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For most poets revision can be daunting, and yet it is the most important step toward creating work that resonates with readers. If you aren’t receiving regular feedback from a writing group or would value a different perspective, this workshop will provide tools for discovering what your poems need. We will explore issues of craft including beginnings and endings, tension, line breaks, form, and diction. Each session will focus on giving and receiving feedback on poems that you want to improve in an atmosphere of respect. Between sessions you will revise and polish. This workshop is geared to writers of all levels, and participants should expect to revise and complete 3-4 poems. Limited to 10 poets.
GAIL THOMAS is the author of four books of poetry. Waving Back was named a Must Read by the Massachusetts Center for the Book and Honorable Mention by the New England Book Festival. Her work has appeared in many journals and anthologies including The Beloit Poetry Journal, Calyx, The North American Review, Italian Americana, and Valparaiso Poetry Review. Individual poems have won national prizes, and she has been a fellow at The McDowell Colony and Ucross.
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This workshop is designed to give experienced flash fiction (or flash memoir) writers the opportunity to give and receive feedback on multiple pieces in progress. Each writer will receive feedback from the group and instructor on at least two pieces (up to 1000 words each), through a Workshop Google Doc (for written comments), followed by a discussion in class. Instead of remaining silent, writers will be an active part in the conversation about their work, with a focus on concrete revision options. In addition to workshopping, we'll look briefly at published flash fiction with an eye toward key craft elements such as language, detail, narrative time, among others. We'll also spend time talking about literary magazines and where to send polished flash pieces after revision. For experienced flash writers. Admission by application, or permission. Limited to 8 writers.
JOY BAGLIO is the founder/director of Pioneer Valley Writers' Workshop. Her short fiction has appeared in Tin House, American Short Fiction, The Iowa Review, TriQuarterly, Gulf Coast, PANK, SmokeLong Quarterly, and elsewhere. She's the recipient of fellowships and awards from from Yaddo, The Elizabeth George Foundation, Bread Loaf, Vermont Studio Center, The Speculative Literature Foundation, among others, and her flash fiction has been recognized by the Wigleaf Top 50 (Very) Short Fictions.
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When combing through the raw material of our lives, metaphors can become our best friends, helping us to organize and orient our story. They can also be a doorway into places of darkness and tenderness, helping us to bring the reader along for the journey. Imagine a story about grief that drew strength from writing about octopuses? Or a story about displacement that used mangoes as the central image? Or a family ring that becomes a way to tell a story about generational relationships between women? The most magical part is that when we crack open a metaphor’s fullest possibilities, the story can lead us somewhere we never could have gone alone. This two-hour workshop will involve pre-class reading of two different approaches to metaphor by Lidia Yuknavitch and Carmen Maria Machado and provide opportunity to generate new writing and receive in-class feedback. 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 New Delta Review, Entropy, The Millions, and Hematopoiesis Press. She is a proud graduate of the MFA in Creative Writing Program from Mills College.
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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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Vladimir Nabokov has said, “Caress the detail, the divine detail.” Details are the bricks with which a writer builds a story, but how does one balance the necessity of detail with the overall arc and structure of a piece of writing? What, exactly, comprises a perfect detail? In this craft class, we’ll look at a variety examples and discuss how, where, and why details work, or don’t. We’ll discuss what’s too much and what’s not enough, how “good” and “bad” details usually depend on context, and how to decide if a detail is pertinent to a piece or not. We’ll spend some time discussing how detail influences the reader’s perception of the work as a whole, and how to make sure the details you choose inform your work in the best way possible. Finally, we’ll play with finessing some of our own details, so bring a short scene (1-2 pages) of a piece-in-progress to work with.
SARA RAUCH is the author of WHAT SHINES FROM IT: STORIES, which won the Electric Book Award. Her prose has appeared in Paper Darts, Hobart, Gravel, Split Lip, So to Speak, Autofocus, and more. She holds an MFA from Pacific University, and lives with her family in Holyoke, MA.
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This is a jump-in-with-both-feet introduction (or re-introduction) to writing fiction. Whether you're writing and want to bring more tools to the table or trying to find your way to the particular set of trope and tricks and modes we call fiction, this course will introduce you to ways of thinking about dialogue, worlds, and details (for starters) that will nudge the understanding you already bring to the page. The promise isn't that we'll reinvent you as a fiction writer, but that many of the ways you come at fiction will never quite be the same. This is a workshop course--you'll be reading the work of your peers--but it's also a course where we read stories selected by the instructor and work through exercises designed to upend and unravel our set fictional ways. For beginners, and intermediate fiction writers looking for refresh. Limited to 10 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 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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In memoir writing, writers have the chance to create art from the raw material of memories. Over the course of six weeks, we will explore the variety of memoir techniques in terms of voice, narrative arc, setting, and details with an aim to identify the most compelling way to tell our stories. The class will be a combination of craft lecture, discussion, and feedback every week. Students will leave with more in-depth knowledge of memoir-writing craft techniques and feedback on a submission up to 10 pages in length. All levels. Limited to 10 writers.
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. She currently serves as the Nonfiction Editor for Hypertext Magazine, and is a member of Women Who Submit. |
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If humor is the mirror of one’s intellect, then I’m a freakin’ genius. This one-day course is designed to introduce you to the world of pithy online satire and witty print literature. By examining content, voice, and sentence structure, students will learn how to harness humor in their own writing projects. This class will be a combination of lecture and discussion with some time for generative writing. For writers at any level and writing in any genre. Limited to 12 writers.
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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Learn how to write a query letter that will make your project stand out from the rest of an agent's inbox. We'll go over query letter basics and etiquette, and the class will get individualized written critiques on their own letters from a professional agent. This is for writers who are currently looking for representation as well as writers who are just beginning to think about querying agents and who want to get a better sense of how to sell their book in a fast-paced publishing industry. Come perfect your pitch in a safe space! Limited to 10 writers. All writers will receive feedback from the instructor on their queries.
ASHLEY LOPEZ is a literary agent and rights manager at Waxman Literary Agency. She received her MFA in Fiction from Sarah Lawrence College and is a founder and the managing editor of Pigeon Pages Literary Journal. Ashley represents literary and young adult fiction, narrative nonfiction, and memoir. She seeks authors with a strong point of view, a unique story, and an eye for language.
To Apply for This Workshop: Email your complete query letter draft as an attached .doc or .docx to joy@pioneervalleywriters.org, with the class title as the your email's subject. Please DO NOT pay/register until you have applied and been accepted. Those paying before they have been accepted will be refunded. |
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In this course, we’ll spend six weeks examining this new feminist translation of an ancient epic and the way its stories offer structural insights into our own writing. Ancient myths are sturdy containers for the stories of human experience, which is why they are so often reworked and reimagined by contemporary writers. Wilson’s translation powerfully reilluminates The Odyssey and makes for richly rewarding close analysis. Each week, we will examine our allotted pages both for narrative structures and techniques that we might borrow in our own writing and for those myths that we can repurpose and reinvent. 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. Weekly reading expectations will be four books (chapters) of the epic, approximately 90 pages. All Levels. Limited to 10 writers. Note: June 2 class will possibly be rescheduled.
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.
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This course is designed to give experienced fiction writers - both novelists and short story 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. Participants will receive craft essays, occasional writing prompts and relevant published short stories or novel excerpts via email that will inform our weekly discussions.For advanced writers with prior workshop experience. Admission by application, or permission of the instructor. Limited to 8 writers.
KATE SENECAL is the Assistant Director of Pioneer Valley Writers' Workshop. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is the former fiction editor of Storychord. 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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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? What should we take into account when writing characters who come from different social or cultural groups than us? We will use a variety of in-class and at-home explorations, brainstorming exercises, and guided discussions to get at these core issues. We’ll even bring our characters to life by introducing them to the group and interviewing them. Students may bring ideas from characters they're already working on; for students who don't have characters yet, prompts will be given to create some! 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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Often, as writers we talk about issues of point of view as it relates to pronoun choice: Do we use first, second or third person? While this choice is crucial, this framework is just the tip of the iceberg when thinking about selecting a narrator for our stories. This intensive course is designed for fiction writers of all forms: flash/short story writers, and novelists alike. The course involves detailed lectures and supplemental materials that unpack the nuances of all elements of narrative strategy. Participants will read and discuss published short stories and novel excerpts with an analytical eye on how point of view is working, engage in lively discussion about their own work and questions they have about point of view, respond to in-class writing prompts, and have some opportunities to read their work aloud to the group and receive verbal feedback. Limited to 10 writers.
KATE SENECAL is the Assistant Director of Pioneer Valley Writers' Workshop. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is the former fiction editor of Storychord. 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 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. 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 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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