Workshop Proposal Form

Pioneer Valley Writers' Workshop: Workshop Proposal Form

*Important: Because of the growing interest in teaching at PVWW and the abundance of qualified instructors, we cannot guarantee that everyone who submits a class proposal will be scheduled to teach in the upcoming season. Acceptance of a class depends on many factors including what other classes are being proposed, what classes we've had trouble filling vs. what topics are in demand, and the quality and thoughtfulness of the writeup itself. We are specifically looking for fiction & nonfiction one-day workshops that illuminate and break down elements of craft while still being broad enough to appeal to a range of interests.

**NOTE: Because this form does not have a way to save in-progress work, it's highly recommended that you write your answers separately on your computer and then paste them into this form.

* Indicates required field

Name *

First

Last

Name of class/workshop (Note: Please look at our past workshops, available on our website, to see what we are looking for. The name of the class must be catchy and clear.) *

Full description of class/workshop as it would appear on our website. This should be more than a couple sentences, but no longer than one paragraph. Be as detailed as possible in terms of what the class will cover (Ex: In-class writing, discussion of sample texts, lecture, etc.) For examples, see descriptions of past workshops on our website - www.PioneerValleyWriters.com, under "Writing Workshops" *

Please write an abbreviated, 65-word-max description of your workshop, for advertising, social media posting, and promotional purposes. This description should very succinctly and quickly give someone a sense of what the class is about. Note: It's fine (and recommended) to simply shorten your official class description to what is most essential here. *

Please include a current bio (max 100 words) that you'd like to appear alongside your class listing. Bios should focus on your education, publications, and general credibility as a writing instructor. *Skip this if we already have your updated bio! *

What level of writer is this workshop geared toward? Beginner, intermediate, advanced, or all levels? If you think it's relevant for all levels, in what ways will both beginners and advanced writers benefit from it? *

What is the ideal length of this workshop? (Options: 3-hours, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 10 weeks) *

Will you be distributing a handout to the class? If so, what (roughly) will it contain? (Handouts encouraged!) *

While many of our classes fill completely (10 students is our maximum, unless a particular class lends itself to a larger number) we do not run workshops if they have fewer than 4 or in some cases 5 students. What is the minimum number of students you are prepared to run this class with/for? (Please take into account what you think will honestly work for this class as well as the below chart, which shows what instructors can expect to earn for a minimum of 4 or 5 students)

I am fine with a minimum class size of: *

4 students 5 students

Minimum Instructor Payments
Payment at PVWW is currently based on a 70/30 profit-share model. After the costs to run each class are deducted from the overall revenue the class brings in, profit is split between the instructor (70%) and PVWW (30%). Because of this, what instructors can expect to earn varies widely based on the number of students enrolled in the class. This chart is an attempt to give instructors a basic sense of what minimum they can expect to earn for any given class-type. It's based on the type of workshop, the number of total teaching hours, the cost the student pays, and the costs to run each class (before the 70/30 profit split), and it illustrates the minimum amount you can plan on earning for each class, depending on whether you want the class' minimum to be four or five students. While most of our workshops easily enroll at least five students, there is more of a chance the class will go forward if the minimum is four. However, this is up to you. It is important, however, if you teach for PVWW that you are okay with these minimum low-end earnings, as this is sometimes a reality of teaching writing in a smaller community and attempting to run new workshops. The maximum instructors can expect to earn, if the class fills to 10 students, is double the amount for the 5-student minimum earning (so for a 3-hour workshop, the maximum instructors can earn will be $386).

Length | # of hours | student cost | class costs | min. instructor earning (4 students) | min. earning (5 students)

3-hour 3 $60 $22/24 $153 $193
2-week 6 $150 $47/52 $387 $489
3-week 6 $175 $65/70 $445 $564
4-week 8 $225 $86/93 $570 $722
6-week 12 $300 $125/134 $753 $956
8-week 16 $350 $160/170 $868 $1,106

year-long
(poetry) 36 $800 $273/296 $2,049 $2,593

year-long
(prose) 36 $1200 $319/$354 $3,178 $3,994

Will you be requiring students prepare or complete any work in advance of the class? If so, what will you be asking them to do, and how much time will they need before the class? (Note: If you will be asking them to prepare anything in advance, please submit here the detailed text/directions you'd like communicated to them, as well as how far in advance this instruction should go out to them. Because people often have questions, any instructors with pre-class assignments will have their emails listed alongside the description.) *

One-day workshops are held on Saturdays and Sundays from 1-4pm. Multi-week workshops are usually held on weekday evenings. Depending on what you are proposing, please list any weekends or weekdays that you know WILL NOT work for you this spring 2020. *

For those proposing multi-week workshops: Are you able/willing to be oriented/trained as a key-holder to our classroom space at The Commons, in Williamsburg? This means you would need to come to The Commons, meet the director, get approved for a key, and get acquainted with how to set up/close up for our workshops. It may occasionally require you to assist with opening the building and setting up for someone else's class in an emergency situation where other key holders are unavailable - is this something you'd be willing and able to do (pending your own availability, of course)? *

If this class is not scheduled for spring, are you interested in scheduling it for fall 2020? If yes and you have a requested month or date, please list here. *

Open Community Writing: We host a free, monthly community writing event in our classroom in Williamsburg. It's ideally led by different PVWW instructors each month and involves an hour of writing prompts, time to write, an opportunity to share work, and a brief discussion on craft and process, facilitated by the instructor. It's a great way to get to know members of the PVWW community, including many who have not attended our workshops yet. It can also help get your name out there as an an instructor and attract students to an upcoming class. Are you interested in leading a 2020 Open Community Writing Session? As this event does not bring in any money, there is unfortunately no compensation. If you're unfamiliar with the details, you can learn more about Open Community Writing at www.PioneerValleyWriters.com under "Events" *

Thank you for proposing to teach a workshop for Pioneer Valley Writers' Workshop! We look forward to reviewing your proposal and will be in touch soon!

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Pioneer Valley Writers' Workshop: Workshop Proposal Form

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