Applications for the 2003 Taos Summer Writers’ Conference, a week of workshops for beginning and advanced writers to sharpen their skills, are being accepted until April 15.
Since its first year in 1999, the conference, sponsored by the UNM College of Arts and Sciences, has played host to more than 120 writers at the Sagebrush Inn Conference Center in Taos to participate in writing workshops, public readings, writers’ panels and related special events.
“The conference is for both working writers and people getting started on their writing,” said Sharon Oard Warner, director of the UNM Creative Writing program and conference director. “Our workshops offer intensive instruction balanced with ample free time.”
Warner said that to create the right mixture of group support and individual attention, each workshop is limited to a maximum of 12 participants. She added that experienced writers will find peers and mentors at the conference and beginners will have the opportunity to explore a variety of new forms of writing.
Since its conception, the Taos Summer Writers’ Conference has increased its support to registrants by offering various awards including merit-based scholarships and, added this year, the Native Writer Award which will be granted to a native writer from the Taos area, offering tuition remission for one of the conference’s writing workshops.
Four merit-based scholarships are available, two for poetry and two for fiction, and offer tuition remission to qualifying attendees of individual workshops at the conference. Two scholarships in poetry and fiction apply to weekend workshops, and two in poetry and fiction apply to week-long workshops. Conference participants may apply for the scholarships after completing their registration.
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Greg Martin, an assistant professor in English and conference workshop instructor, said one of the most important aspects of the conference is that it gives students who can’t afford a two-year apprenticeship in writing at the graduate level a chance to immerse themselves for a week in the seriousness of being a committed writer.
“We hope to provide a casual environment for the community of writers in the area and we like to include everyone,” Martin said. “Beginning writers will have the chance to get their feet wet and experience the different avenues of writing, and senior writers can develop contacts to further their success in the field.”
The 2003 conference will be held July 12-18 and offers 20 writing workshops, six on the weekend and 14 during the week. Topics include the novel, poetry, memoir, short stories, travel writing, magazine writing, publishing, scene writing and craft.
Tuition for the weekend courses is $240 and $490 for the week-long workshops. Those interested in attending the conference may register for both weekend and week-long courses for a special combined tuition rate of $660. Tuition includes registration in the course/workshop of your choice and special events, such as the opening night New Mexican dinner, the Monday evening publishing panel, a series of readings by instructors, a visit to the D. H. Lawrence Ranch and the Friday evening barbecue.
For more information, visit the Taos Summer Writers’ Conference Web site at www.unm.edu/~taosconf or call the UNM English Department at 277-6347.
