Wake Forest University’s Summer Immersion Program with Tiffany Thompson and Michael Anderson

Tiffany leads a group of writing students in a collaborative songwriting session.

Most of us are taught that writing is a solo act—silent, internal, often marked by self-doubt. But what if writing could sound like a melody? What if it could be shared in harmony, crafted in community?

This was the invitation artist and Artistic Leadership founder Tiffany Thompson extended to 24 high school students participating in Wake Forest University’s Summer Immersion Program in Writing and Publishing. Alongside composer Michael Anderson, Thompson guided the students through a dynamic, collaborative songwriting session—part workshop, part transformation.

Over the course of two hours, students moved from tentative scribbles to confident choruses. They weren’t just talking about story structure or metaphor; they were singing their own lyrics, shaped through a process that honored their individuality and amplified their collective voice.

“Tiffany and Michael fearlessly led them through a collaborative process that drew deeply on their individual voices and ideas, yet wove them into a coherent and powerful group narrative,” said Dr. Erin Branch, Director of the Wake Forest Writing Program.

Together, the students co-wrote an original song—learning to trust their instincts, lean on each other, and view creativity not as a competition, but as a shared human gift. At Artistic Leadership, we believe creativity doesn’t just belong in the arts—it belongs everywhere. Experiences like this one remind us that when we create together, we don’t just make something beautiful. We become something beautiful.

““ Writing can be a solitary endeavor, and my 24 students mostly saw their writing projects as tasks they would tackle—well or badly—entirely on their own. Tiffany and Michael fearlessly led them through a collaborative process that drew deeply on their individual voices and ideas, yet wove them into a coherent and powerful group narrative. Through intense work on lyrics, pacing, and melody, they discovered that their individual stories weren’t just their own; they could speak to larger conversations and communities  Just as Tiffany had promised, every student was singing their song by the end of the session—transformed from a collection of solitary writers into a bonded community of co-creators. In the process, the writing and creative process had been transformed from a lonely, anxiety-producing toil into a collaborative, affirming, and fun experience that they will remember for a long time.” 

Erin L. Branch, Ph.D.
Teaching Professor
Director of the Writing Program
Wake Forest University”

Why I Write

Co-created with WFU Students on June 26, 2025

My mind’s a deadly battlefield, thoughts lined up in rows

Marching through the silence, where nobody goes

My midnight apprehension, ink on torn-out sheets

My truth louder than silence, where my heartbeat screams

I write to rise above it all

To bleed, to breathe, to be enthralled

To find my given name, to claim my right

This my pen

This is my sword

It’s why I write.

The wreckage is behind me, sailing toward open skies

Shadows of my old self left back there to die

I want people to know who I am, not who they see

My fire, my ink, and my deep mystery

Greatness Greatness Greatness

That’s what we do That’s what you feel This page is my power This ink is my seal A match in winter, a mind set free Words are the roots of the new, bold me So I plead with purpose, shout through pain Write down the sunshine after rain The fountain of confidence, overflowing I’m now reaping, what I’ve been sowing You believe, you leave, you rise, you weave A life you write and choose to believe That’s what we doThat’s what you feel This page is my power This ink is my seal

I write to rise above it all

To bleed, to breathe, to be enthralled