2008 Woodie Awards
Summer programs look over the horizon
James Dolan, Focus Editor
Issue date: 4/6/06 Section: Features
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As Middlebury ushers in a new era of preparing for the future, the need to take into account all aspects of the College becomes all the more acute. One oft-overlooked element of the College's operations that has received renewed interest thanks to the Strategic Planning Process is the summer programs at Middlebury, which often rival the undergraduate program in terms of quality and educational innovation. Together, the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, the Bread Loaf School of English and the Language Schools comprise a formidable trio of pedagogic excellence.
Bread Loaf Writers' Conference
This year the 81st Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, the oldest of its kind in the nation, will take place from Aug. 16-27. Director of the Conference Michael Collier said, "The conference will follow the form it has taken for the last decade, which includes small workshops that meet frequently." He also emphasized that this strategy allows the faculty to focus mainly on the participants of the program. Collier is the acting director of the conference, author of five books of poems, a Pushcart Prize winner, and was Poet Laureate of Maryland from 2001-2004.
Since 1996, the Writers' Conference has seen a 250 percent increase in the number of applicants from 600 to approximately 1500 people. Despite the significant rise in applicants, the number of students and faculty participating in the conference has risen only slightly, from 225 to 250. Even though the programs are mainly for graduate students, Middlebury does accept several Middlebury undergraduates into the program.
The conference boasts the participation of many distinguished writers in the areas of poetry, fiction and non-fiction, all of whom will be teaching the small workshops at Middlebury's Bread Loaf campus. Each faculty member has an extensive background in writing. Ted Conover, for example, is a winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction, as well as a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Linda Beards, author of seven collections of poetry, including "Flights of the Harvest Mare" and "The Ghost Trio," has received four Pushcart Prizes and a variety of fellowships, including one from the Guggenheim Foundation. Ursula Hegi, another professor, is the author of six works of fiction, including "Stones from the River," a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. They join a number of other distinguished writers participating in this year's conference.
Bread Loaf Writers' Conference
This year the 81st Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, the oldest of its kind in the nation, will take place from Aug. 16-27. Director of the Conference Michael Collier said, "The conference will follow the form it has taken for the last decade, which includes small workshops that meet frequently." He also emphasized that this strategy allows the faculty to focus mainly on the participants of the program. Collier is the acting director of the conference, author of five books of poems, a Pushcart Prize winner, and was Poet Laureate of Maryland from 2001-2004.
Since 1996, the Writers' Conference has seen a 250 percent increase in the number of applicants from 600 to approximately 1500 people. Despite the significant rise in applicants, the number of students and faculty participating in the conference has risen only slightly, from 225 to 250. Even though the programs are mainly for graduate students, Middlebury does accept several Middlebury undergraduates into the program.
The conference boasts the participation of many distinguished writers in the areas of poetry, fiction and non-fiction, all of whom will be teaching the small workshops at Middlebury's Bread Loaf campus. Each faculty member has an extensive background in writing. Ted Conover, for example, is a winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction, as well as a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Linda Beards, author of seven collections of poetry, including "Flights of the Harvest Mare" and "The Ghost Trio," has received four Pushcart Prizes and a variety of fellowships, including one from the Guggenheim Foundation. Ursula Hegi, another professor, is the author of six works of fiction, including "Stones from the River," a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. They join a number of other distinguished writers participating in this year's conference.