Summer Writers' Conference
of Pine Manor College

The 2008 Solstice Summer Writers' Conference Workshops

Solstice workshops focus on Fiction (short stories or novels), Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, and Writing for Children & Young Adults.*

With our 1:12 faculty-student ratio, students have plenty of opportunities to ask questions and learn valuable skills from award-winning authors. Workshops are both rigorous and respectful, enabling students to receive careful, individual attention and constructive criticism in a positive atmosphere.

Note that two authors conduct each writing workshop, meaning they each teach half of the conference. This is our way of exposing students to a range of artistic approaches while keeping the workshop energy level high. The order in which faculty is listed below indicates which half they will teach.

Students receive copies of their fellow participants’ manuscripts before the Conference so they may read and comment thoughtfully on the work of other workshop participants.

Workshops include (see “Application Information” for submission details):

Workshop Descriptions & Application Guidelines

[Note: All fiction and nonfiction pieces must be typed in a 12-pt. font, double-spaced, and  paginated; poetry must be typed with a 12-pt. font. No “fancy” fonts, please. Ensure that your name appears on every page. Please do not send more than the number of pages listed in our guidelines. Additional pages will be recycled.]

Writing for Children & Young Adults

From young-adult novels to picture books, this workshop will explore the myriad challenges and joys of writing for children. During a portion of this workshop, students will work with faculty on the structure of the young-adult novel, with emphasis on viewpoint, characterization, and voice. The other portion of this workshop will be dedicated to the development of picture books through the use of clear and expressive language. We will “dummy” the manuscripts in order to get a feel for the pace of the text and understand its strengths and weaknesses.

Students interested in writing young-adult novels should submit no more than 20 typed, double-spaced and paginated pages of a novel (the first 20 pages are preferred), plus a one-page synopsis of the book. Students wishing to focus on picture books should submit a typed, double-spaced manuscript. Sample illustrations are welcome but not required. While students will learn about both forms—YA novels and picture books—they should submit only one.

Faculty: Tor Seidler & Marina Budhos

Writing the Novel

As the title suggests, this workshop focuses on the process of novel writing.

Applicants must submit the first chapter (up to 20 typed, double-spaced, paginated pages) of a novel in progress. If the first chapter is fewer than 20 typed, double-spaced pages, students may also include the second chapter (in full or in part) so long as their submission does not exceed the 20-page limit.

Faculty: Julia Glass & Eric Gansworth

Writing the Short Story

 This workshop will focus on writing and revising the short story, with particular emphasis on the development of character, plot, and theme. Assigned writing exercises often supplement in-class discussions of student work.

Submit one short story, 7–20 typed, double-spaced, paginated pages.

Faculty: Steven Huff and Lee Hope (who will co-teach the first half and stay on for the second)

Writing Poetry, Section I

This intermediate workshop will concentrate on craft, revision, and process. The focus will be on students’ poems that are not yet fixed or “finished,” exploring ways to take these poems to the next level through fresh ways of thinking about the creative process as well as through discussion of poetic devices such as structure, associative patterning, and tone.

Submit eight poems (no more than 10 pages total). Please number and place the poems in the order in which you would like to have them workshopped, knowing our faculty might not be able to discuss all eight of your poems during the Conference.

Faculty: Franciso Aragón & Patricia Spears Jones

Writing Poetry, Section II

This intermediate-advanced workshop will concern itself with various approaches to revision.  Workshops, in general, tend to focus (mistakenly) on cosmetic revision (e.g., change this word, this line-break), when in fact most poems need fundamental re-seeing or re-thinking. Cosmetic revision is only useful when the poem has solved most of its problems. We will try to move poems to the happy point where they have only cosmetic issues.

Submit eight poems (no more than 10 pages total). Please number and place the poems in the order in which you would like to have them workshopped, knowing our faculty might not be able to discuss all eight of your poems during the Conference.

Faculty: Cleopatra Mathis & Stephen Dunn

Writing Creative Nonfiction

This workshop will emphasize the art and craft of various modes of creative nonfiction, including memoir, the personal essay, travel writing, literary journalism, cultural criticism, and writing about the natural world. Because creative nonfiction is now recognized as “the fourth genre,” taking its place among poetry, fiction and drama, we will highlight ways in which this lively class of writing is adding to the literary conversation. 

If you are submitting a section of a book-length manuscript, submit the first chapter (no more than 20 typed, double-spaced pages), plus a one-page synopsis of the book. Otherwise, submit up to 20 typed, double-spaced, paginated pages of work.

Faculty: Richard Hoffman & Barbara Hurd

*Courses are subject to change and to availability. Workshop admission will be based on the submission of a manuscript and the date of receipt of applications. See application for details.