Harness Your Creative Flow: Generative Community Full-Day Writing Retreat (with Kate Senecal) - IN-PERSON
This generative retreat - for any writer, at any stage of the process - is designed as an opportunity to set aside an entire day to nurture your writing practice and build community in a warm, fun and low-stakes environment. The day will feature generative prompts, time to write, and the opportunity to share what you’ve written with the group and/or offer and receive casual feedback. The class is not genre- or craft-focused, but rather centered around community-building and ensuring that writers are able to make time for their creative work in a world that does not make that easy! Held on the scenic Smith College campus, in Northampton MA. Options to write both indoors and outdoors during individual writing time, including a private terrace overlooking Paradise Pond, reserved only for writers of the group. All levels & genres.
***Proof of vaccination and booster required and checked at the door.***
WHEN: 6 Hours: Saturday, August 6 (10am - 5pm EST)*
WHERE: Smith College, Northampton MA
*Lunch break from 12 - 1pm. Lunch not provided, but easy access to downtown Northampton cafes
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
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. She holds an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Kate’s fiction has been published in The Laurel Review, The Foundling Review, and in Storychord.com.
COURSE GOALS
• Give writers a big chunk of time write
• Support writers who want to tend to works in progress
• Support writers who want to start a new project
• Build community
• Have fun!
RECEIVING THE ZOOM LINK: For one-day workshops, we send out the link to attend the Zoom session 1 - 2 days before the event, via email. For multi-week workshops, you should receive info and the link about 3 - 5 days before. Please mark your calendars when you first register and look for our emails. If you don't see the email in your inbox on the day before the class, please check your spam and junk mail folders (and search all folders) for an email from joy@pioneervalleywriters.org before contacting us. We have found that very often our emails end up in those folders. This is based on your own email settings, and you can prevent this by adding our email as a contact.
ONLINE SESSIONS happen remotely, via Zoom video conference. All you need is a laptop, computer, or phone with functioning audio and a webcam. Those who RSVP receive directions and a link to "join" the session via email (please see above note about receiving the Zoom link). All online instructors will log on to the video conference a few minutes before the start of the session, so please plan to log on early if you'd like assistance! We'll do everything in our power to help you get comfortable with the Zoom format, though we are not able to offer technical assistance beyond basic Zoom orientation.
REFUND & CREDIT POLICIES AT PVWW
Because of non-refundable fees that we, PVWW, must pay for every transaction that happens, we are not able to give full refunds to those who register then withdraw from a workshop or class. If you withdraw from a workshop ten days or more before the start of the class: You'll receive full credit toward another workshop or class of equal value OR a refund minus 10%. If you withdraw from a workshop nine days before the start of the class up until 48 hours before: You'll receive full credit toward another class OR a refund minus 30%. If you withdraw from a workshop less than 48 hours before the start of a class or after the class has begun: We are not able to offer you credit toward another class or a partial refund, unless in the case of a medical emergency. If we have to cancel a class for any reason, you will receive a full refund, or if you choose, a credit in the amount of your payment, to be used for any future PVWW class. Anyone who does not specify whether they would like a refund or a credit for a cancelled class within 3 months will automatically be refunded. Please contact Joy (joy@pioneervalleywriters.org) for all matters concerning credit and refunds.