Writing in Place is a hands-on, intensive writing conference with workshops that appeal to both beginners and professionals. Published novelists, poets, and essayists lead a series of workshops over three days that include intense instruction, challenging exercises, and an opportunity for feedback. Registrants must sign up for one of three tracks: poetry, fiction, and place-based memoir. Our instructors will expect you to write during this conference, and we have planned a weekend with "downtime" for that purpose. We also want you to have time for networking with faculty and new friends.

2007 Faculty

JERI FITZGERALD-BOARD (Fiction) is the author of The Bed She Was Born In, nominated for the 2007 PEN/Faulkner Award in Fiction and the 2007 Southern Independent Bookseller's Alliance Award for Fiction. She is a retired administrator with the University of North Carolina.

CATHY SMITH BOWERS (Poetry) teaches in the MFA program in Creative Writing at Queens University of Charlotte. Her most recent book is A Book of Minutes; her individual poems have been published widely.

PETER CASTER (Screenwriting) has authored a book and numerous articles studying twentieth-century film and literature. He has taught writing for eleven years, currently at USC Upstate.

ELIZABETH COX (Keynote and Fiction) is the author of The Slow Moon, Bargains in the Real World, Night Talk, The Ragged Way People Fall Out of Love, and Familiar Ground. She is the John C. Cobb Endowed Chair in the Humanities at Wofford College.

SCOTT GOULD (Fiction) is chairman of the creative writing department of the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities. His poetry, fiction, and nonfiction have been published widely.

SAM HOWIE (Fiction) is an instructor of English, Director of the Writing Center, and Director of the Young Writers Summer Workshop at Converse College. He has work published or forthcoming in The Writer's Chronicle, Potomac Review, and Shenandoah, among others.

JEREMY JONES (Fiction) Jeremy Jones earned his MFA at Warren Wilson College and is a lecturer at Wofford College, an adjunct at Converse College, and a freelance writer.

ANGELA KELLY (Poetry) won the 2003 Yamasee Poetry Prize (USC), and is a recipient of fellowships from Vermont Studio Center and Virginia Center of Creative Arts. In 2006, she received the South Carolina Poetry Initiative Chapbook Prize for "Post Script from The House of Dreams."

JOHN LANE (Place-based memoir) is the author of Chattooga: Descending into the Myth of Deliverance River and Waist Deep in Black Water. A published poet and playwright, he teaches creative writing at Wofford College.

EMILY L. SMITH (Poetry/Essay) was selected as the first writer-in-residence with the Hub City Writers Project. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2006. Her work has appeared in The Journal, Smartish Pace, and Wilma. 

Schedule

Friday
5:00 pm Registration begins
6:00 pm Barbecue
7:00 pm Panel discussion with faculty
8:00 pm Writing classes

Saturday
8:00 am Coffee and Danish
9:00 am Opening session
9:30 am Writing classes

Noon Lunch
1 pm Writing time
3 pm Writing classes
6 pm Social Hour/Dinner at Hub-bub
7:30 pm Keynote with Elizabeth Cox
8:30 pm Open mic

Sunday
8:00 am Coffee and Danish
9-10 am Concurrent sessions
10:30-Noon Concurrent sessions

Conference lodging

Lodging is available in a Wofford College dormitory for $15 a night. These are single rooms, and you will not have a roommate. Please check the appropriate box if you intend to stay at Wofford. Other hotels in the area include the Marriott at Renaissance Park (864-596-1211), the Inn on Main (864-585-5001), and the Fairfield (864-542-0333)

What to bring

For your comfort, please bring a sweater or jacket. Classrooms can sometimes be chilly. Bring a notebook and writing instrument. You may also bring a laptop. If you want to take part in the open mic, bring a short piece of your work to read. Overnighters should bring a pillow and blanket for a single bed. Sheets and towels are provided.

Conference history

Past Instructors and keynote speakers for our conference have included: Fred Chappell, George Singleton, Ron Rash, Nikky Finney, Janisse Ray, Rebecca McClanahan, Claire Bateman, Frye Gaillard, Ruth Moose, Rosa Shand, Cathy Smith Bowers, Deno Trakas, Tom McConnell, and many others.

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