Workshop Descriptions and Details

Students choose from one of the genre workshops listed below and participate in the same workshop all week. Poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction are offered every July/August. Read workshop descriptions below. Find faculty biographies on Faculty & Guests page.

2020 Workshop Descriptions:

Fiction: 

There are things that we know to be true and when we write fiction, we work both with and in opposition to these realities.  This workshop is interested in exploring the leaps we take into different realms— the past, the future, the gothic, the lives of others—in order to develop understandings of larger truths.  There is always “world building” in fiction, but what does it mean?  How much information is too much?  How much does a reader need to know in order to understand a story?  Through presentations, readings, and workshops of ten page selections, we will strive to understand how information is processed, controlled, and brought to life through the lens of fiction.  Also, how a strong handling of time and structure allows the reader to truly be lost in the worlds of stories they are reading.

Poetry:

Poems crafted from childhood memories.  Moments that stick with us.  Some good, some bad.  It's all excellent material from which to craft good poems.  All poets are welcomed into this workshop.  You will create 5-8 poems and together we will make them better.  Constructive criticism is mandatory.  We will focus on brainstorming, drafting, revision, and final approaches to the finish poem that you can submit for publication.

Creative Nonfiction:

In this creative nonfiction class, we will dive into what makes creative nonfiction a literary form like no other.  Students will critique each other's work, analyze some of the issues around an ethical approach to creative nonfiction, explore elements of a healthy creative practice, and discuss the trickier aspects of the publishing landscape for creative nonfiction today.