Sewanee Writers' Conference & Young Writers' Conference
July 15-27, 2008
This July, 135 students of writing will gather on Sewanee’s stately mountaintop campus. During an intense twelve-day period, participants will read and critique each other’s manuscripts under the leadership of some of our country’s finest fiction writers, poets, and playwrights. All faculty members and fellows give scheduled readings; senior faculty members offer craft lectures; open-mic readings accommodate many others. Additional writers, along with a host of writing professionals, visit to give readings, participate in panel discussions, and entertain questions from the audience. Receptions and mealtimes offer opportunities for informal exchange.
Workshops form the backbone of the Conference experience; these meet for five two-and-one-half-hour sessions. In one-on-one meetings with distinguished faculty members, participants have further opportunity to hone their manuscripts, benefiting from the experience of established writers who identify strengths and weaknesses and make suggestions for revisions.
Space does not allow a complete listing of past faculty and visitors. A very small sample consisting of three names for each genre could include Alice McDermott, William Styron, and Tim O’Brien in fiction; Anthony Hecht, Richard Wilbur, and Mona Van Duyn in poetry; and Arthur Miller, Marsha Norman, and Horton Foote in playwriting. The rest of the iceberg may be revealed upon request.
Participants may recreate themselves on the University’s 10,000-acre campus by swimming, golfing, biking, hiking, or simple strolling and sunset-watching. The most meaningful recreation, though, is literary. As one participant reflected, "Most importantly, I came home with inspiration and motivation for my writing. That’s what it’s all about."
Daily readings, craft lectures, panel discussions, & Q&A sessions. Workshops (4 fiction, 3 poetry, 1 playwriting) meet for five 2-hour sessions on alternating days.
Number of Programs/Year
2 (Adult & HS)
Program Length
12 days/14 days
Group Size or S:T Ratio
135/60
Program Focus
Fiction, Playwriting, Poetry
Faculty
2008: poets D. Anderson, C. Emerson, A. Hudgins, M. Jarman, M. J. Salter, A. Shapiro, M. Strand, & G. Williamson; fiction writers J. Casey, T. Earley, R. Kenan, M. Livesey, J. McCorkle, E. McGraw, T. O’Brien & C. Schutt; playwrights A. Hutton & R. Linney
Costs
Writers' Conference: $1,600, includes room & board. $600 for scholars. Fellows pay no tuition, room or board. Young Writers' Conference: $1,525, includes room & board.
U.S. Locations
Tennessee (Sewanee)
Months
July
Contact
Cheri B. Peters
Creative Writing Prog. Manager Sewanee Writers' Conferences - University of the South
310G St. Luke's Hall, 735 University Ave.
Sewanee, TN 37383-1000
United States
Phone: 931-598-1141/1541
Fax: 931-598-1145
E-Mail:
Young Writers' Conference: Elizabeth Grammer, Co-Director, egrammer@sewanee.eduhttp://www.sewanee.edu/ywc/
