Writers' Workshop Series

Founded by celebrated authors and Williston parents Elinor Lipman P'00 and Madeleine Blais P'00, '04, The Writers' Workshop Series began in 1998 as an advanced class for aspiring student writers. The course meets twice weekly for a two-hour evening session of intense writing and literary criticism.

Four times throughout the course, a well-established writer comes to campus for a public reading followed by hands-on instruction for members of the class. Poets, playwrights, novelists, and nonfiction writers have all offered insight on the process of writing and how they find their sources of inspiration.

Since its inception, the series has hosted an impressive group of accomplished authors, including Pulitzer Prize-winners Richard Russo (Empire Falls), Tracy Kidder P'92 (The Soul of a New Machine), and Philip Caputo (A Rumor of War), as well as Wally Lamb (She's Come Undone), Anita Shreve P'06, '07 (The Pilot's Wife), Arthur Golden (Memoirs of a Geisha), and many other outstanding guests.

The 2012-13 Writers' Workshop Series kicked off on Tuesday, October 16 with Jennifer duBois '02, the first alumnus to have participated as both a student and as an author. Celebrated author and Williston parent Anita Shreve was on campus Monday, October 22. Children's book author Mo Willems joined us on Thursday, November 1, and Mount Holyoke professor and author Christopher Benfey concluded the Series on Thursday, November 8. All lectures are open to the public at 7:00 p.m. in the Dodge Room of the Reed Campus Center.

Visiting authors like Elinor Lipman give a public talk...	...followed by hands-on instruction for the class.