Maya Denkmire ’25 Shares Love of Writing at The Telling Room Internship

Maya Denkmire '25 is a creative writing major with a concentration in education. She has spent the summer working at The Telling Room in Portland, ME, to assist with their summer youth writing programs. Here, she discusses her experience and how her interest in writing evolved to include education.

Describe what you're doing this summer in your internship.

This summer I am interning at The Telling Room, a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Maine, whose mission is to "empower youth through writing." Throughout the school year, they conduct residencies within schools as well as many after school programs that give kids the chance to learn new literacy skills and encourage them to share their stories with the world. For my internship, I am working in their summer camps (with themes ranging from world building and map making in sci fi and fantasy to comic making to essay writing). With the guidance of The Telling Room's Teaching Artists, I am able to plan and teach writing-based lessons, exercises, and games, as well as help kids prepare for an end-of-week performance of the writing they have generated during camp for their families.

How did Oberlin shape or influence you to pursue this internship? (For example - was there a particular class you took or a professor that inspired you? Did you discover a particular area of study you didn't realize before?)

Photo courtesy of Maya Denkmire '25

I have always known that I wanted to study creative writing at Oberlin, but it was my experience in my Teaching Imaginative Writing class with Professor Rogers that encouraged me to explore ways I could combine my love of writing with my love of teaching and working with children. During my residency for this class, I was given the opportunity to teach the practice of poetry to the middle schoolers of Langston Middle School. This experience not only inspired me to pursue my internship, but gave me the skills and confidence that have allowed me to feel successful and prepared in the internship thus far.

How does pursuing this internship align with your post-college life and career goals?

After college, I would love to pursue a career that engages with both my love of creative writing and my love of working with children. The Telling Room does exactly that by allowing children to use the art of writing to express themselves!

Is there anything you've learned this summer from your internship that has been particularly noteworthy or surprising?

Photo courtesy of Maya Denkmire.

Having begun this internship, I feel like I have a much better idea of the philosophies I want to bring to working with children in the future. The Telling Room has provided me with invaluable examples of how play can be intertwined with learning, imagination can be fostered, and children can be met where they are in order to encourage growth.

If you're interested in a summer internship, connect with Internship+ to learn more about exploring career interests, gaining real-world experience, and developing a professional network.