Michigan Writers Workshops
Workshop with Lia Purpura, Friday, February 17, 2012
9:00 am to 11:00 am, University Center, Room 213

Inch by Inch, Row by Row: How to Avoid Being Overwhelmed by the Big Events You Want to Write About

Lia Purpura is an award-winning poet and essayist who will be a Guest Writer at Interlochen Arts Academy. She's agreed to work with us while she's in town. This is a short talk and workshop on approaching major life events in a manageable way. This is a free event.

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Workshop with Mary Jo Zazueta, Thursday, February 28, 2012
7:00-9:00 pm, University Center, Room 217

Editing and Marketing: Essentials for Publishing Success

There are two critical elements to publishing success: professional editing and a marketing plan. In this two-hour session, the latest in our popular publishing workshop series, you will receive an overview of the various ways to publish a book, and learn why a manuscript must be professionally edited and your choices for marketing and selling books. Discussion topics will include how to find an editor, an author's role in selling his or her book, printing options and e-books, and tasks you can do yourself to save money. A list of resources will be provided. This seminar is designed for those with a book project--or at least one in mind.

 This event is free.

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Past Workshops:
Workshop with James Arthur, Tuesday, November 29, 2011

James Arthur is an award-winning poet, whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, New Republic, Ploughshares, Poetry and other leading journals. His debut collection will be published next year by Copper Canyon Press. He will be leading a poetry workshop for us on Tuesday, November 29, 7-9 pm and NMC's University Center. The workshop is free. Look for more details to be posted closer to the event.

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NMC's Courting the Muse Conference, Friday, November 11, 2011

Michigan Writers is a co-sponsor of this event, held at Northwestern Michigan College's Oleson Center from 9 am to 4:30 am. The conference features presentations, workshops, readings and discussion to inspire and improve your writing.

Jack Driscoll, award-winning poet and fiction writer, founder of the Interlochen Arts Academy's Creative Writing Department, and  professor in Pacific University's MFA program, will lead the opening general session.
Jerry Dennis, award-winning author of many literary and popular works, will share insights about the writing life for the final general session.
In between, create your own learning experience by selecting two workshops from six options covering different genres. Fiction, travel writing, poetry, self-publishing and traditional publishing will be explored by faculty that includes Jack Driscoll, Anne-Marie Oomen, Fleda Brown, Mary Jo Zazueta and Heather Shumaker.
The day concludes with short readings by several presenters. Complete details will be available soon on NMC's website at www.nmc.edu/ees.

The registration fee of $99.00 includes lunch and materials. To register call 231-995-1700 or log on to www.nmc.edu/ees.

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Workshop with Patricia Ann McNair, Saturday, October 8, 2011 1-3:30 pm

Places of Our Past: Finding the Familiar in Our Stories, Poems, Essays, and Memoirs

Patricia Ann McNair is no stranger to our north woods; she is a frequent and well-loved faculty member at the Interlochen Writers Retreat. As you might guess from the title of this workshop, she is a versatile teacher, and this workshop promises to be rewarding for writers in most any genre.

Associate Professor in the Fiction Writing Department at Columbia College Chicago, Patricia Ann McNair is the author of the newly released linked story collection, The Temple of Air, from Elephant Rock Books. Her stories and nonfiction have been published in various anthologies and journals.

The workshop is free and open to the public. Saturday, October 8, from 1-3:30 pm in room 213 at NMC's University Center, 2200 Dendrinos Drive, Traverse City.

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Flash Fiction in a Flash, August 2, 2011, 7-9 pm, with Katey Schultz

Here’s a summer workshop perfect for poets, fiction writers, and lovers of the fertile and mysterious region between the two genres. Flash Fiction in a Flash, a free workshop with Katey Schultz, will take place on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 from 7 to 9 pm in room 204 at the NMC University Center.

 

We’re delighted to have Katey Schultz back in the region. We first met Katey in 2010 when she was serving as Interlochen’s Writer-in-Residence. She then took off for Alaska, North Carolina, Oregon, and Wyoming, as part of a two-year writing residency tour. She’s back at Interlochen for the summer, with more stories and pictures than you can shake a stick at. She’s a marvelous writer and teacher, and we think you’ll get a lot out of her workshop.

 

The workshop will include a lecture on the characteristics of flash fiction, brief readings, discussion, and several generative prompts. This event is free and open to the public. The NMC University Center is located at 2200 Dendrinos Drive in Traverse City. For a map and directions go to: www.nmc.edu/about/maps/index.html

 

Katey Schultz grew up in Portland, Oregon and most recently lived in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. She is the author of Lost Crossings (nonfiction chapbook) and editor of two fiction anthologies.  Awards include the Linda Flowers Literary Prize, Press 53 Open Award for Short Story, Whispering Prairie Press Flash Fiction Prize, and the Greensboro Short Fiction Awards. Her short stories have appeared in Fiction Daily, The Outlet, Calyx, War Literature & the Arts, Flash Fiction Magazine, various anthologies, and more. She has received writing fellowships from Jentel  Foundation, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and Wrangell Mountains Center and served as Writer-in-Residence for Interlochen Center for the Arts, Weymouth Center, and Fishtrap.  Katey is also editor of TRACHODON, a dinosaur of a little magazine. You can read more about her writing life at www.kateyschultz.com
Editing and Marketing: Essentials for Publishing Success -
There are two critical elements to publishing success. The first is professional editing and the other is having a marketing plan.

In this two-hour session, you will receive an overview of the various ways to publish a book, and then learn why a manuscript must be professionally edited, and what choices you have for marketing and selling books.

Discussion topics will include how to find an editor, what role an author must play in selling his or her book, printing options and e-books, and what tasks you can do yourself to save money.
A list of resources will be provided.

This seminar taught by Traverse City award-winning editor Mary Jo Zazueta is designed for those with a book project, or at least one in mind. Everyone is invited, this workshop will be held on Thursday, February 24, from 7-9 p.m., at NMC's University Center, Room 05.
 
Bear River Scholarship Info -

The 11th annual Bear River Writers Conference, sponsored by the University of Michigan, will be held from June 2 - June 6 at Camp Michigania on Walloon Lake, near Petoskey, Michigan and smack dab in the middle of Hemingway's old stomping (and writing) grounds.


The conference offers workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as readings, discussions, nature walks, and time for writing. And, MW offers partial scholarships.


The 2011 special guest is Patricia Hampl, who will teach a memoir workshop. Other faculty includes poets Jill Bialosky, A. Van Jordan, and Richard Tillinghast; fiction writers James Hynes, Laura Kasischke, and Nami Mun; and creative nonfiction writers Jerry Dennis, Richard McCann, and MW's own Board Member emeritus, Anne Marie Oomen.


Tuition, including all meals, is $605, and housing ranges from $95 to $215. However, a MW member scholarship could offset part of that total fee. To apply you must register for the conference and include a writing sample with your registration. A $150 deposit is required to secure enrollment and the balance is due by May 20, 2011. Visit the Bear River Writers Conference website for more information.