Virginia. The program hosts a week-long overnight camp for high schoolers that includes guest authors, editors, and activists, as well as interdisciplinary excursions with experts in forestry, sustainable resource management, and environmental science. The program emphasizes a growing interest in “environmental humanities,” utilizing resources such as D&E faculty expertise and the D&E Experimental Forest.

“We are thrilled to have the support of the MLA and Mellon Foundation for this program,” said Dr. Katherine Osborne, Division Chair for the Humanities at Davis & Elkins College.

High schoolers interested in the program can apply to participate; limited spots are available. The program runs from August 3 to August 8 and will be held at Camp Pioneer in Beverly. Any students currently in or entering high school in 2024 can apply, and the program especially encourages students interested in writing, sustainability, or the humanities. Guest writers will include poet Doug van Gundy as well as writer and editor Elizabeth Savage.

For more information about the program and how to apply, visit the website: https://sites.google.com/view/nature-writing-retreat/home.