WITS Rewritten

Centering youth with the least access to arts engagement opportunities and eradicating the school fee to participate.

WITS Rewritten brings our Writers in the Schools (WITS) program into classrooms for free.

There is no programmatic difference between WITS and WITS Rewritten. It’s the same beloved 30+ year program, with two key evolutions: an organizational commitment to centering youth with the least access to arts engagement opportunities—essential voices in the literary community—and the elimination of cost for partner schools, the biggest barrier to participation.

WITS Rewritten launched in the 2023/24 academic year and has expanded each year since. In 2023/24, WITS Rewritten served three partner schools; in 2024/25, six partner schools; in 2025/26, ten partner schools. In 2026/27, WITS Rewritten will serve fifteen partner schools. By taking a targeted universalism approach, WITS Rewritten advances our goal of broadening and deepening youth access to the literary arts.

Want to be a WITS Rewritten partner school?

Interested in being considered as a WITS Rewritten partner school? We’d love to connect. Submit your application below, and a member of our staff will get back to you shortly.

SUBMIT APPLICATION

Arts education during childhood is the strongest predictor of arts participation as an adult. (Arts Education in America, Rabkin and Hedberg)
A disproportionate number of students who do not have any access to arts education are Black, Latinx, and Native American, live in major urban or very rural communities, and are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. (National Arts Education Status Report, Arts Education Data Project)
Access to arts education has declined for the past three decades. Student populations who have been hit the hardest depend most on arts engagement opportunities in public schools. (Art for Life’s Sake: The Case for Arts Education, American Academy of Arts & Sciences)
Youth in culture-centered, community-based arts programs experience mattering—feeling valued by self and others—which shapes their understanding of their role in the world. (Well-being and Well-becoming Through the Arts, University of Pittsburgh)

FAQ

How do you identify youth with the least access to arts engagement opportunities?

We take a data-driven approach. Partner schools are identified through an intersectional analysis of their student populations. Using state and district data, we consider key equity-driven criteria, including but not limited to:

  • Black students
  • Indigenous students
  • Students of color
  • Low-income students
  • Multilingual learners
  • Students born outside the U.S.
  • Students experiencing homelessness
  • Students experiencing life-threatening medical situations
  • Geographic location
  • Existing partnerships and in-school access to the arts

Will WITS Rewritten expand to more schools each year?

We would like to! Our plan is to incrementally and sustainably increase the number of WITS Rewritten partner schools each year until school fees have been eliminated for all 40 partner schools. This will likely involve both bringing on new partner schools and eliminating fees for existing ones. Of course, we do need to meet our revenue goals in order to keep moving in this direction.

If schools don't pay, how is WITS Rewritten funded?

The total cost of a typical 84-hour WITS residency is $20,000.

Historically, partner schools have made small contributions—through tiered, subsidized hourly rates based on the percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch—which collectively covered about 20% of program costs. We fundraised to cover the remaining 80%.

With WITS Rewritten, we are now fundraising to cover 100% of residency costs by increasing our contributed revenue streams.

How does WITS Rewritten support the creative economy?

In addition to eliminating barriers for partner schools, WITS Rewritten also reduces barriers for WITS Writers. By removing school fees, partner schools are able to commit to WITS much earlier in the year, which allows us to do the same for WITS Writers. This creates greater income stability for local writers and increases the likelihood of retaining our most talented WITS Writers.

How do I learn more about WITS Rewritten?

Reach out to us at wits@lectures.org. WITS has always been an ecosystem, and we’re interested in connecting with anyone who wants to learn more.

I want to support WITS Rewritten!

Awesome—thank you! The only way this works is in partnership with folks who are interested in increasing access to the arts for youth. Make a tax-deductible gift to support WITS Rewritten.