July 6-12, 2008
An exciting weeklong experience now in its 20th summer, the
Writers Workshop at Susquehanna University provides America’s most
talented high school writers with the opportunity to work in intensive, small-group
workshops headed by nationally recognized authors. One of only 27 programs
selected by Early College Programs 2003 as a Best Value in Summer College
Programs for High School Students, the Writers Workshop features workshops
in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Class sizes are limited to 15
students in order to ensure close supervision and individual conferencing.
The Writers Workshop is open to experienced writers entering
11th and 12th grade in the fall of 2008. Writers Workshop attendees are chosen
based on teacher/counselor recommendations and portfolio submissions, and
each applicant is required to submit 5-6 poems or 6-8 pages of fiction/creative
nonfiction. Portfolios and applications must be postmarked or e-mailed
by May 1, 2008, to be considered for review.
Each day at the Writers Workshop brings with it a variety of writing activities including group workshops; individual conferences; and readings by students, faculty, and guest writers. At workshop’s end, a public reading provides students with the opportunity to share their work with fellow students, family and friends, and guests from outside the Writers Workshop. Students will also have their work published in a Writers Workshop magazine sent to all workshop attendees.
Gary Fincke, Writers Workshop coordinator, Ph.D., Kent State University, directs the Writers’ Institute at Susquehanna University. Winner of the 2003 Flannery O’Connor Award for his short story collection, Sorry I Worried You, he has been cited in Best American Essays nine times in the past ten years and is a winner of a 2001 Pushcart Prize for creative nonfiction. Amp’d: A Father’s Backstage Pass, his nonfiction account of his son’s life as a signed rock musician, was published in 2004. He has published three additional short story collections and twelve books of poetry. A winner of the Bess Hokin Prize from Poetry Magazine, he has appeared in such magazines and newspapers as Harper’s, The Paris Review, Doubletake, American Scholar, Newsday, and USA Today.
Tom
Bailey, Ph.D.,
SUNY at Binghamton; M.F.A., the Iowa Writers’ Workshops, teaches creative
writing at Susquehanna University. A winner of a 1999 Pushcart Prize for fiction,
he has had stories anthologized in New
Stories from the South and Streetsongs:
New Voices in Fiction. His novel, The Grace That Keeps This World,
was published by Random House in the fall of 2005; Crow Man, his collection
of short stories, was released in 2003. Additional works include A Short Story Writer’s Companion (2001), which follows On Writing Short Stories (1999), both published
by Oxford University Press. His stories have appeared in Doubletake, The Greensboro Review, The Crescent Review, and Other Voices.
Karla
Kelsey, Ph.D., University of Denver; M.F.A., University of Iowa,
teaches poetry writing, editing and publishing, and related courses at Susquehanna
University. Her book of poetry, Knowledge, Forms, the Aviary, which
won the 2005 Sawtooth Poetry Prize and will be published by Ahsahta Press
in early 2006. She is the author of the chapbook Little Dividing Doors in the Mind (Noemi Press, 2005) and has appeared
in The Boston Review, Verse, 24, and other journals.
Guest Writers:
Susan
Perabo, M.F.A., University of Arkansas, has published a collection
of short stories, Who I Was Supposed to
Be (Simon & Schuster, 1999), and a novel, The Broken Places (2001).
Her stories have been anthologized in Best
American Stories and New Stories from the South and have
appeared in Story, Glimmer Train, and Triquarterly. She currently teaches creative writing at Dickinson College.
Writers Workshop attendees must arrive at Susquehanna University
on Sunday, July 6, between 2 and 4 p.m. for workshop orientation. Workshop
activities will begin at 5 p.m. on Sunday evening. Following days will include
a full daily schedule of group workshops; individual conferences; fiction,
poetry, and creative nonfiction readings; and appearances by guest writers.
A public reading will close the Writers Workshop on Saturday, July 12.
Workshop activities are held in Seibert Hall, Steele Hall,
and the Degenstein Center, all located within walking distance of
air-conditioned residence halls. Residence halls are also located in close
proximity to campus center, athletic facilities, computer center, and library.
Students will receive three meals a day featuring unlimited entrees, soup and
salad bar, deli bar, and dessert bar. All students are housed two to a room
unless otherwise requested.
$600: Covers all instructional materials, room and board, and
all workshop activities. All students will live on campus for the week.
Where We Are
Susquehanna University is located in the beautiful
Susquehanna River Valley in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. Within three hours
driving distance of New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and D.C.,
Selinsgrove is fifty miles north of Harrisburg on Routes 11 and 15.
Experienced writers entering 11th or 12th grade in the
fall of 2008 are eligible to attend the 2008 Writers Workshop. To be considered
for acceptance, students must submit a workshop application, a teacher/counselor
recommendation, and a nonreturnable writing portfolio containing 5-6 poems
or 6-8 pages of fiction/creative nonfiction. All applications and portfolios
must be postmarked or e-mailed by May 1, 2008.
To apply online, please e-mail name, address, year in school,
workshop preference (poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction), and portfolio
attachments to gfincke@susqu.edu.
A teacher or counselor recommendation should also be e-mailed to the same
address.
All acceptance notifications
will be sent no later than May 15. Accepted applicants must then mail Susquehanna
University a $100 nonrefundable deposit by June 1 in order to confirm their
workshop reservations. Balance of workshop fees due at registration on July
6. Checks should be made payable to Susquehanna University Writers Workshop.
Name__________________________________
Home Address___________________________
_______________________________________
Home Telephone_________________________
E-Mail Address___________________________
Year in School (Fall 2008)__________________
Preference (check one)
__ Poetry
__ Fiction
__ Creative Nonfiction
Please mail application, teacher/counselor recommendation,
and nonreturnable writing portfolio to: Dr. Gary Fincke, Writers Workshop
Director; Susquehanna University; Selinsgrove, PA 17870. All materials
must be postmarked by May 1, 2008, in order to be considered for acceptance.