Workshops & Retreats…68th Annual Indiana University Writers' Conference

This column briefly profiles writers' workshops, retreats, seminars and conferences. Inclusion in this column is not an endorsement.

What happens at the Indiana University Writers' Conference?

The IUWC runs Sunday through Friday, June 8-13, on the Indiana University's campus in Bloomington and consists of intense faculty-led workshops in fiction and poetry and classes for writers of all skill levels and training. There are also panel discussions, lectures and readings by the faculty. The workshops offer participants the opportunity to work closely with the instructors on specific projects. The workshops meet for two hours Monday through Thursday with shorter sessions on Sunday and Friday. Classes in poetry, fiction creative nonfiction and literary publishing meet for 50 minutes Monday through Thursday, offering instruction in the craft of writing as well as exercises to stimulate new writing.


Participants may sign up for both the workshops and the classes, but those signing up for the workshops must submit a manuscript for admission. There is an application and a limit to the number in the workshops. Applicants can sign up for only one workshop but will be able to take any of the classes they wish.

Who are the instructors? (click their names to learn more)
The workshop instructors are:

Jean Valentine (poetry) - won the Yale Younger Poets Award for her first book in 1965, and has won several awards since, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, her latest book is Little Boat published in 2007.
Reginald Shepherd (poetry) - author of five books of poetry, his latest is Fata Morgana published in 2007, editor of The Iowa Anthology of New American Poetries and Lyric Postmodernisms.
Donald Antrim (fiction) - author of three novels and a memoir, including The Hundred Brothers, a frequent contributor to The New Yorker, recipient of numerous grants and awards.
Karen Joy Fowler (fiction) - author of five novels and two short story collections, including The Jane Austin Book Club which was a NY Times bestseller and adapted into a movie.


The classes will be taught by:

Tony Ardizzone (fiction) - author of six novels and editor of four anthologies, including In the Garden of Papa Santuzzu.
Anne-Marie Oomen (nonfiction) - author of three collections of creative nonfiction, including House of Fields: memories of a rural education, and two poetry chapbooks, an editor of a literary magazine and an anthology.
Ross Gay (poetry) - author of Against Which, instructor at Indiana University, and has had poetry published in a wide variety of magazines and literary reviews.
Alison Umminger ("reading like a writer") - co-author of the novel Flyover States, an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of West Georgia, has had short fiction published in a number of literary reviews and magazines.

How much might this cost you?


Tuition for the workshops is $500, which allows you to take any of the classes and attend all of the other events. Writers signing up for only the Monday-Thursday classes will pay $250, but they too can attend all of the other events during the week. A limited number of scholarships are available.

Housing is available on the campus in two locations. The Indiana Memorial Union offers hotel-style rooms for $86 to $106 per night plus free parking. The Willkie Quadrangle is a dormitory residence, offering single rooms with shared bathrooms for $43 per night. Participants staying at Willkie will have to pay for parking, $4/day or $7 for a pass for the entire conference.

The Details:

IUWC - June 8-13, Indiana University in Bloomington, IN
Workshops - application form required with a manuscript, 2 workshops in poetry and fiction, each limited in participants, held Sunday through Friday - tuition: $500
Classes - fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and literary publishing, held Monday- Thursday - tuition: $250
Other activities - readings by faculty, panel discussions, lectures etc.
Housing available on campus starting at $43 per night to $106 per night depending on the location and room type.





NOTE: Don't forget The Virtual Book Tour by Font Literary Agency & Writing Centre is coming April 8. Click here to read more and to leave comments or questions Lover's Hollow author Orna Ross.