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The Virtual Summer Conference

Join us for a week-long Virtual Summer Writers' Conference

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What Is it? 

The Martha’s Vineyard Summer Writers’ Conference brings together writers from around the world with the central belief that we can all learn from one another.  Our program offers week-long classes on the craft of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, evening readings, panel discussions, and individualized manuscript sessions. Attendees study with award-winning Visiting Authors & Poets and celebrate writing.

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For those interested in individualized feedback, we offer virtual Manuscript Sessions with our Visiting Authors and Poets. These one-on-one sessions allow attendees to get individualized feedback on their works-in-progress as well as advice on how to seek publication.

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Our goal is to provide a nurturing place to create. While our panel discussions and Publishing Seminars address the process of seeking publication, the central focus of our conference is on generating new work and exploring the projects you’ve been longing to complete. For this reason, we do not offer classic workshops or agent-pitch sessions.

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​The Structure

  • Generative Seminars: Generate new work with our two-hour, craft-based classes held Monday through Thursday. Instructors lead discussions on craft topics and provide in-class generative exercises. Classes are offered in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry so you can strengthen your preferred genre or explore new ones.

  • Panel Discussions: Join a panel of Visiting Writers as they discuss their lives as authors and poets, how they deal with rejection, and how they've built their lives around the craft and art of creative writing.

  • Evening Readings: Attend intimate readings of new and published work from our Visiting Writers. 

  • Attendee Open Mics: Form deep connections within the community by sharing your own original work during our Attendee Reading celebrations.  

  • Optional Manuscript Sessions: Receive advice and personalized feedback on your manuscript during a 45 minute one-on-one meeting with one of our visiting writers. 

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Want to Join Us?

We need community now more than ever which is why we’re taking our magic online again, and we'd love to have you join us! 

 

The MVICW Virtual Summer Writers’ Conference offers live seminars in poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, panel discussions, attendee open mics, and courses on publishing & editing. Our program encourages cross-genre exploration and attendees have the option of taking seminars in all genres. All seminars are recorded and will be accessible to attendees for a limited time after the conference.

Invigorating, helpful, very nice and supportive community. I found the teachers to be both high quality and have a nice diversity of backgrounds in terms of their work and lived experiences. I would urge other writers to look into the conference to continue to work on their craft and meet other writers in their genre/style.

—  Kyle, Virtual Attendee

I loved the conference. I thought it was amazing how drawn in I felt given that we did it all via Zoom. Remarkable. The handouts were terrific; the writers who spoke were too. I'm so grateful to have been there.

—  Fran, Virtual Attendee

The community was…..shake my head to find the words….I loved everyone. Such vulnerability, passion, courage, kindness, openness, encouragement, love, articulation, fierceness, gentleness……dedication……. Slowly, I peaked out of my hidey hole and found so many to connect and play with. So inspiring. It is impossible to express how much this conference grew me in a short intense burst of time. Miracle Grow poured all over me. Excellent beyond measure. 

—  Fae, Virtual Attendee

The evening open mics were very powerful and the hosts were so high energy and kind. I also love that I left with so many first drafts to keep working on from writing exercises and homework - thank you for that most especially. I now feel productively focused.

—  Kimberly, Virtual Attendee

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