SOTA's Creative Writing Department!

Welcome to the Creative Writing Department!

Our program includes the best of contemporary and world literature with emphasis on student original composition in the four literary genres:

• poetry
• fiction
• creative non-fiction 
• script writing 

We prepare students for college and professional success!

Our students have won such literary awards as:

• Gannon University (Berwyn Moore Poetry Awards)
• SOKOL (Friend of Rochester Public Library)
• Geva's Young Playwrights' Contest
• Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
• NFAA Young Arts
• Nancy Thorpe Poetry Contest (Hollins University)
• Harvard-Radcliffe Essay Contest
• New England Young Writers Conference 
• Penfield Poetry Contest
• National Virgilio Haiku Contest
• Rochester Teen Film Festival

and many others...

Our students participate in:

• Master classes with published authors!
• Reader's Theater productions!
• Playwrights' Festival productions!
• Coffeehouse Poetry & Fiction Readings & Poetry Slams!
• Literary magazine: Lambent!
• School newspaper: Sotacrat & Chronicle
• Podcasting, blogging, film production, desktop publishing and so much more!

See our handouts for more details!

Our program meets (and exceeds) the NYS Common Core Standards in English Language Arts.

Sample Original Student Films:

• I Dream of Zucchini; Maddie Feldman, graduated 2013
• Toothbrush Ad; Gus Cuddy, graduated 2013
• Czar Wars; Nicole Ehmann, Gena Driscoll, graduation date 2015