Novel Workshop

June 23-27, 2012

A newly conceived 3½ day workshop from Sunday through Wednesday noon extends the writing experience for those who can’t get enough. Team-taught by Geeta Kothari and Nancy Zafris, this workshop will focus on revising already written work through active analysis and brainstorming rather than through written evaluation. Writers should submit the first 60 pages of a novel. We will meet 6 hours a day, dividing into smaller and larger groups. There are no writing assignments in the evenings, but participants can expect a light, fun activity. Evenings are free since there is no homework. Open to current or former Kenyon Review Fiction Workshop participants. Participants must have read everyone’s submissions before workshop begins; everyone must be able to send and receive .doc documents electronically by May 15 (sorry, no snail mail or .pdf exceptions). Note: computer lab will not be available this session so participants should have their own computer, if needed.

The Application Site closed on February 17, 2012. Acceptance notifications will be sent in early March.

Workshop Leaders

Geeta Kothari is the fiction editor of The Kenyon Review. Born and raised in New York City, she now lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is a two-time recipient of the fellowship in literature from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the editor of ‘Did My Mama Like to Dance?’ and Other Stories about Mothers and Daughters. Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in various journals and anthologies, including The Kenyon Review, the Massachusetts Review, Fourth Genre, and Best American Essays. She teaches at the University of Pittsburgh.

After nine years as the fiction editor of The Kenyon Review, Nancy Zafris became the editor of the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction book series. She is the author of many short stories and three books: The People I Know, which won the Flannery O’Connor award, The Metal Shredders, which was a New York Times notable book of the year, and her most recent novel, Lucky Strike. She has won several artist’s grants, including two NEA fellowships. As a Fulbright Fellow, she taught at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic. She has also taught at University of Pittsburgh, Centre College, The Ohio State University, and University of West Virginia.

Accommodations

Kenyon College apartments will serve as our accommodations. Each apartment is air-conditioned, and has four private bedrooms with locking doors, a bathroom, and shared living space with kitchen. If you need to be on a ground floor due to health issues, please let us know. We will make every effort to meet your needs. Several laundry facilities are available on campus.

If you prefer a hotel or bed and breakfast, please let us know. You will be responsible for booking your own housing and will receive a discount of $150 on your workshop fee. Here are some local housing options on campus:

Mount Vernon, a ten-minute drive from campus, also has hotel and B & B options.

The Community

Since John Crowe Ransom first edited The Kenyon Review in 1939, Kenyon College has been a national center for the literary arts, attracting celebrated writers and encouraging the work of younger poets, essayists, fictions writers, and playwrights. Robert Lowell, Randall Jarrell, Peter Taylor, E.L. Doctorow, and William Gass, among others, all studied or taught at Kenyon.

The campus of Kenyon College, with its striking Gothic architecture, shady lawns, and gravel pathways, reflects its status as the oldest private college in Ohio. Writers Workshop participants enjoy the historic charm of the Village of Gambier while living in campus housing with ample space to work and access to the latest computer technology. Kenyon recreational facilities will also be open to participants. Within the village, you’ll find a bookstore, small grocery store, hair salon, women’s clothing retailer, post office, and several restaurants. Please note that living on the Kenyon campus entails a good deal of walking. If walking or using the stairs poses problems, please call the program office.

Kenyon College is located in Knox County, a rural county of rolling farmland, deciduous forests, and small cities in central Ohio. Some details:

Mount Vernon

Just four miles from campus, Mount Vernon offers plentiful shopping—antiques, crafts, local art, and more, a range of local attractions (including a children’s garden and historical museum), a variety of lodging and dining options, and an excellent public library.

Dining

Breakfast and dinner are provided, while lunch is on your own. There are several options for lunch in Gambier: Middle Ground Coffee Shop has a selection of healthful soups and wrap sandwiches in addition to fine coffees and teas; the Kenyon Inn serves a gourmet sit-down luncheon, while the Gambier deli and the local market provide a wide variety of choices. Mount Vernon and the surrounding area offer more options.

Outdoor Recreation

Kenyon is nestled in the rolling hills of the Kokosing River Valley, which offers opportunities for hiking, canoeing, and exploring nature. The College supports the Brown Family Environmental Center, and students frequent the Kokosing Gap Trail, a beautiful, paved 14-mile trail built on a former Pennsylvania Railroad bed, which is considered one of the largest volunteer-maintained bicycling trails in the nation.

Tuition & Cancellation

The cost of The Kenyon Review Novel Workshop is $950, which includes tuition, a room, and breakfast and dinner. If you are accepted you will be asked to complete an enrollment form and return it within two weeks of your acceptance with a nonrefundable deposit of $400. The balance of your tuition is due on May 15, 2012.

If you cancel your enrollment before May 15, you will forfeit your $400 deposit. If you cancel after May 15, we keep the $400 deposit and a $100 cancellation fee, but return the remaining balance paid. There will be no refund of tuition after arrival date, June 23, and no refund in the event of early departure.

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