Community Of Writers

THE COMMUNITY OF WRITERS, ESTABLISHED IN 1969, ASSISTS TALENTED WRITERS WITH DIVERSE CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS IN THE GENRES THEY PURSUE. THE COMMUNITY OF WRITERS FLAGSHIP SUMMER WORKSHOPS MEET IN OLYMPIC VALLEY IN THE CALIFORNIA SIERRA NEVADA, AND ARE HIGHLY SELECTIVE, WITH AN AVERAGE OF 40-50% OF APPLICANTS INVITED TO ATTEND. THROUGH THE INTERPLAY OF TALENTED PARTICIPANTS, PUBLISHING PROFESSIONALS AND ESTABLISHED WRITERS IN A COMMUNITY ATMOSPHERE, FICTION WRITERS ARE ASSISTED IN THEIR ARDUOUS JOURNEY FROM WRITER TO AUTHOR, AND POETS ACHIEVE A RESONANT FRAMEWORK FOR THEIR COLLECTED WORDS. IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF CAMARADERIE AND RESPECT, THE COMMUNITY OF WRITERS SEEKS TO CREATE EXCELLENCE AND COMMUNITY. PARTICIPANTS TRAVEL FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, AND THE WORLD, TO ATTEND. THE COMMUNITY OF WRITERS ALSO SERVES THE WEST CALIFORNIA, NEVADA, AND THE TAHOE-TRUCKEE REGION AREA IN PARTICULARAS AN ACTIVE LITERARY AND MEDIA ARTS CENTER, PROVIDING ACCESS TO READINGS, TALKS AND F

THE WRITERS WORKSHOPS IN FICTION, NONFICTION AND MEMOIR MEET ANNUALLY AND OFFER TALENTED WRITERS SMALL, MANUSCRIPT-FOCUSED WORKSHOPS, INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCES, PANEL DISCUSSIONS AND TALKS ON THE CRAFT AND BUSINESS OF WRITING. THE PROGRAM RUNS FOR 7 DAYS AND ALLOWS EACH PARTICIPANT THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE NUMEROUS READERS - FELLOW PARTICIPANTS, THE STAFF WRITERS, LITERARY AGENTS, AS WELL AS BOOK AND MAGAZINE EDITORS ENGAGE WITH AND EVALUATE THEIR WRITING. IN ADDITION TO TEACHING AND APPEARING ON PANELS, VISITING STAFF AUTHORS GIVE READINGS FROM THEIR OWN WORK, AND SOCIALIZE WITH ATTENDEES DURING COMMUNAL DINNERS AND OTHER EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. WE SEE PAST PARTICIPANTS NAMES IN SOME OF THIS COUNTRYS FOREMOST JOURNALS AND PRIZES, INDEED DOZENS OF ALUMNI BOOKS OF FICTION, MEMOIR OR NONFICTION ARE PUBLISHED. COMMUNITY OF WRITERS HAS A LONG TRADITION OF INVITING TALENTED PUBLISHED ALUMS TO TEACH AND/OR SERVE ON OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS OR OTHER LEADERSHIP POSITIONS.

THE POETRY WORKSHOP, FIRST ESTABLISHED IN 1983 BY FOUNDER GALWAY KINNELL, IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WORKSHOPS IN THE COUNTRY, AND ONE OF THE FIRST TO OFFER A GENERATIVE FORMAT, AS OPPOSED TO A STRICTLY EDITORIAL ONE. THE MODEL IS THIS: EACH POET (PARTICIPANT OR TEACHING STAFF) WRITES A NEW POEM-DRAFT EVERY DAY FOR DISCUSSION IN THE MORNING WORKSHOPS. THE IDEA IS THAT THESE ARE DRAFTS AND NOT COMPLETED WORKS, AND THAT THE DISCUSSIONS MUST WORK TO FIND WHAT IS WORKING, AND NOT DWELL ON WHAT ISNT. THE WORKSHOP WEEK MAY CHANGE POETS APPROACH TO POETRY, HELPING PARTICIPANTS BREAK THROUGH OLD HABITS AND WRITE SOMETHING WHICH MAY HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN OUT OF REACH. ALUMNI NAMES CAN BE SEEN IN SOME OF THIS COUNTRYS FOREMOST JOURNALS AND PRIZES; INDEED, EACH YEAR BRINGS MANY NEW ALUMNI COLLECTIONS. NUMEROUS PAST PARTICIPANTS HAVE RETURNED TO TEACH OVER THE YEARS.

THE VIRTUAL VALLEY, ESTABLISHED IN 2020 IN RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC LOCKDOWN, CONTINUES AS A PLACE FOR ONLINE WORKSHOPS, INTENSIVES, INDIVIDUAL MANUSCRIPT CONSULTATIONS AND MORE. IT HAS DEVELOPED AS A BROADER, COMMUNITY-BUILDING WING OF COMMUNITY OF WRITERS, WHERE THE PRACTICES OF WRITING AND READING CAN BE DEVELOPED YEAR-ROUND. THE WRITERS ANNEX, ESTABLISHED IN 2021, OFFERS QUARTERLY COURSES ON LITERARY MASTERS AND MOVEMENTS. ITS GOAL IS TO OFFER A SPACE WHERE ESTEEMED POETS AND WRITERS CAN TEACH COURSES THAT WOULD OTHERWISE NOT GET TAUGHT. INSTRUCTORS ARE ENCOURAGED TO FIND OBLIQUE AVENUES INTO COMMON SUBJECTS, OR TO BRING UNDERSTUDIED FORMS, POETS, AUTHORS OR MOVEMENTS TO A NEW AUDIENCE.