Sharing Our Hope: Writing for Religious and Inspirational Markets
May 30 – June 2, 2013Never has there been a greater need for inspirational stories, articles, and books for children and teens. Religious publishers and general-interest publishers alike are seeking hopeful books with solid values. Some material can “cross over” into both markets. If you …
Workshop Faculty: Paula MorrowKristi Holl
Writing Retreat with Two Authors in Residence – June
June 2 – June 9, 2013Imagine . . . your very own cabin—nestled in a peaceful setting in the rolling wooded hills of northeastern Pennsylvania. It’s early summer. The woods are warm, the winding trails inviting. You have no chores to do. No meals to …
Workshop Faculty: Kim T. GriswellLori Ries
A Concentrated Course in Nonfiction
June 2 – June 5, 2013Use your imagination full force—as a nonfiction writer. Many writers believe that fiction offers more opportunity for creativity, but nonfiction authors beg to differ! Writing from reality requires just as much creativity as writing from fantasy. What differs is facts. …
Workshop Faculty: Peter P. Jacobi
Writing Jewish-Themed Children’s Books
June 9 – June 12, 2013Finally! A hands-on workshop specifically designed for writers of Jewish-themed content. Whether your manuscript has slight or overwhelming Jewish content, this is the workshop for you. Unlike a one-day conference, this workshop includes one-on-one manuscript critiques with a literary agent …
Workshop Faculty: Barbara KrasnerPnina Moed Kass
Special Guests: Rebecca ShortEmily SeifeRegina GriffinDebra Hess
Playing to Win: A Dramatic Approach to Solving Story Problems
June 12 – June 16, 2013Have your characters stopped talking to one another—and to you? Has your plot bogged down and left you stranded? Has your muse gone AWOL? Do your ideas feel tired and stale? Are you stuck in a writing rut, wishing you could …
Workshop Faculty: Sandy AsherJoe Lauderdale
Writing Fiction for Children and Young Adults
June 16 – June 22, 2013Short stories, picture books, poetry, and novels form fantastic and imaginative worlds. Prepare yourself for the world of writing fiction for children by attending this intensive, one-week workshop. You will learn what all fiction writers must know about the creative …
Workshop Faculty: Patricia Lee GauchKathryn ErskineRich WallaceJanet Taylor Lisle
Special Guests: Holly McGheeJennifer BrownPeter P. JacobiNancy Mercado
Writing for the Educational Market
June 23 – June 26, 2013If the words “educational markets” make you think of boring workbooks and textbooks, it’s time to think again! Today’s educational publishers are eager to see lively nonfiction, fast-paced fiction, poetry, and more. The rules for educational writing are different, but …
Workshop Faculty: Paula MorrowJan Fields
The Unfinished Manuscript and What to Do About It
June 30 – July 3, 2013Do you, like many writers, have a project that has been sitting on the back burner for years? Or perhaps the burner has been turned off, letting the story go cold. At one time this manuscript kindled passion and excitement …
Workshop Faculty: Susan PearsonJuanita Havill
Special Guests: Phoebe Yeh
Guided Retreat: Writer in Residence – July
July 1 – July 7, 2013This guided retreat offers time to write . . . and more. Early morning yoga sessions in the barn by the creek, one-on-ones, plenty of time to write, and time over meals to relax with other participants. Go from yoga …
Workshop Faculty: Jillian Sullivan
Writing from the Heart
July 7 – July 13, 2013“Writing does take a lot of discipline if it’s to go anywhere, but none of it is arduous. It is all personally enriching and deeply satisfying. I find writing hard work but at the same time consider myself blessed in …
Workshop Faculty: Joy CowleyJillian SullivanSuzanne BloomDavid Martin
Special Guests: Peter P. Jacobi
Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults
July 14 – July 20, 2013Nonfiction Matters. Publishers crave new and different nonfiction. Teachers and librarians desire stories about real people, real places, and really interesting world events. Kids yearn to fill their minds with facts. Everyone wants and needs nonfiction. Nonfiction Writing for Children …
Workshop Faculty: Peter P. JacobiStephen R. SwinburneLarry Dane BrimnerLionel Bender
Whole Novel Workshop: Young Adult
August 4 – August 10, 2013Founded in 2006, this session of the Whole Novel Workshop is specifically designed for writers of young adult novels. This unique program offers the one-on-one attention found in degree programs, but without additional academic requirements, lengthy time commitments, or prohibitive …
Workshop Faculty: Cynthia Leitich SmithGreg Leitich SmithTina WexlerNancy Werlin
Special Guests: Sarah LaPollaBethany HegedusAmy Rose Capetta
The Power of Picture Books: Links to Literacy & Learning with the Eric Carle Museum – August
August 10 – August 12, 2013Especially beneficial for educators! Special Guests – more to be announced! Preregister Now and Save Deep Discounts Option to Earn 3 Graduate Credits Support the development of young readers and build positive connections with books while engaging them in careful …
Workshop Faculty: Rosemary Agoglia
Special Guests: Floyd Cooper
Kids’ Book Revision Retreat
August 12 – August 17, 2013Retreat Focus In this working retreat, Harold Underdown, longtime editor and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Publishing Children’s Books, and editor Eileen Robinson of f1rstpages.com and the recently launched Move Books, who jointly run kidsbookrevisions.com, will teach proven …
Workshop Faculty: Harold UnderdownEileen Robinson
Carolyn P. Yoder’s Alumni Retreat
August 17 – August 24, 2013This workshop is full. If you’d like to request to be on the waiting list, email us.
Workshop Faculty: Carolyn P. Yoder
Fairy Tales Revisited
August 24 – August 28, 2013Fairy tales have inspired writers since they were first recorded. You’ll explore ways to harness their enduring appeal in your own versions. We’ll work with fairy tales on both the light and dark sides, with their implied morality, their treatment …
Workshop Faculty: Donna Jo NapoliGail Carson Levine
Advanced Illustrators Workshop
August 29 – September 2, 2013While your artwork is accomplished alone, it is only with guidance that an illustrator can begin to understand how to make it in today’s picture-book world. Let one of today’s top children’s book illustrators be your guide. Explore the children’s …
Workshop Faculty: E.B. LewisMatt TavaresJoy Chu
Writing Biographies
September 15 – September 18, 2013Learn all about the art of biography—from picture books to chapter books to magazine articles—with award-winning authors Candace Fleming and Robert Burleigh and Calkins Creek Book editor Carolyn P. Yoder. The workshop will feature lectures on picture book and chapter-book …
Workshop Faculty: Candace FlemingCarolyn P. YoderRobert Burleigh
The Power of a Picture Book
September 26 – September 29, 2013Picture books may be written for the small, but their power is mighty. Sweet and simple as these books may be, the formula for writing a picture book is quite complex. Author-illustrator Lindsay Barrett George (Maggie’s Ball; Inside Mouse, Outside …
Workshop Faculty: Deborah UnderwoodLindsay Barrett George
Poetry for the Delight of It
September 30 – October 3, 2013This workshop is full. If you’d like to request to be on the waiting list, email us. If you like to think, talk, write, and share poetry, this workshop is for you. From budding poet to published veteran, we learn …
Workshop Faculty: David L. Harrison
Special Guests: Rebecca DavisJ. Patrick LewisRenée LaTulippe
More Room to Create
October 6 – October 11, 2013A room of your own—in a peaceful and quiet cabin in the autumn woods—in which to write. Woodland paths blazing with fall colors on which to hike. A trickling stream. Delicious meals in The Barn at Boyds Mills and a …
Workshop Faculty: Sandy AsherLinda Oatman High
The Power of Picture Books: Links to Literacy & Learning with the Eric Carle Museum – October
October 11 – October 13, 2013Especially beneficial for educators! Special Guests – more to be announced! Preregister Now and Save Deep Discounts Option to Earn 3 Graduate Credits Support the development of young readers and build positive connections with books while engaging them in careful …
Workshop Faculty: Rosemary Agoglia
Special Guests: Pat Cummings
A “Short” Cut to Success
October 15 – October 18, 2013Breaking into children’s publishing can be tough. And although the majority of authors try to do it with fiction, that’s the hardest thing to sell. What’s the easiest? We like to call them “shorts.” They’re the crafts, games, puzzles, recipes, …
Workshop Faculty: Judy BurkeAnnie BeerAmie Jane LeavittAndrew GutelleLinda Rose
Everything You Need to Know About Children’s Book Publishing: A Crash Course
October 18 – October 20, 2013This intensive weekend is designed to give you a comprehensive look at how the children’s book publishing industry works. You will gain understanding of all processes associated with producing, submitting, and selling a trade book or magazine article. You will …
Workshop Faculty: Clay WintersHarold UnderdownBobbie Combs
Everything You Need to Know about Writing Children’s Books
October 20 – October 22, 2013This intensive two-day workshop is designed to give writers working on everything from picture books to young-adult novels a comprehensive introduction to children’s book writing. You will learn the practical needs of a writer, as well as how to foster …
Workshop Faculty: Harold Underdown
The Hero’s Journey: Bringing the Power of Mythic Structure to Your Writing
October 24 – October 27, 2013Want to turn your manuscript into a book editors (and kids) can’t put down? The “hero’s journey” will show you what your work is missing and give you a clear trail to follow toward crafting publishable works. The “hero’s journey” …
Workshop Faculty: Kim T. GriswellK.L. Going
Writing Across Boundaries
October 27 – October 30, 2012For any writer it’s a challenge to write across gender, culture, or race. You worry that you won’t know the subtleties of the language or the mannerisms of the characters. You wonder if it’s even your story to tell. This …
Workshop Faculty: Mitali PerkinsSundee FrazierPatricia McCormick
Special Guests: Regina Brooks
Building a Novel: Scene, Summary, and Sentence
October 31 – November 3, 2013The basic building block of the novel is the dramatic scene. This workshop will offer strategies for improving your manuscript by exploring what makes a scene in a novel, how scene and summary serve the overall narrative arc, and how …
Workshop Faculty: Helen HemphillLinda Sue Park
Special Guests: Alvina Ling
Whole Novel Workshop: Historical Fiction
November 3 – November 9, 2013Founded in 2006, this session of the Whole Novel Workshop is specifically designed for those working in historical fiction. This unique program offers the one-on-one attention found in degree programs, but without additional academic requirements, lengthy time commitments, or prohibitive financial …
Workshop Faculty: Tracy BarrettKirby LarsonLinda PrattTamra Tuller
Special Guests: Augusta ScattergoodNancy Castaldo
Writing Retreat with Two Authors in Residence – November
November 10 – November 15, 2013Authors Rich Wallace and Sandra Neil Wallace will host this autumn retreat, enabling you to write, revise, and receive feedback on your work in a peaceful and inspiring setting. Your very own cabin—tucked into the woods—in which to write. Delicious …
Workshop Faculty: Rich WallaceSandra Neil Wallace