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In this six-week workshop, we will read examples of creative nonfiction ranging from the personal essay to the lyric essay, engage in prompts that develop our own definitions of creative nonfiction, and workshop an essay- or chapter-length piece of our own. Students will leave the class with suggestions toward revision for their workshopped piece as well as a refined personal practice for writing nonfiction creatively. All forms of creative nonfiction are welcome here: if it's original and linked to reality, it's a good fit for our class. Class size: Limited to 10 writers
DENNIS JAMES SWEENEY's fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have appeared in Crazyhorse, Five Points, Ninth Letter, The New York Times, and The Southern Review, among others. He is a Small Press Editor of Entropy, the recipient of an MFA from Oregon State University, and a former Fulbright fellow in Malta. He's the author of Ghost/Home: A Beginner’s Guide to Being Haunted.
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This course is designed to give experienced fiction writers the opportunity to give and receive feedback on work in progress. The course offers a model for workshopping in which participants will receive written comments from the group and instructor before their work is discussed in class. Instead of remaining silent, writers will be an active participant in the conversation about their work, with a focus on concrete revision options.
Class size: Limited to 8 writers • *No class on 11/26* KATE SENECAL is the Assistant Director of PVWW and former fiction editor of Storychord. 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. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and, in addition to PVWW, teaches at Grub Street in Boston and UMass Amherst.
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By the time we ask ourselves, how do we make our characters sound like real people, we’ve already formed habits: our dialogue happens as easily as we type. How can we give dialogue back to the characters we’ve created so that they sound like people, talking? Can we write dialogue that surprises us, that runs all our narrative errands while deepening our characters in ways we never intended? This class will be all about new paths into dialogue, new exercises, new approaches. By the end of this class you’ll have written freestanding conversations that will surprise you. Class size: Limited to 12 writers
DREW JOHNSON's stories have appeared in Harper's, Virginia Quarterly Review, The Literary Review, The Cupboard, Gulf Coast, New England Review, and elsewhere. Reviews, essays, and interviews have appeared or are forthcoming at Literary Hub, Guernica, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Paris Review Daily, and elsewhere. He received his MFA from the University of Virginia.
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This workshop is perfect for any writer 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. Class size: 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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We all take inspiration from our own lives when we're writing, but sometimes our experiences are the hardest things to write successfully as fiction. In this two hour craft exploration, we'll delve into why our terrible dates, or uncomfortable cab rides, or job losses, or trips to Antarctica often don't make great short stories on their own. We'll then discuss how to take our raw real-life moments and use them to maximum effect in our short stories, novels, and other fictional endeavors. Class size: Limited to 15 writers. Short pre-class reading will be sent to all registered students. Please take note if you register close to the class date!
Ben Jackson holds an MFA in fiction from Boston University and an MPhil from the University of Cambridge. His nonfiction writing has appeared in The London Review of Books, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Awl, and The Guardian, among others, and his short fiction has appeared in West Branch and is forthcoming in American Short Fiction. He's received grants from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and the Banff Center, and is working on his first novel.
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Creating great fiction requires creating compelling, three-dimensional characters who break through clichés and stereotypes. In this class, we’ll explore questions like: What are the internal states and motivations of our characters? How does that connect to their external behaviors—how do they think, feel, and act in different situations and environments, from the mundane to the profound? What are their personal, social, and cultural histories, and how much of that should we reveal? We'll use a variety of in-class explorations and guided discussions to get at these core issues, and we’ll bring our characters to life by workshopping them with the group! Class size: Limited to 12 writers.
CAROLYN ZAIKOWSKI is the author of the novels In a Dream, I Dance by Myself, and I Collapse and A Child Is Being Killed. Her fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared widely, in such publications as The Washington Post, Denver Quarterly, The Rumpus, West Branch, Huffington Post, and others. She holds an MFA from Naropa University and is currently an English professor.
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All writers translate. We translate inchoate, ephemeral thoughts and images into words, and then, when we’re lucky, onto the page. Literary translation is at its heart an act of close reading, with atunement to word choice, tone, subtext and cultural context – familiar and essential concerns for any creative writer. In this class, we’ll play with words, via short exercises and prompts that will illuminate the process of literary translation and the ways in which it can be both a generative experiment and a tool for revising one’s own work. Please bring: a poem or a couple of paragraphs from a piece that you're struggling to rework. Limited to 12 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 in Fiction and Translation from Vermont College of Fine Arts.
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When writing fiction, the structure of a story is a critical element to consider. Over six weeks, we'll study and experiment with different types of narrative structures, including linear and nonlinear ways to construct stories, epistolary, fragmented, and experimental forms. Each week, we'll read and study texts which exemplify these modes, from writers like Kathleen Collins, Theresa Naval, Lydia Davis, Jamaica Kincaid, and others. Additionally, we’ll try out these different structures ourselves, plus give and receive informal feedback. You'll leave with at least five short fiction drafts or beginnings of drafts. Familiarity with basic craft concepts like character, setting, point of view, dialogue, etc. will be helpful. Limited to 12 writers
CAROLYN ZAIKOWSKI is the author of the novels In a Dream, I Dance by Myself, and I Collapse and A Child Is Being Killed. Her fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared widely, in The Washington Post, Denver Quarterly, The Rumpus, West Branch, Huffington Post, and others. She holds an MFA from Naropa University and is currently an English professor.
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Hybrid writing often denotes a combination of disparate genres, a style of writing that inhabits the “in-between.” But what if we consider hybridity as a genre all its own? In this course, we will read writing that refuses to classify itself within the traditional distinctions of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama; we will discuss the merits of classification, and of working outside these systems of naming; finally, we will form our own definitions of hybrid writing and practice them ourselves. Students will leave the class with an expanded notion of genre and a toolbox of possibilities for experimentation in style and form. Class size: Limited to 12 writers.
DENNIS JAMES SWEENEY's fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have appeared in Crazyhorse, Five Points, Ninth Letter, The New York Times, and The Southern Review, among others. He is a Small Press Editor of Entropy, the recipient of an MFA from Oregon State University, and a former Fulbright fellow in Malta. He's the author of Ghost/Home: A Beginner’s Guide to Being Haunted.
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“Sex is a kind of crucible of humanness,” says the author Garth Greenwell, “and so the question isn’t so much why one would write about sex, as why one would write about anything else.” In this class we’ll explore what effectively-written sex in literature can do: unearth unexpected traits of character, articulate spiritual and metaphysical concepts, engage with systems of power and oppression, arouse, disturb, and entertain. Whether we’re afraid to write about sex or we’ve been writing erotica for years, we’ll come away from this class empowered and inspired by exciting new approaches to take back to our work. Class size: Limited to 12 writers.
CAROLINE BELLE STEWART's stories can be found in Fairy Tale Review, Black Warrior Review, Quarterly West, Hobart, No Tokens, Big Big Wednesday, Mistress, and elsewhere. She's the author of the chapbook "Husbandly Things" (Factory Hollow Press) and co-author of a deck of narrative divinatory birding flashcards called "Mast Year: A Mystical Field Guide" (Mount Analogue Press). She's a recipient of fellowships from Monson Arts, I-Park, and the MacDowell Colony.
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LARA EHRLICH is the author of the short story collection Animal Wife (Red Hen Press, 2020), which won Red Hen’s Fiction Award, judged by Ann Hood. Lara’s stories are published in F(r)iction, Hunger Mountain, StoryQuarterly, The Normal School, and elsewhere, and she is the winner of a 2019 IHAF In-House Creativity Award and numerous Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) awards for her feature writing. Lara has received scholarships from the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, the Midwest Writers Workshop, and the Garret on the Green. Lara earned her BA from Boston University and her MA from the University of Chicago, and lives in Connecticut, where she is the director of marketing for the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in New Haven.
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JOY BAGLIO founded Pioneer Valley Writers' Workshop in 2016. She's a former associate fiction editor at West Branch, and her fiction has appeared in Tin House, The Iowa Review, TriQuarterly, American Short Fiction, New Ohio Review, Gulf Coast, SmokeLong Quarterly, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from The New School and has received fellowships from Yaddo, Vermont Studio Center, The Elizabeth George Foundation, The Speculative Literature Foundation, and MVICW. Her short fiction has been recognized by numerous contests and awards, including Wigleaf's Top 50 (Very) Short Fictions and Ploughshare's Emerging Writer's Contest.
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In this course we'll spend four weeks learning about the craft of fiction writing through reading Madeline Miller's novel Song of Achilles together. Miller masterfully demonstrates an efficient but complex, emotionally rich, character-driven plot structure by re-envisioning a familiar tale from a unique perspective. Each meeting will feature discussion of Miller's use of the fundamental elements of storytelling, and how we can learn from them as writers. We'll also engage in generative writing exercises related to the reading and optional verbal sharing of in-class work. Required: All participants must have a copy of the book and are expected to begin reading before the first class. Limited to 10 writers.
KATE SENECAL received an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2013. She is the former fiction editor of Storychord, the Assistant Director of Pioneer Valley Writer’s Workshop, a fiction instructor for 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. Her fiction is published in The Laurel Review, The Foundling Review, and in Storychord.com.
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This workshop will introduce you to the genre of the shorter and longer personal essay and how and where you can write and publish first-person essays that tell a story and make a point about the world and our shared humanity. The class will cover topics such as finding ideas, penning your first draft, creating lively and memorable scenes, introducing background research, editing for clarity and submitting your essay for publication. Class size: Limited to 10 writers.
ÁINE GREANEY is an Irish born author now living in eastern Massachusetts. In addition to her five published books, she has published personal and opinion essays in publications such as Creative Nonfiction, The Boston Globe Magazine and WBUR/Cognoscenti and an essay collection, Green Card & Other Essays. Her work has been cited in Best American Essays, and she has led writing workshops in New England, New York and Ireland and has presented on writing at two national conferences.
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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 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 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.
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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 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.
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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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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 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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