2011 HURSTON/WRIGHT
WRITERS' WEEK WORKSHOP
HOWARD UNIVERSITY
July 10 - 15
Do you want to meet publishers, agents & editors? Conquer writers block?
Write that perfect poem? Tell your personal story? Finish your novel?
THIS IS THE WORKSHOP FOR YOU!
Hurston/Wright Writers' Week is the first multi-genre summer writers' workshop for writers of African descent. This is a week long non-residency program of classes and presentations by publishers, agents and published writers. Writers' Week brings together an international community of Black writers who work in a nurturing/safe space to discuss their work, its meaning, and unique aesthetic. The workshop attracts published and unpublished writers, college students, seniors, retirees, and professionals.
Workshop Schedule
Sunday, July 10 - Orientation
Monday, July 11 - Friday, July 15 - Classes
Class Schedule
Building the Novel (Fiction) 9:00am - 12:00pm
Nonfiction 12:15pm - 3:15pm
Poetry 3:30pm - 6:30pm
One-on-one sessions will be conducted by workshop leaders throughout the week. Panel discussions and readings by workshop leaders and participants will also be held during the week. Once accepted to the workshop participants will receive a detailed schedule.
Admission
The selection process for the Hurston/Wright Writers' Week Workshop is competitive. In order to provide the highest quality instruction possible, class sizes are kept small. Therefore, we may not be able to accommodate ALL qualified writers.
How to Apply
- Email your manuscript to info@hurstonwright.org
- Submissions must be received by April 29, 2011. Submissions received after April 29 will be considered only if space is still available.
Letters of notification will be emailed to you by May 13.
Manuscript Requirements
Building the Novel (Fiction) 20 - 30 pages of a novel manuscript
Nonfiction 20 - 30 pages of a memoir, biography, or factual story
Poetry 5 - 10 poems, not to exceed 20 pages
Workshop Fees
Registration: $15
Tuition: $575
Workshops
Building the Novel
A workshop designed for writers who have completed 75-100 pages of a novel and who are familiar with the technical aspects of fiction writing. The course will be conducted as a workshop with in-depth critique and analysis of a selected portion of the manuscript, as well as discussion of the broader issues and challenges inherent in writing book-length fiction.
Workshop Leader Dolen Perkins-Valdez is the author of the New York Times Bestseller Wench: A Novel. The book is a 2010 Library Journal Book of the Year, NPR Book Club Pick, Oprah #1 pick, and winner of 2011 First Novelist Award given by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. Dolen was nominated for two 2011 NAACP Image Awards. Dolen's fiction and essays have appeared in The Kenyon Review, StoryQuarterly, StorySouth, African American Review, PMS: PoemMemoirStory, and elsewhere. Dolen lives in Washington, DC. Follow the author on Twitter @Dolen or Facebook at facebook.com/writerdolen.
Nonfiction
This workshop focuses on how to write a memoir, biography and factual story with an emphasis on research, oral history, and the use of vivid description that captures the urgency of the event(s) and the timelessness of its meaning.
Photo Credit: Julia Ewan
Workshop Leader Wil Haygood is a national reporter for the Washington Post and the author of five nonfiction books. His trilogy of biographies of 20th century African-American giants has been acclaimed. His "King of the Cats: the Life and Times of Adam Clayton Powell Jr.," was a New York Times Notable Book; "In Black and White: the Life of Sammy Davis Jr.," was awarded the Hurston/Wright Legacy award, the Ascap Deems Taylor award, and the Nonfiction Book of the Year award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association; "Sweet Thunder: the Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson," was an ESPN/PEN Book Award Finalist and a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award Finalist. Haygood, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, has been Visiting Writer at the University of Georgia, Vanderbilt University, Ohio State University, and Colorado College.
Poetry
In this intense boot camp-like poetry workshop, students will write poems in various forms as well as free verse. They will also revise poems and learn about preparing manuscripts for publication.
Photo Credit: Alyse B. Hammonds
Workshop Leader Tony Medina is a two-time winner of the Paterson Prize, was born in the South Bronx and raised in the Throgs Neck Housing Projects. He served in the United States Army and earned a BA in English at Baruch College, CUNY, on the GI Bill. He has taught at Long Island University's Brooklyn campus, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY, and at Binghamton University, SUNY. The author and editor of sixteen books for adults and young readers, his poetry, fiction and essays appear in over ninety anthologies and publications. Medina, whose most recent books are Broke on Ice, My Old Man Was Always on the Lam and I and I, Bob Marley, earned an MA and PhD in English from Binghamton University, SUNY, and is Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Howard University in Washington, DC.
