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Year-Long Manuscript Group Program: FAQ
Application: 2021 MS GROUPS
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About the Year-Long Manuscript Group Program
The Year-Long Manuscript Group Program at PVWW is for writers in any genre who are serious and committed to completing (or revising) a book-length project over the course of the year. The program is
intensive and comprehensive, and was
designed in the spirit of building a community of writers committed to supporting each other through the rigorous and sometimes lonely process of completing (or revising) a full manuscript. Each group is limited to a small number of writers, meets (virtually) once a month for two hours, and also involves communication with the group between meetings via an easy-to-access online classroom space. At their core, each group is centered around giving and receiving feedback, craft instruction, building a supportive community, and the push toward completing a full-length manuscript. Over the course of the year, writers in all manuscript groups will be guided to set active, clear goals that will help them both get to the finish line and better understand craft elements related to their genre.
The program is open to writers at all stages of the process, in any genre, but it does require a rigorous commitment to your work and a clear project in mind that you plan to work on for the entire year.
About the Instructors
KATE SENECAL
is the Assistant Director of PVWW and the Director of PVWW's Year-Long Manuscript Group Program. She is the former fiction editor of
Storychord
, a fiction instructor at Grub Street, and a professor at UMass Amherst. She's received an honorable mention in Glimmer Train’s 2019 Short Fiction Contest, and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2016. She holds
an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and her fiction has been published in
The Laurel Review, The Foundling Review,
and in
Storychord.com.
CELIA JEFFRIES
holds an MA from Brandeis and an MFA from Lesley University. Her work has appeared in numerous newspapers and literary magazines including Westview,
Solstice
, and
Puerto del Sol
, as well as the anthology
Beyond the Yellow Wallpaper
. She has received grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Turkey Land Cove Foundation, and La Muse. Her debut novel
Blue Desert
will be published April 2021. She is currently at work on a memoir.
Find her online at
celiajeffries.com
.
CAROLYN ZAIKOWSKI
is is the author of the hybrid novels
In Dream, I Dance by Myself, and I Collapse
(Civil Coping Mechanisms, 2016) and
A Child Is Being Killed
(Aqueous Books, 2013). Her fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared in
The Washington Post, Denver Quarterly, The Rumpus, PANK, West Branch, DIAGRAM, Everyday Feminism,
and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Naropa University's Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics and is currently an English professor and volunteer death doula.
Application for 2021 Year-Long Manuscript Groups
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Indicates required field
Name
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Email Address
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How did you learn about our year-long manuscript groups and/or Pioneer Valley Writers' Workshop?
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Since these workshops meet virtually, writers can participate from anywhere in the world. Where would would you be joining us from? (City, Sate or City, Country)
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Past Experience
What's your experience with writing workshops?
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Lots of workshop experience at a high level; MFA or equivalent degree
Lots of workshop experience at rigorous programs like Bread Loaf, Tin House, and others, but no MFA or long-term study
Casual workshop experience at smaller, more local organizations
At least one prior workshop
Very casual workshop experience with friends and writing groups
No workshop experience
Feel free to elaborate about your relevant past experience, with workshops, programs, publications, etc.
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The Manuscript Groups
Which manuscript group are you applying to be in?
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Novel: First Draft
Novel: Revision
Short Story
Memoir
Nonfiction
Poetry and Hybrid
If applicable to your writing, please let us know your SECOND CHOICE if you do not get into your first choice workshop group:
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Novel: First Draft
Novel: Revision
Short Story
Memoir
Nonfiction
Poetry and Hybrid
The group I am applying for is the only one I am interested in. If I do not get in, I am not interested in any other group.
What are you looking for in a manuscript workshop group? How do you think this group would help you, and why do you think you'd be a good fit for the program?
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Your Manuscript
Tell us about your project! How far along are you? What's your current process like?
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What are your big-picture goals for the manuscript?
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Work Sample
Please upload (or copy/paste below) a sample of your work. This should be your strongest work and does not necessarily need to reflect or be from the project you would be working on in the year-long workshop; however, if you do have polished work from the project you would be working on, that is preferred. Please follow the formatting criteria below:
All work samples should be no longer than 1500 words, or 5 double-spaced pages.
Please make sure your submission follows standard formatting (Times New Roman, 12 pt font, double-spaced, etc.)
All files must be either a PDF or .doc/.docx. We will not be able to open any files other than these!
Applications without work samples will not be considered for admission.
Upload your work sample here:
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Max file size: 20MB
Or copy/paste your work sample here:
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Please give a short description of the work sample above, especially if it is an excerpt from a longer work.
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Payment & Policies
The cost of the Year-Long Manuscript Group Program is $1500 ($1900 for the Novel: Revision group). Pioneer Valley Writers' Workshop does not have the ability to offer financial aid or scholarships for participation in the year-long program, and with very few exceptions, we are not able to accommodate payment plans. Because of this, all participants in the program must be able to pay full tuition, and full payment is due by the end of February 2021. Please let us know if this is possible for you.
If accepted into the program, are you able to pay full tuition by the end of February, 2021?
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Yes, if accepted I am able to pay the full tuition by that date.
Yes, although I am only able to pay the full amount with a payment plan.
I am not able to pay the full tuition. I am interested only if I can receive partial financial aid, and I understand that this may not be possible.
Outside of unforeseen emergencies that would require you to withdraw, how serious would you be to sticking with this group over the course of the year?
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I am completely committed and foresee nothing that would interfere with my commitment to my manuscript and the group.
I am committed, but there are a few possible conflicts that could make the year-long commitment difficult.
I will try my best, but I really have no way of knowing.
Refund Policy: Except in the case of serious medical emergencies, we are unable to refund participants who withdrawal from the program midway through the year. Each group is small, admission is selective, and frequent withdrawals undermine the integrity and sustainability of the program. For this reason, we must make sure that all applicants understand and accept this policy.
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I understand that if accepted into the program, my tuition payment is nonrefundable.
Thank you for your interest in PVWW's manuscript groups! We look forward to reviewing your application. All applicants will be notified of their status by the end of January 2021. Manuscript Groups will begin in early March 2021.
Submit
About Us
What People Are Saying
Our Team
>
Instructor Lounge
Apply to Teach at PVWW
Policies
Media & Photo Gallery
Contact
Creative Writing Classes
Current Workshops & Classes
Year-Long Manuscript Groups
>
Year-Long Manuscript Group Program: FAQ
Application: 2021 MS GROUPS
Financial Aid
Events
Community Writing
Upcoming Readings
Calendar
Editing & Consulting
Store