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About the 10-Month Manuscript Program
The Manuscript Group Program at PVWW is for writers in any genre who are serious and committed to completing (or revising) a book-length manuscript over the course of ten months. The program is completely virtual,
intensive and comprehensive, and was
designed in the spirit of building a community of writers committed to supporting each other through the rigorous and sometimes lonely process of completing (or revising) a full manuscript. Each workshop group is limited to ten writers, meets (virtually) once a month for three hours, and also involves communication with the group between meetings via an easy-to-access online classroom space (Google Classrooms). At their core, the Manuscript Program workshops are centered around giving and receiving feedback, craft instruction, building a supportive community, and the push toward completing a full-length manuscript. Over the course of ten months, writers in the program will be guided to set active, clear goals that will help them both get to the finish line and better understand craft elements related to their genre.
The program is open to writers at all stages of the process, in any genre, but it does require a rigorous commitment to your work, a clear project in mind that you plan to work on for the entire year, as well as a commitment to the writers in your cohort and the various aspects of the program. If you have not already, we highly recommend you review the complete information on the
10-Month Manuscript Program
before applying, as there may be changes to the program since last year.
About the Instructors
The Novel (First Draft & Revision):
KATE SENECAL
is the Assistant Director of PVWW and the Director of PVWW's Year-Long Manuscript Group Program. She is the former fiction editor of
Storychord
, a fiction instructor at 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. She holds
an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and her fiction has been published in
The Laurel Review, The Foundling Review,
and in
Storychord.com.
Memoir
:
DORIAN FOX
is a writer and freelance editor in Boston, where he teaches courses at GrubStreet, a nonprofit creative writing center. His essays have appeared in
The Rumpus
,
Gay Magazine
,
Atticus Review
,
Longridge Revie
w,
Under the Gum Tree
,
december
and elsewhere, and received special mentions in the Anne C. Barnhill Prize and Curt Johnson Prose Awards contests, among others. More of his work can be found at
dorianfox.com
.
Poetry Hybrid & Nonfiction:
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. Find her online at
www.CarolynZaikowski.com
.
Application for the 2023 10-Month Manuscript Program
For Returning Students in All Workshops
Before you begin
: Please be aware that this application form does not autosave and should be completed in one sitting. We strongly recommend saving your answers to the short answer questions in a separate document. We also strongly recommend that you read through everything on the
10-Month Manuscript Program page
and understand fully what this program entails before submitting your application.
All applications must be received on or before December 21, 2022
to be considered for the 2023 program year.
*
Indicates required field
Name
*
Email Address
*
Since these workshops meet virtually, writers can participate from anywhere in the world. Where would would you be joining us from? (City, Sate or City, Country)
*
Which Manuscript Program workshop group were you a part of during the previous year?
*
Novel: First Draft (with Kate Senecal)
Novel: Revision (with Kate Senecal)
Short Story (with Sara Rauch)
Memoir (with Celia Jeffries)
Nonfiction (with Carolyn Zaikowski)
Poetry/Hybrid (with Carolyn Zaikowski)
Which 10-month workshop group are you applying to be in?
*
Novel: First Draft (with Kate Senecal)
Novel: Revision (with Kate Senecal)
Memoir (with Dorian Fox)
Nonfiction (with Carolyn Zaikowski)
Poetry and Hybrid (with Carolyn Zaikowski)
If applicable to your manuscript and/or writing goals, please let us know your SECOND CHOICE if you do not get into your first choice workshop group:
*
Novel: First Draft
Novel: Revision
Memoir
Nonfiction
Poetry and Hybrid
The group I am applying for is the only one I am interested in. If I do not get in, I am not interested in any other group.
What was your experience like over the past year in your Manuscript Program workshop group? What were your favorite aspects of the program? What aspects did you feel were less helpful? How are you feeling overall about your manuscript?
*
Why do you want to continue in PVWW's Manuscript Program? What significant impact do you feel another year in the program will have on you as a writer and your manuscript?
*
As you know, each instructor curates a virtual Google Classroom space for writers to stay involved with each other and the course materials in between class meetings. The virtual classroom includes readings, craft lectures, writing prompts, discussion questions, and other resources all centered around the monthly craft topic, and active engagement with the Google Classroom materials is vital to the conversations the workshop can have overall. While most of the Google Classroom materials will likely remain the same, how engaged with this aspect of the course do you foresee yourself being?
*
Very engaged! I am looking forward to revisiting all of the materials and resources and am excited to actively engage throughout the month with the course materials and group.
Engaged. I hope to be an active participant in the Google Classroom, yet this may depend on my schedule and other commitments.
Somewhat engaged. I'm glad the resources are there, though I'm mostly looking forward to referencing them later, when I have more time.
Not that engaged. I am applying to the program because of the monthly workshop element and cannot foresee being actively engaged with a virtual classroom space.
Outside of unforeseen emergencies that would require you to withdraw, how serious would you be about attending all class meetings (once a month) and sticking with this group over the course of ten months?
*
I am completely committed and foresee nothing that would interfere with my commitment to my manuscript and the group.
I am committed, but there are a few possible conflicts that could make the year-long commitment difficult.
I will try my best, but I really have no way of knowing.
If you answered that there are a few possible conflicts that could make attendance and/or sticking with the group over the course of the ten-month program difficult, please elaborate on the conflict here.
*
Work Sample
If you are applying to be in a different section of the program with a different instructor than the current workshop you're in, please copy/paste a short work sample from the project you are hoping to work on next year in the program, or a similar genre (1000 words max).
*
Payment & Policies
The cost of the 10-Month Manuscript Group Program for the 2023 program year is $1900 ($2500 for the Novel Revision workshop). Pioneer Valley Writers' Workshop does not have the ability to offer financial aid or scholarships for participation in the Manuscript Program, and with very few exceptions*, we are not able to accommodate payment plans. Because of this, all participants in the program must be able to pay full tuition, which is due by the end of February 2023. Please let us know if this is possible for you. *
Please let us know your situation below if this is the only way you can attend the program.
If accepted into the program for a second year, are you able to pay full tuition by the end of February?
*
Yes, if accepted I am able to pay the full tuition by that date.
Yes, although I am only able to pay the full amount with a payment plan.
I am not able to pay the full tuition. I am interested only if I can receive partial financial aid, and I understand that this may not be possible.
If you selected the second or third option in the above question, please elaborate here about your situation.
*
Refund Policy: Except in the case of serious unforseen medical emergencies, we are unable to refund participants who need to withdraw from the program midway through the year, or at any point after deposits have been made. This policy is strictly upheld. Each group is small, admission is selective, and frequent withdrawals undermine the integrity and sustainability of the program. For this reason, we must make sure that all applicants understand and accept this policy.
*
I understand that if accepted into the program, my tuition payment is nonrefundable.
We're so happy you want to continue in the Manuscript Program! We look forward to reviewing your application and hope to let everyone know their status by early/mid January 2023, if not sooner.
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About Us
What People Are Saying
Our Team
Policies
Contact
Creative Writing Classes
Current Workshops & Classes
10-Month Manuscript Program
Events
Readings & Events (Virtual)
Community Writing
Editing & Consulting
Store
