By Renee Nicholson

Several past participants noticed changes with the West Virginia Writers’ Workshop—positive changes. A new celebration of participant writing, in the form of an open mic reading was one change that capped off a wonderful long weekend of writing last year. The enthusiasm and energy has spilled over to the 15th Annual West Virginia Writers’ Workshop, with applications already coming in for the event.

This year’s West Virginia Writers’ Workshop (WVWW) will run July 21-24, 2011, and applications are due by Friday, June 17th. Potential participants can register online at http://english.wvu.edu/centers/projects/wvww/. As well, the Workshop’s website has complete author bios, a schedule of events, information on lodging, etc. Very reasonably-priced accommodations for the workshop are available on campus at Stalnaker Hall, which is walking distance to Colson Hall, the Mountainlair, and Downtown Morgantown.

Many participants in the workshop return year after year, which is one of the things that gives the WVWW its friendly atmosphere. John Thelin, a regular participant who recently had success publishing a collection of poems, has called it his yearly “literary shot in the arm.” With this year’s excellent faculty—Mark Brazaitis (also the WVWW Director), Jim Harms, Denise Duhamel, Robert Olmstead, and guest reader John McKernan—the quality of instruction, feedback, and readings will be top caliber. Between them, this year’s faculty has won the Guggenheim Fellowship, Pen/Revson Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, The Crab Orchard Poetry Prize, Iowa Short Fiction Award, Pushcart Prizes, and other prestigious national and international prizes.

Mark Brazaitis, Jim Harms and Denise Duhamel have served as faculty for past workshops, and Jim Harms has run the event in the past and is the Founding Director of the event (I’ve had the opportunity to work with both Mark and Jim as Director). Denise Duhamel is very popular among participants, and her warmth and wit make her reading a must-attend event. Robert Olmstead is an exciting new addition, as he has taught writing workshops at many prestigious programs, including UC Irvine, Boise State University, and the Summer Literary Seminars in St. Petersburg, Russia. The quality of the faculty is just one reason why the WVWW is such a tremendous value for the tuition.

After successfully moving the event from the Mountainlair, Colson Hall will serve as the center of activity for the workshop, continuing to strengthen the WVWW’s ties to the Department of English. Readings and book signings, which have always been a mainstay of the conference, will continue much as they have in past years. A large portion of the workshop is dedicated to working with faculty, and to honing craft through suggestions and discussion of submitted work.

Participants have the option to stay on campus at Stalnaker hall, which will also serve as the location of the literary journal display. Publishers of journals and magazines from across the country donate copies for this display, and at the end of the workshop participants are encouraged to take a volume or two with them, helping to familiarize participants with the places to send and to read. The low cost of housing at Stalnaker Hall also include continental breakfast in the morning, and several gathering places for participants to discuss their work, socialize, and, as it has happened on occasion, participate in impromptu readings. It’s the spirit and dedication of the participants that make the West Virginia Writers’ Workshop such a unique event. For four days, participants, faculty, and staff of the workshop will get to immerse themselves in the craft of writing, a wonderful long weekend vacation into the world of words and those who wield them so well.

Renée K. Nicholson is the Assistant to the Director of the West Virginia Writers’ Workshop. For information about the 2011 WVWW, feel free to contact her at renee.nicholson@mail.wvu.edu.