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Sunday, July 10 – Friday, July 15, 2011 Howard University, Washington, DC
Hurston/Wright Writers’ Week is the nation’s only multi-genre summer writer's workshop for writers of African descent.
Since the first workshop in the summer of 1996, over 850 writers have attended the weeklong program of classes and presentations by publishers,
agents, and writers.
The Week brings together Black writers from around the United States, as well as Black writers from the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe,
who create a nurturing, safe space to discuss their work, its meaning, and unique aesthetics. Hurston/Wright Writers’ week is distinguished
by the diversity of the writers it attracts: published, unpublished, college students, seniors, retirees, professionals - all chosen to
participate in the workshop on the strength of their writing. Perhaps the highest accolade given to the workshop is the number of participants who have returned to their communities, and inspired by
Hurston/Wright Writers’ Week, have formed community workshops and support groups for Black writers.
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- Sunday, July 10 – Orientation
- Monday, July 11 – Friday, July 15 - Classes
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
throughout the week. Once accepted to the workshop participants will receive a detailed schedule.
- Building the Novel (Fiction): 9:00am – 12:00pm
- Nonfiction: 12:15pm – 3:15pm
- Poetry: 3:30pm – 6:30pm
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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 cannot accommodate ALL qualified writers.
HOW TO APPLY
- Complete application
- Email your manuscript to info@hurstonwright.org
- You may apply to only one workshop
- 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
All manuscripts must be double spaced in 12 pt. font.
Workshop |
Requirements |
Building the Novel (Fiction) |
20 - 30 pages of a novel manus20 - 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 |
Howard University will be the host site for Hurston/Wright Writers’ Week Workshop. The university is located in Northwest, Washington, D.C. There are numerous monuments and museums, free concerts, and international dining, as well as many important African American cultural institutions close.
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| Registration Fee: $15 |
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| Tuition: $575 |
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$100 non-refundable deposit must be paid by May 20, 2011
The full amount of fees due must be paid by June 20, 2011
Cancellation Policy: Deposit payments are non-refundable. If an applicant is unable to attend the workshop and notifies Hurston/Wright at least 2 weeks prior to the start of the
workshop he or she can either receive a prorated refund or a course credit for the full amount to be used towards a future workshop.
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- Michele Andrea Bowen: Second Sunday and Church Folk, Walk Worthy Press
- Carol Parrott Blue: The Dawn at My Back, University of Texas Press
- Karen E. Dabney: The Magic Pencil, Dabs and Company
- Anita Doreen Diggs: The Other Side of the Game, Dafina Books; A Mighty Love and A Meeting in the Ladies Room, Kensington Books
- Patricia Elam: Breathing Room, Simon and Schuster
- Dwight Fryer: E. Landon Hobgood: Songs of the Zodiac: In Doo-Wop America, Harlem Writers Guild
- E. Landon Hobgood: Songs of the Zodiac: In Doo-Wop America, Harlem Writers Guild
- A. Van Jordan: Quantum Lyrics, W.W. Norton & Company; Macnolia, W.W. Norton & Company; Rise, Tia Church Press/The Guild
Building the Novel (Fiction)
This Workshop is 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.
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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. |
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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.
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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 a 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. |
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Poetry
In this intense boot camp-like poetry workshop students will write poems in various forms as well as free verse. They will also be revising poems and learn about preparing manuscripts for publication.
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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. |
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- What does the workshop cost?
Tuition $575
- Where is the workshop going to be held?
Howard University, Washington, DC
- How many people are in each course?
Up to 12 students
- How many pages of my work am I supposed to submit?
Requirements for manuscripts are controlled by the genre in which you are applying. See Manuscript Requirements.
- When is the submission deadline?
April 29, 2011
- What is the registration fee?
$15, paid via PayPal
- When is full tuition due?
The full amount of fees due must be paid by June 20, 2011
- When will I be notified of the status of my application?
Letters of notification will be emailed to you by May 13.
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