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This is for poets of all levels, whether beginners who want to start writing poetry, or more experienced poets who'd like a space for continued learning and generation. We'll explore fundamentals of poetry including lyric and narrative poetry, the line, sound elements, and imagery, plus classic (sonnet, haiku, ghazal, sestina, etc.) and modern (surrealist, dada, prose poetry, hybrid, etc.) forms. Each week in class, we’ll use readings and fun in-class writing exercises focused on poetry generation and developing various skills via discussion, fun exercises, and informal sharing; at the end of the course, we'll explore revision methods and get the opportunity to formally workshop a set of poems, including formal instructor feedback. By the end, you'll have a portfolio of at least eight poems to move forward with, plus an education in poetry concepts, generation, and revision. At-home work will be approximately one hour per week of writing exercises and reading. Limited to 10 writers.
CAROLYN ZAIKOWSKI is is the author of two hybrid novels. Her fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared widely, in publications such as The Washington Post, The Rumpus, PANK, West Branch, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from Naropa University's Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics and is currently an English professor and volunteer death doula. |
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Feeling stuck with a project, or unsure how to revive a stale piece? In this 3-hour workshop, writers will practice innovative revision techniques on up to five pages of writing (any genre), receiving supportive and insightful reflections from the group as we go along. Prepare to emerge from this workshop with a restored excitement and curiosity, a multitude of possibilities for expansion, as well as a number of revision tools you can practice at home. Limited to 12 writers. Intermediate/Advanced writers in any genre. Bring up to 5 pages of writing you're wanting to breathe new life into.
ARYA SAMUELSON is the winner of the CutBank’s 2019 Montana Prize in Non-Fiction, awarded by Cheryl Strayed. Her work has also been published in Columbia Journal, New Delta Review, Entropy, The Millions, and Hematopoiesis Press. She holds an MFA from Mills College and has been studying at Lidia Yuknavitch’s school of Corporeal Writing since 2017. Arya writes across all genres and is currently working on a novel. |
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This workshop is perfect for any writer at any stage of the process, whether you’re dipping your toe in to writing creatively or you write daily. Each week we'll meet to write together. Each week will feature new prompts to spark off of, but if you want to use the time on other work you're already invested in you are encouraged to do so. After writing, participants will share work aloud if moved to do so. The group will provide on-the-spot, encouraging verbal feedback. This class is not genre- or craft-focused but rather centered around community building and ensuring that writers are able to make time for their writing. For writers ages 14 - 18. Class size: Limited to 10 writers
LIZ BEDELL's recently completed novel, The Space Between, was shortlisted in the 2019 William Faulkner William Wisdom Competition, Novel-in-Progress category. She is a co-editor of Embody, a weekly feature column at The Maine Review. She holds an MFA Fiction and Translation from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and an MA in English from Middlebury College. She writes and teaches in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts |
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Blog writing is a great way to write about one’s personal experience, which could potentially become a book, or to flex one’s expertise on a specific topic. With numerous blogs available now, it has become a well-regarded platform that connects writers to a larger supportive community. In this class, writers will learn about the many types of blogs and discover strategies to build a following. The class period will be divided into discussion, lecture, and short blog post critiques. Writers will receive feedback on three blog posts (length 400-600 words) during the course of the workshop. Limited to 10.
ANITA GILL is a writer, editor, and recent Fulbright fellow in Spain. Her essays, memoir, and satire have appeared in The Iowa Review, The Rumpus, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Prairie Schooner, The Offing, The Baltimore Sun, and elsewhere. Her writing has been listed as Notable in Best American Essays and has won The Iowa Review Award in Nonfiction. Anita is a member of Women Who Submit, an organization that educates and encourages marginalized genders to get published. She currently serves as Nonfiction Editor for Hypertext Magazine. |
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Sometimes, for no apparent reason, you lose your creative writing mojo. You had it when you started your novel, memoir or personal essay, but today it’s gone and you’ve simply got to get it back.
Or you’re just not confident wandering and exploring outside the box. Never fear! In this fun, interactive two-hour creativity program, you’ll participate in a series of short exercises to free your inner artist, expand your thinking and boost your imagination, all designed to get you focused on possibilities rather than limitations. You will leave feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to jump back into the literary fire! A short list of art supplies and a handout will be provided a week before the class. Limited to 10 writers.
GIULIETTA NARDONE has been leading writing programs on-line and in person since 2008. Her personal essays and short memoirs have been featured in publications such as Psychology Today, Spirituality & Health Magazine, Boston Globe Magazine, Purple Shamrock, Christian Science Monitor, Chicken Soup For the Soul and broadcast on public radio. Her non-fiction book, Feel More Alive! 30 Brilliant Ways To Reignite Your Inner Spark was released by Citrine Publishing in October 2020. |
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This workshop is perfect for any writer - any level or genre - at any stage of the process. Each week we'll meet to write together. Each week will feature a new set of prompts; however, if writers want to use the time on other work they're already invested in they are encouraged to do so. After writing, participants will share work aloud if moved to do so. The group will provide on-the-spot, encouraging verbal feedback. This class is not genre- or craft-focused but rather centered around community-building and ensuring that writers are able to make time for their writing. All levels. Limited to 10 writers.
KATE SENECAL is the assistant director of Pioneer Valley Writers' Workshop, the former fiction editor of Storychord, a Grub Street writing instructor, and a professor at Umass Amherst. She has received an honorable mention in Glimmer Train’s 2019 Short Fiction Contest, and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2016. Kate’s fiction has been published in The Laurel Review, The Foundling Review, and in Storychord.com. |
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Writing the body is one of the most powerful ways to draw in a reader. As soon as someone names a sensation-- an ear twitch, a quickened pulse, the ache of longing in a shoulder -- we can practically feel it as our own. Through meditations, in-class writing, and class sharing, we'll explore how to tap into the body's language and unearth its stories. No matter your writing background, ambitions, or genre, this class will help you tap into your embodied wisdom and discover new stories waiting to be told. All levels & genres. Limited to 12 writers.
ARYA SAMUELSON is the winner of the CutBank’s 2019 Montana Prize in Non-Fiction, awarded by Cheryl Strayed. Her work has also been published in Columbia Journal, New Delta Review, Entropy, and The Millions. She is a proud graduate of the MFA in Creative Writing Program from Mills College and has been studying at Lidia Yuknavitch’s school of Corporeal Writing since 2017. She teaches with LitReactor, Sundress Academy for the Arts, and through her own teaching series, Writing as Ritual. Arya writes across all genres and is currently working on a novel. |
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This workshop is for novel writers who are working on their first draft of a full length manuscript. Writers who are just beginning with an idea as well as writers who are mid-draft would both benefit from this group, but the explicit goal of this course is to have a finished first draft after twelve months, ready for the first stage of revision. Over the course of the year, we'll set active, clear goals that will help you both get to the finish line and better understand craft elements in novel writing, such as character development, structure, plot, scene construction, and more. Limited to 10 writers.
KATE SENECAL is the Assistant Director of PVWW. She received an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2013. She is the former fiction editor of Storychord, and a UMass professor. She's received an honorable mention in Glimmer Train’s 2019 Short Fiction Contest, and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2016. Kate’s fiction has been published in The Laurel Review, The Foundling Review, and in Storychord.com.
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This workshop is for novel writers who have a finished first draft of a full-length manuscript and are looking for support and structure in the revision process. The explicit goal of this course is to complete one full revision of a completed draft of a manuscript. Prior to the start of the course, the instructor will read all participants' full manuscripts.* Over the course of the year, we'll set active, clear goals that will help you both get to the finish line and better understand craft elements in novel writing such as character development, structure, plot, scene construction, and more. Limited to 8 writers.
KATE SENECAL is the Assistant Director of PVWW and the Director of PVWW's Year-Long Manuscript Group Program. She received an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2013. She is the former fiction editor of Storychord, and a UMass professor. She's received an honorable mention in Glimmer Train’s 2019 Short Fiction Contest, and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2016. Kate’s fiction has been published in The Laurel Review, The Foundling Review, and in Storychord.com.
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This workshop is designed for short fiction writers with one of the following: an in-progress short story collection, a complete collection in need of revision, or at least several stories or story fragments you'd like to develop and revise. By the end of the year, participants can expect to have solid drafts of at least five short stories. To this end, we will give each other feedback, spend time studying and discussing published short stories, as well as do in-class and at-home generative exercises designed to help develop your short fiction-writing skills. We will cover basic elements of craft, such as plot, character, dialogue, setting, and structure, while also considering the different ways to assemble a book-length collection. For more details of what this course entails, see the above "About the Program" section. Limited to 10 writers.
SARA RAUCH is the author of What Shines from It: Stories, which won the Electric Book Award. Her prose has also appeared in Paper Darts, Meetinghouse, Hobart, Split Lip, and So to Speak. She holds an MFA from Pacific University, and lives with her family in Holyoke, MA. Find her online at www.sararauch.com.
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This workshop is designed for poets and hybrid writers who have a manuscript in progress as well as for those who are just beginning one and would like a jump-start. Poetry projects may be in a wide range of poetic forms. Hybrid projects may be uncategorizable or include a mix of genres (poetry/prose nonfiction, experimental writing, mixed visual/language art, etc.) In studying poetry and hybrid together, we'll see the vast and surprising overlaps between these terms, both in historical context and in practice. By the end of the year, participants will have a solid, polished manuscript draft of either chapbook-length (approx. 30 pages) or full-length (approx. 60-70 pages for poetry, or a wide range of pages for hybrid.) Limited to 10 writers.
CAROLYN ZAIKOWSKI is is the author of two hybrid novels. 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.
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This workshop is designed for creative nonfiction writers in non-memoir genres (nature and science writing, philosophy and spiritual writing, travel or food writing, biography, history, politics, social commentary, literary journalism, etc.) who have a manuscript in progress as well as for those who are just beginning one and would like a jump-start. By the end of the year, participants will have a solid draft of a complete manuscript. To this end, we will give each other feedback, spend time closely studying published writers to learn about craft and context, and do in-class and at-home generative prompts and exercises. Limited to 10 writers.
CAROLYN ZAIKOWSKI is is the author of the hybrid novels. 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.
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This workshop is designed for memoirists who have a manuscript in progress as well as for those who have a ‘body of work’ they can identify as a ‘possible manuscript.’ We will discuss the role of memoir in literary history, study the craft of memoir, read and analyze a number of different writers, and work on finding structure and purpose in our own work. By the end of the year participants will have a refined manuscript of substance, portions of which may be ready for submission for publication.
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
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