Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing 2010 Schedule (July 2011 TBA)

About the Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing

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The Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing was founded in order to give writers the opportunity to develop their craft amongst established authors. The Institute offers a comprehensive week-long focus on writing, providing writers with the necessary time to devote to their art, in the idyllic setting of the Vineyard. Each summer, the institute invites published authors, literary journal editors, and university creative writing faculty from around the country to lead writing workshops, work one-on-one with individuals, and provide the necessary tips and tools for editing and publishing their work.

Often finding the time and space to write is one of the more difficult hurdles of writing. Our goal is to make the writing program experience a personal one that aids in building a writing community, establishing friendships with other writers, and offering contacts in the industry. Participants include individuals of varying ages and writing abilities, from published writers to skilled beginners. The institute also offers the opportunity to engage with faculty outside of the workshop during nighttime readings and receptions, as well as a panel discussion on the craft of writing. These nighttime events and one-on-one editing sessions allow participants and faculty to spend time together, offering a more intimate experience than most summer writing programs. In addition to the primary seminar, the institute offers specialty workshops, and individualized editing sessions to provide a full day of writing, inspiration, and creativity. We hope you will join us this summer!

2010 Schedule (2011 Coming Soon)

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Sunday: 6-9 pm at The Point Way Inn (104 Main Street, Edgartown)Welcome Reception and Faculty Reading: All participants are invited to come and meet the faculty. Enjoy wine and hor'd oeuvres and settle in for an intimate reading from our visiting authors from 7-8 pm.
Vineyard Bus Schedule information between Vineyard Haven and Edgartown can be found at vineyardtransit.com

Monday-Friday:
10:00-12pm: Fiction Writing Seminar
12:00-1:00: Lunch
1:00-3:00: Specialty Workshop with Guest Faculty
3:00-5:00: Poetry Writing Seminar

Fiction Writing Seminar (Instructor: Alexander Weinstein) The seminar offers students the opportunity to build on their craft over the stretch of the week. We will focus on the central elements of craft, including dialogue, character development, language, and narrative voice. The seminar gives writers the chance to develop new work, build upon in-class writing assignments, and strengthen previously written material.

Poetry Writing Seminar The poetry writing seminar offers writers the opportunity to build on their craft of poetry over the stretch of the week. The seminar gives writers the chance to develop new work, build upon in-class writing assignments, and strengthen previously written material.

Monday: Narrative Voice/Tone: A crucial element in storytelling is not just what you say, but how you say it. This class will focus on developing the narrative voice which tells your stories. We will experiment with a range of narrative voices so to capture the best voice to tell your story with.

Tuesday: Language and Structure: Part of creating a story is envisioning the structure it will inhabit. In this class we will look at a number of different structuring tools that can help bring your stories to life. As well we will explore how language use, sentence structure, and word choice can help your story become more engaging, dynamic, and alive.

Wednesday: Creating Believable Characters: We’ve all heard the notion of allowing your characters to come alive. This workshop will teach you the methods necessary to accomplish this task. Who are your characters? What are their hopes and dreams, their passions and hates? We will deepen our understanding of characterization, and in turn begin to allow our characters to speak back.

Thursday: A Dialogue Workshop: In this class we will tackle the often difficult tool of dialogue. In particular we will focus on making your characters’ dialogue sound as believable as the dialogue of the real world, and how to make each character's voice distinct.

Friday: Breaking the Rules: There are no rules in writing but the rules the writer invents. Still, there are tendencies and expectations created by realistic fiction. We will look at these "rules" and how to effectively break them. As well, we will explore the more experimental edges of fiction writing.

Specialty Workshops (M-Th): The group reconvenes after lunch for specialty workshops. Specialty workshops are designed by the visting authors/literary editors to focus on a particular element/genre of the writing craft.

Monday:Background in the Foreground: A Close Look at Setting: (Keith Leonard) In fiction, setting tends to be either a given or an afterthought. Rarely does a review praise a work for its landscape, and in workshops, readers most often take setting for granted. Yet, for those stories we most admire, setting is certainly significant: it seems the characters could only inhabit that particular world and that world could only exist with the characters present. In this class, we will take a close look at how setting informs character and plot, citing examples from the work of Rick Bass, Donald Barthelme, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and more. Through a series of flash fiction exercises, students will render detailed settings through precise imagery.

Tuesday: Micro-Fiction and the Prose Poem: (Christopher Citro)The short-short which goes by many names (including the Prose Poem, Micro-Ficiton, and Sudden Fiction) is a genre that classically uses approximately five-hundred words or less to tell an entire story (some micro-fiction stories have been as short as five words). By placing high value on the consicesness and precision of each sentence, this form challenges writers to sharpen their skills of storytelling and their attention to language. In this class students will get the opportunity to practice this form and produce engaging and dynamic Micro-Fiction.

Wednesday: Revision: (Nina Mamikunian)
You've completed your story and read through all the feedback--now what? How do you tell when your story is done? What is the difference between line edits and content edits? Do you have the best beginning, middle, and end? This workshop will focus on revision exercises and techniques, providing editing strategies to help hone the internal critic. We will focus on stories as a whole, discussing both the need to expand and condense work, to eliminate what isn't working, and methods to develop and strenghten your writing.

Thursday: Publish Before You Perish: (Abdel Shakur)Ishmael Reed once said, “writing is fighting” and although that accurately conveys the experience of a writer wrestling with both truth and words, it can just as easily apply to the world of publishing. This workshop will be geared towards answering common questions about literary publishing: Who actually reads manuscripts at literary journals? What are they looking for? When is your work ready to be published? Where can you find the best fit for your work? How does the editing process work once your piece is accepted? Aside from these burning concerns, we’ll read and workshop stories, talk about literary craft, and consider the bigger question of why we even write in the first place.

Friday: Panel Discussion: Bringing the Muse Home: In order to grow as a writer, the ability to create both a space and time to continue the writing process is a crucial element of writing. This panel discussion will address the dilemma of time, and techniques the visiting faculty use to purse the profession of writing. The faculty will discuss methods of integrating the work done throughout the week into one’s daily life.

Friday 6-8 pm: Reading Celebration and Closing Ceremonies: As a closing ceremony to our week together, workshop participants will have the opportunity to share their work with the group and the faculty. We invite everyone to come, relax, and celebrate each other’s voices.

Individual Editing Meetings After the daily workshops, those signed up for one-on-one conferences meet to discuss their manuscripts (see registration for information on submitting your manuscript for editing). For those not signed up, this open period allows time to explore the island, take a swim at the nearby beach, or devote time to writing.

Registration

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2011 Program Fee:

The program fee for the 2011 Summer Writing Program is $975.00. The program fee covers participation in both genre seminars and specialty workshops throughout the week, the panel discussion, evening readings, an editing/manuscript consultation, and Friday night dinner with visiting faculty at Zephers restaurant. Please note that the program fee does not include travel or accommodations.

Registration: In order to ensure that all participants receive the optimal amount of time and individual attention, there are a maximum of 23 spaces available. Please make out all checks to MVICW and mail to:

The Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing
Attn: Alexander Weinstein: Director
7 East Pasture Rd.
Aquinnah, MA 02535

Manuscript Registration: If you plan on taking advantage of the individual editing sessions, you must submit your writing (up to 20 pages of prose or 5 poems/max 15 pages) by July 1, 2011. This allows the time to devote comprehensive attention to your work. Once successfully registered for the workshop, please mail your manuscript by mail to the above address.

Scholarships

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MVICW is happy to be able to provide a limited amount of merit-based and need-based scholarships this year. The scholarships cover up to 50% of tuition costs. To apply for a scholarship, send a letter of interest, $25 application fee, and a sample of your writing (10-12 pages) to

MVICW Scholarships
Attn: Alexander Weinstein: Program Director
7 East Pasture Road
Aquinnah, MA 02535

Scholarship applications must be received by July 1st 2011.

Location

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All workshops will take place at the historic Mansion House, in downtown Vineyard Haven. The Mansion House is a short walk from the Martha's Vineyard Ferry, providing easy access for those commuting from off-island. Workshop participants can choose to stay at the Mansion House Inn, which provides a complimentary gourmet breakfast and free use of the health club and spa. As well, Zephrus Restaurant offers an excellent menu for lunch and dinner. For more information about The Mansion House and booking reservations: www.mvmansionhouse.com

Accommodations

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The Vineyard has many beautiful locations to spend the week. The Martha’s Vineyard On-Line website www.mvol.com is an excellent resource, providing a comprehensive listing of accommodations based on your preferences and price range, including hotels, vacation rentals, and bed and breakfasts. As well, the website offers a listing of restaurants, beaches, golf courses, nature trails, and other activities and sightseeing information.

The red hat inn www.theredhat.com is an excellent bed and breakfast. Workshop participants who reserve for the week will receive a 10% discount. However space is limited and so early reservations are suggested.

For more inexpensive accommodations the Martha’s Vineyard Hostel offers accommodations starting at $35/night. Their website is www.usahostels.org/cape/himv/index.shtml

Travel to the Vineyard

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Travel to the Vineyard is easily available by car, bus, or plane.

By Bus: The main bus company that services travel to Martha’s Vineyard from New York, and the New England area is:
Peter Pan Bus lines: www.peterpanbus.com

By Air: The main airline carriers that fly directly to Martha’s Vineyard are:
Cape Air: 1-800-352-0714 www.flycapeair.com
US Airways: 1-800-428-4322 www.usairways.com

Taxi Service from the airport is available through:
www.mvol.com/directory/transportation/taxis

By Car:
If planning on driving to the island, boat reservations are highly recommended. You can book your boat reservation through

The Steamship Authority: 508-477-8600 www.steamshipauthority.com

By Ferry:
There are a number of ferries that travel to the Vineyard. The following website offers a comprehensive listing: www.mvol.com/directory/transportation/Ferries

Car Rental on the Island:
www.mvol.com/directory/transportation/car_rentals

About the Instructors: Christopher Citro

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Instructor

Christopher Citro, born and raised in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, came to Bloomington by way of Lawrence, Kansas. He currently teaches writing at Indiana University. He is Associate Editor for Lyric Poetry Review, an Associate Poetry Editor for Indiana Review, and co-hosts The Poets Weave on the NPR station WFIU.

He won the 2006 Langston Hughes Creative Writing Award for Poetry, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

His writing has also been published, or is forthcoming, in Harpur Palate, The Cincinnati Review, Poet Lore, Permafrost, Faultline: Journal of Art & Literature, Burnside Review, Ghoti Magazine, CutThroat, Redactions, Arsenic Lobster, Inch Magazine, Stone Table Review, Juked, Coal City Review, Whistling Shade, Spout Magazine, I-70 Review, and elsewhere.

His criticism has been published in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Indiana Review.

Orbiting the Sundress, his first chapbook, was published by Unholy Day Press in 2004.

About the Instructors: Keith Leonard

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Poetry Instructor

Keith Leonard: Keith Leonard’s poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Best New Poets 2009, Georgetown Review, The Laurel Review, Quarterly West, Sentence, Wild Apples, and elsewhere. His criticism has appeared in Indiana Review. He has been nominated for an AWP Intro Writers Award and is the 2010 recipient of the Vera Meyer Strube Poetry Prize from the Academy of American Poets. Keith teaches creative writing at Indiana University and is the Poetry Editor of Indiana Review.

About the Instructors: Abdel Shakur

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Instructor

Abdel Shakur: Abdel Shakur is the former editor of Indiana University's award-winning literary journal, Indiana Review. As editor, he was responsible for the widely-acclaimed funk issue, which featured poetry, fiction, and art with a funk aesthetic. Abdel has edited authors such as Stuart Dybek, Wendy Rawlings, Alberto Rios, Peter Selgin, Laura van den berg, and Tom Kealey. He is a recipient of the Culbertson Award for Teaching, the Jean Shepard Literary Award, and the Guy Lemmon Public Writing award. Abdel currently teaches Humanities at ACT charter school on Chicago's west side, through the Teach for America program. He lives with his wife, Candice, and beloved cat, Sally. Read more about his views on funk, writing, and politics at his blog, www.misstraknowitall.blogspot.com and www.postnoills.com/main/?p=59

About the Instructors: Nina Mamikunian

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Instructor

Nina Mamikunian is the recent Editor-in-Cheif of Indiana Review and has edited prize-winning stories for the PEN/O. Henry Prize. While at Indiana Review, she worked with such authors as Ander Monson, Michael Martone, Noy Holland, Melanie Rae Thon, and Ted Sanders, whose nominated story is forthcoming in the 2010 O. Henry Prize Stories. She is a graduate of Brown and has taught poetry and fiction at Indiana University for the past three years. Her work has appeared in Fringe Magazine and Mid-American Review.

About the Instructors: Alexander Weinstein

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Director/Fiction Instructor

Alexander Weinstein has been working as a creative writing teacher and freelance editor for the past ten years. He leads fiction workshops in the United States and Europe and currently teaches creative writing at Lawrence Tech University. The recipient of the Ernest Hemingway Fellowship in Fiction and a T.C. Steele Artist in Residence, his work has appearded in Plieades, Notre Dame Review, Rio Grande Review, Hawaii-Pacific Review, Zahir, and other publications. His work deals with the trials and tribulations of modern life and other maladies of the pre-apocalyptic era.

Related Programs: The Martha's Vineyard Writer's Residency

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The Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing is happy to be teaming up with The Martha's Vineyard Writer's Residency, which provides opportunities for writers to work on their craft on the Vineyard. The Martha’s Vineyard Writer’s Residency was established in 2007 with a simple mission: to give writers of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, memoir, and plays a place in which to create or complete new works. Residencies are held each October and last from two weeks to one month. Each resident is given a private room with a bath in an historic inn in Edgartown, Massachusetts, on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. The cost of the residency is $150.00 per week. This includes room but not board. All meals are the responsibility of the individual resident, but each has access to a professionally equipped kitchen. For more information regarding the MV Writer's Residency, please see its website: www.writersresidency.com

Photos of Martha's Vineyard

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The Aquinnah Cliffs at Sunset-a beautiful place to take a walk after a long day of writing.

Photos of Martha's Vineyard

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The Sengekontacket pond offers an idyllic place to kayak, canoe, or wade in for a swim.

Photos of Martha's Vineyard

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Enjoy a swim at one of the nearby beaches during our midday break.

Photos of Martha's Vineyard

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One of the many lighthouses on the island.

Photos of Martha's Vineyard

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The little fishing town of Menemsha is a great place to get fresh fish, and enjoy local seafood while relaxing on the docks.

Photos of Martha's Vineyard

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The historic town of Oak Bluffs has many beautiful walking streets and historic gingerbread cottages.