Green Mountain Writers Conference

Introduction

Introduction | About | Accommodations

with Joan Connor, Yvonne Daley, Geof Hewitt, Baron Wormser, David Huddle, Verandah Porche, Tom Smith and Chuck Clarino

The goal of the conference is not to produce best-selling authors. If that happens, it's an added boon. What we're after, instead, is to create a community of writers who can help one another better tell our stories in poem, fiction and non-fiction. Our staff of seasoned writers and teachers provide useful tips and feedback on your writing, discuss their own writing life and the strategies they have developed over many years of writing. This conference is both practical and affirming. All participants can share their work with the group for feedback but no one should feel obliged to do so. The writers who teach at our conference are accessible and provide useful, rather than scholarly or theoretical tips. In this supportive environment, our writing staff will introduce developing writers in small groups to different approaches to writing and then lead participants in writing exercises and discussions that aim to give each person who comes to our conference with tools to use throughout life for writing projects, large and small.

You'll find time also to relax lakeside, to go for a swim or to take one of the paddleboats around the lake where, if you're lucky, you might see our resident loon.

But, if you are serious about your participation in the conference, you will work. We pack a lot in in a week; some days your brain may hurt with all you've learned and tried. You'll also make lots of new friends, people just like you and quite different from you, all struggling with that lovely and frustrating occupation we call writing, all trying to learn to do it better.

What's new this year?

We are going to continue our work in memoir, short and long fiction and poetry this summer, learning from the experts and from one another techniques to go beyond personal experience to create universal narratives. To that end, we've hired a staff this year that is particularly talented at paying attention to the little details of life but also -- and this is essential -- capable of getting beyond self-indulgence and obsession to tell stories and poems that get at the heart of what it is to be human in troubled times. We have planned some special sessions on writing short and long fiction and different forms of poetry. (P>
To this end, Yvonne Daley and other staff members will dedicate several sessions to memoir writing -- and the use of autobiographical material in poetry and non-fiction. Daley's latest book, Octavia Boulevard, which is a memoir based in her neighborhood in San Francisco, will be published in 2009. In writing it, she has had to explore deeply how to create a truth from the broken fragments of memory, how to protect others from harm, how to protect herself from legal action and how to cobble together a story from many points of view.

Poet and memoirist Baron Wormser wil bring his remarkable talents in translating both everyday events and life's more challenging occurrences -- along with his life experiences living off the grid in Maine for 25 years -- to the conference this year. Wormser was the poet laureate of Maine for six years and now lives in Cabot, Vermont. Wormser's work with developing writers focuses on a writer's own experience and responses. He encourages students to read for inspiration and instruction and strives to reduce the fear and anxiety often connected with writing and replace those negative responses with the joy inherent in reading and writing poetry.

David Huddle, whose work spans the genres of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, has much to teach us about using our own experiences, failures, hopes and fears as jumping off points for stories and poems that go beyond the me-me-me of so much of contemporary writing. As he has before, David will invite us into the wonderful world of language, a world in which'every word counts and often only the right word works.

And new to us this year is Geof Hewitt, whose work spans traditional forms all the way to "slam" poetry, which is generally a three-minute performance reading often done in competitions with audience judging. Along with some serious talk on the art of writing poetry, Geof will get us writing fast and trying our had in an impromptu poetry slam guaranteed to be both light-hearted and memorable.
The conference wouldn't be the same without Verandah Porche, whose playful approach to writing narrative poems, villanelles, pantoums and songs both inspires and delights. Ms. Porche will share more stories about her project of helping ordinary people record their stories through narrative poetry and lead two poetry workshops.

And, of course, Joan Connor and Tom Smith will be back with us this year. Connor will read from new work and Smith will work directly with emerging writers in two poetry sessions.

Chuck Clarino, a sports reporter, essayist and short-story writer, will use his considerable skills in showing us ways to bring environmental details from grandmother's kitchen to the woods you traipsed in as a child into our stories and poems, not just as telling details but as atmospheric elements that allow readers to experience the emotions and actions in our works at deeper levels.

About the conference

Introduction | About | Accommodations

What's an average day like at the conference?

Here, at the Green Mountain Writers' Conference, you'll find time to share a poem or story, ask questions of yourself and others, read from your own work or simply enjoy the nature that surrounds the conference site. The day begins with coffee, homemade goodies and fruit. After you've looked at the pond or chatted with a new friend, Yvonne Daley, the conference director, gathers the participants into the pavilion for a mini lecture on a particular craft -- creating character, making a scene, gathering sensory material, for examples. -- followed by an engaging exercise assignment with a different focus each day, based upon that day's subject. Participants will read from their work and give one another instant feedback. As always at our conference, these readings are used as opportunities for more learning and for exploring different points of view.

In our writing workshops, there are no right ways to do things, nor wrong. We encourage comments that are honest and useful but we expect all participants to be respectful to one another. Each day, we provide multiple working sessions, readings and discussions. Multiple working sessions usually occur at the same time so that participants can choose between a poetry or fiction or non-fiction session. Again, following about a half-hour of instruction, a writing assignment is given, followed by the opportunity for participants to share their work and receive feedback. Often, writers find themselves working on these assignments in the evening, further honing their skills. One of the things we want to impress upon you is how much can be written in a short period of time. We want to instill a habit of writing every day -- perhaps the most important commitment a writer can make.

Who comes to the writer's conference? The Green Mountain Writers Conference welcomes writers across the competency range, including beginning writers. Our purpose is democratic, not elitist. We want to provide writers at all levels of development with skills to improve their writing. We hope to inspire you to put your stories down in words, to record your own history or make one up. Because of the small size of the conference -- less than 50 participants -- and the accessibility of our staff, beginning writers can feel more comfortable sharing their work while more accomplished writers can hone new skills and develop the confidence to bring their work to a wider audience.

At the Green Mountain Writers Conference, we'll also try to discuss the obstacles to the writing life and offer tips for how to give yourself time for your writing

Each day will include readings by celebrated authors and an opportunity to talk with them, and to shop for books by these and other Vermont authors.

What's for lunch?

Perhaps best of all are the wonderful lunches, snacks and desserts prepared by award-winning chef Claire Clarino. We believe in feeding the mind, the spirit and the body well at our conference. Claire's love of cooking began in the kitchen of her grandmother who also taught her how to garden and passed along her Roma tomato seeds, seeds still kept alive in Claire's Rutland garden. The food that comes out of that little kitchen in Tinmouth is remarkable; the lunchtime meal might be homemade eggplant parmigiana or quiche, with salads, homemade bread and desserts that destroy diets, along with fruit and lighter fare. Claire is essential to the success of the writer's conference. And she's got quite a few stories to tell as well.

A bookstore will operate for an hour at lunch and again at the end of the day at which we will sell some of the works of the Vermont writers in the program. We'll have the work of our writers as well as some other Vermont authors for sale.

Accommodations

Introduction | About | Accommodations

What's the area like?

Tinmouth is a very rural community located in west-central Vermont about 20 miles southwest of Rutland, the state's third-largest city. There's an airport in Rutland but it's small and may not be convenient to all of you. If you are traveling by plane, there are numerous larger airports serviced by all the major airlines and within a few hours' drive. Check flights to Burlington, Vt;, Albany, N.Y., Boston, and Manchester, N.H. We can arrange transportation to and from any of these airports at $100 a trip and daily transportation to the conference from Rutland can be arranged for participants without cars. But, visitors from afar are well-advised to rent a car as the region is rural and has little public transportation. On the other hand, there are lots of interesting historic and natural areas in and around Tinmouth, which will require a car to visit. There's few places on the planet that are prettier than Vermont in August. Hiking trails, lakes, state parks, antique stores, covered bridges, book stores, museums, art galleries, even malls are all around us but you'll need transportation to get to them.

Where do out-of-towners stay?

We have made arrangements with a major hotel in nearby Rutland and two area bed and breakfast inns for special accommodations and rates for conference participants. You must make your own reservations.

The Holiday Inn at Rutland is setting aside a few rooms for conference attendees at a special rate of $89 a night, based on availability. Please mention the conference to get the reduced rate. You can reserve a room at 802-775-1911. Holiday Inn has a restaurant, pool, etc. and is close to other restaurants, a short distance from downtown Rutland and about 15 to 20 minutes from the conference site by car. We'll arrange car-pooling for you if you don't drive.

There are several excellent bed and breakfast/inns within a few miles of the conference, some of which are offering a fifth night free for conference attendees.

The Silas Griffin Inn in nearby Danby is located in the home built by Vermont's first millionaire, Silas Griffith, in 1891 as a wedding present for his wife. Along with original features such as carved cherry woodwork, birch floors, embossed tin ceilings and stained-glass windows, the inn has a swimming pool and spa that it operates in summer, picnic tables and benches on its 10-acre property, and a sizeable library. Innkeepers Cathy and Brian Preble serve a hearty breakfast to inn guests. Emma's, the inn's restaurant located in the orignal carriage house on the property, is open to the public Thursday through Sunday. All rooms have private baths and fireplaces, air conditioning and Internet access and are decorated with Victorian period furnishings. Rates are $149 a night; one room has twin beds while another has a king-sized bed that can be split to serve two guests. You can view the inn and rooms at www.silasgriffith.com or email them at silasgriffith.com

The White Rocks Inn on Route 7 in Wallingford is another lovely possibility. The elegant Greek Revival farmhouse on a historic dairy farm has five guest rooms in the main house, plus two secluded and private cottage. In summer, the broad side porch serves as a gathering place where guests can sip lemonade or iced tea as they gaze across the meadows and fields or across the valley to the Green Mountains. Breakfast is served in the dinin g room or in the crisp outdoors on a warm Vermont summer morning. It's operated by Malcolm and Rita Swogger. Their web site is really beautiful. Rates run from $129 to $259 (fifth night free). The cottage rents for $1000 to $1300 for five to seven days for two people. You can reach them at 802-446 2077 or 866-446-2077 or by e-mail at info@whiterocksinn.com. Or you can view their site at www.whiterocksinn.com.

Another local b&b is the Quail's Nest The Quail's Nest, circa 1835, a Greek Revival-style bed and breakfast on Main Street in the center of Danby, another nearby community. The inn has four air-conditoned guest rooms at reasonable costs ($96 for a double with king-size bed), complete with library, an outside patio, treats throughout the day. The inn is operated by Terry Parker and Chris Hardaway. Rooms sell out quickly, so call for reservations. You can view the inn and rooms at www.quailsnestbandb.com or email them at quailsnest@quailsnestbandb .com

There's plenty to do here during your free time -- movies, hikes, bird-watching, canoeing and exploring the Green Mountains. Please bring comfortable clothing and shoes. We are casual. Plan for all sorts of weather with a slicker, bathing suit, sweatshirt and shorts. Chipman Lake (The natives sometimes call it Tinmouth Pond) is a private lake bordered by a couple dozen cabins. It's great for canoeing if you want to bring a small canoe or kayak. Swimming and boating is at your own risk.