by Rebecca Thomas

Once a month, I hike up Grant Street to the Honors Hall Dorm and am allowed to spend some time with some very impressive students. For an hour or two, we come together to talk and practice creative writing. Started in 2008 and renewed until 2014, the Bolton Writing Workshop is funded by a generous gift from Ruth and Russell Bolton and works with the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences as a way to improve freshman writing. Creative Writing Professor and Bolton Professor for Teaching Mary Ann Samyn created and coordinates the program as a workshop that brings creative writing to the WVU dorms (Read More about the Bolton Program). MFA in Poetry and the 2011-2012 Bolton Assistant Lisa Beans writes that Mary Ann’s “main goal for the workshops [is] for the students and leaders to have fun which will in turn lead to improvements in writing. It also gives students perhaps the only opportunity to learn about creative writing as their schedules might not give them the opportunity to enroll in creative writing classes” (The Bolton Writing Workshop).

During workshop, I sit around the table with Honors Hall dormers, and we talk, read, and write all things fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. By the end of the night, I’m always amazed by the work these students turn out in such a short period of time. Plus, there are usually some pretty tasty treats baked by Honors Hall Resident Faculty Leader Christine Garbutt. Writing, reading, and eating? It’s basically the perfect night.

But I’m not the only one who has had the opportunity to work with the Bolton Writing Workshop Program. Recently, I chatted with two people affiliated with the Bolton Workshop in the Summit Dorm. Rebecca Doverspike, MFA Candidate in Nonfiction, leads the workshops there, and Kelly Sundberg, MFA in Nonfiction and the Live Learn Community Specialist for Summit Hall, graciously hosts them.

Kelly, a recent MFA graduate, has just started her position at Summit Hall. She lives there along with her husband, Caleb Winters, the Resident Faculty Leader, and their wonderful son, Reed. Kelly is no stranger to the Bolton Writing Workshop. As an MFA student, she worked with the Honors Dorm before I did.

I asked Kelly how it felt to host the workshops instead of teaching them. She said, “hosting a Bolton is much different from planning it. Planning the Bolton workshops was hard initially. I wasn’t sure what would be popular or resonate with the residents, but as the year progressed and I knew my core group of attendees better, I had an easier time planning activities they would enjoy.

“In comparison, hosting is easy. I just get to make some good food, have my great friend Rebecca over, and listen to a fantastic group of budding writers! Here in Summit, we also have an RA, Alex Collins, who heads the Creative Writing Club. He’s done the heavy lifting as far as promotion, and he’s managed to get some really varied and interesting students to attend. Every workshop, I can’t wait to sit back and see what Rebecca has prepared for them. She offers such insight into the students’ writing, and I’m always a little stunned by the insights they have in return.”

The idea of being stunned by the students’ insights seems to be a common experience with the Bolton Writing Workshop. I know working with my Boltoneers I’m often made to rethink a piece of writing or a certain aspect of the craft. Rebecca Doverspike agreed. She said, “One of the things I love about writing is that everyone has a story (multiple stories), and I love listening to those stories both on the page and off. The Bolton Workshop is important because it provides a community space to practice telling those stories, and I think everyone learns a lot through writing and hearing other people’s work. I like the feeling that we’re pausing from our busy lives to sit together, converse, and write. It’s not required of any of the students to be there; the participants are so willing to be present and open, which makes so much possible. After each workshop, Kelly, Caleb, and I have remarked on how great the students are. We have a lot of fun, and I feel the students give a lot of energy back through their writing. I’m interested in drawing out stories from people in the community, wider than just the classroom, and the Bolton Workshop is one wonderful way of doing that.”

Rebecca goes on to remind us of how valuable the workshop is. “One of my favorite Bolton moments was during the first workshop in Summitt Hall,” she said. “I had played them some NPR 3-minute fiction stories. We talked about ways of solidifying a moment in prose such that readers know there’s a lot behind/beneath the story, and that it also could continue, but that the moment works in and of itself as a piece, too. At one point I looked up from writing, sipping hot chocolate, and eating Kelly’s delicious homemade ice cream, and saw that everyone was writing rapidly with such focus! That in and of itself was a great feeling. Then, after we read our pieces aloud (some were even performed), I overheard one of the students say to his friend, “I haven’t written in years!” and seemed so refreshed and excited to be trying it again. Teaching composition, working at the Writing Center, and being a graduate MFA student, I forget sometimes that writing can be far away from people’s daily lives, and I realized the Bolton draws it closer, makes it accessible again.”

Kelly voiced these thoughts, too. While her perspective on the program hasn’t exactly shifted in her new role as a Bolton host, she did say that she has “a finer appreciation for it.” She continued, “We have a niche group of students who attend the Bolton workshops, and most of them come because they have a genuine interest in writing, but they aren’t English majors. I think it’s important to provide that creative outlet in the dorms, especially for students who might be unable to take creative writing courses due to time constraints. The Bolton workshop also gives the students an opportunity to interact with faculty and graduate students in a way that’s both informal and intimate.”

And this is what makes Bolton so special. For a few hours each month, we create a writing community. For a moment, we put schoolwork and life aside, and we all just write. As a workshop leader, it’s special to be a part of this. Rebecca had a similar experience. “Another favorite aspect of the Bolton Workshops is the atmosphere with Kelly and Caleb as RFL’s,” she said. “They create such a warm environment for everyone. It’s clear to me that they have good rapport with students and that the students really look forward to being in that space. They’re amazing hosts—from homemade food to their welcoming personalities. They put everyone at ease just by being themselves. One evening, Caleb’s homemade Potato and Leek soup made its way into several poems (including one of his), and it was nice to see students not only comfortable in but also inspired by their surroundings.”

This community might just be my favorite part of the workshop. I run into Honors Hall students in the halls at school or at the Farmers’ Market on Saturdays. We chat and briefly recapture that communal feeling. As the past Honors Hall leader, Kelly still runs into her past Boltoneers, too. She said, “I had a great group of young women who attended [the workshop], and I appreciated getting to know them as people. I learned a lot of really special stuff about them through their writing. Now, when I run into them on-campus, I love to give them hugs and catch up. Here at Summit Hall, the dynamic is a little different, but equally awesome. There is a lot of performance that happens organically. One night, we had students reading poetry, slam poetry, short fiction, and a monologue! The students are so much fun. It makes me happy to be an educator and part of such a vibrant community.”

Indeed, it does make us all happy, and whether it is with potato-leek soup, muffins, or words, it makes us full. To find out more about the Bolton Writing Workshop program, read our blog. Better yet, come to our December 2nd winter reading in the Honors Hall at 6 pm.