The Merry Barn Writers’ Retreat in Edgecomb is thrilled to open its doors again for its Summer Writing Adventures. After this long and difficult year, we can hardly wait to welcome the creativity, curiosity, and joy of our campers back to the barn.

Join us as we … write, read, explore, walk and sketch in nature, create art, perform Poetry & Readers’ Theater, learn from a published children’s author, practice yoga and mindfulness, create a collection of work, and celebrate and share at an Authors’ Tea.

Camps kick off with the two-day Great Graphic Novel Adventure (July 1-2), followed by the week-long Wondrous Words: Exploring Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Journalism, and Personal Writing Territories (July 5-9).

Under the Big Top at the Merry Barn, presented in partnership with Learning on the Move, will be held from July 12-16, and offered as a three-day camp from August 9-11. No two camps will be the same!

A Sense of Place: Maine, Our Minds, and Around the World, will be held from July 19-23. Kids as Changemakers: Words and Art for a Better World (July 26-30), and Gutsy Girls and Wise Women (Aug. 2-6), round out the week-long Writing Adventures.

For the second year, the Merry Barn has partnered with Coastal College Advising of Brunswick, to offer two workshops to help rising seniors get a jump start on the college application process. The two-day common application “bootcamp,” and three-day College Essay Workshop provide excellent opportunities for students to complete the majority of the written work of applying to college. This leaves time in the fall for campus visits, interviews, and a focus on senior workload. These workshops will be held the week of Aug. 16.

Building on the success of last summer’s inaugural Young Readers Book Club, we will offer a combined in-person and virtual opportunity, on Wednesday afternoons from 4-5:30 p.m. Designed for enthusiastic readers ages 9-14, we will read a new title before each session and come together to discuss, write, create art, and build our reading identities.

The Merry Barn will follow all CDC recommendations, including masking, social distancing, and handwashing. We’ll spend lots of time outdoors and limit the number of campers per session.

At the Merry Barn, we are committed to helping all children discover a love of words. We offer financial assistance to any child wishing to participate in our events.

For descriptions of individual camps and registration information please visit www.merrybarn.com. Questions? E-mail: stephaniemcsherry@merrybarn.com.