TWH MAINE All-Genre “Mini MFA” Writers Conference Schedules and Guidelines

In-person in Maine, June 4-10, 2025

with Virtual Agent Pitching Sessions on June 27

::Please note that this schedule is subject to small changes.::

TWH COVID-19 MEASURES.

There will be masks and hand sanitizer on site. All attendees and instructors must provide proof of a negative test within 24 hours of arrival. Please send us a photo of a home test or a pharmacy test to editors@writershotel.com and we will make a note of it. All should monitor their health during the conference. We will have extra test kits on site.

We are hosting five Major Workshops in Fiction, one Major Workshop in Nonfiction and one Major Workshop in Poetry. All Major Workshops meet June 5 and June 6 (Thursday and Friday) and June 8 and June 9 (Sunday and Monday) 10 AM-1:00 PM Eastern Time. Writer attendance is mandatory. ::There are no Major Workshops on Saturday.::

Craft Labs in each genre run at the same time on the schedule. Choose well! Please note that we do not record any sessions or readings.

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MAJOR WORKSHOP INSTRUCTORS.

FICTION INSTRUCTORS:

Shanna McNair: TWH Founding Director/ Major Fiction Workshop Leader. Location for Major Workshop: TBA

Scott Wolven: TWH Consulting Director/ Major Fiction Workshop Leader. Location for Major Workshop: TBA

Lidia Yuknavitch: Major Fiction Workshop Leader. Location for Major Workshop: TBA

Elyssa East: Major Nonfiction Workshop Leader. Location for Major Workshop: TBA

Jeffrey Ford: Major Workshop Leader. Location for Major Workshop: TBA

Elizabeth Hand: Major Workshop Leader. Location for Major Workshop: TBA

Alexandra Oliver: Major Poetry Workshop Leader. Location for Major Workshop: TBA

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CRAFT LABS.

CRAFT LAB LEADERS:

Richard Blanco, Maine Poet Laureate Julia Bouwsma, Susan Conley, Elyssa East, Jeffrey Ford, Elizabeth Hand, Former Maine Poet Laureate Wesley McNair, Alexandra Oliver, Mira Ptacin, Lidia Yucknavitch and Scott Wolven.

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TWH FOUNDING DIRECTOR: Shanna McNair.

TWH CONSULTING DIRECTOR: Scott Wolven.

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TWH TEACHING ASSISTANTS (TAs): Carolyn Abram, Courtney Campbell, Derek Cressman, Kyle Dailey, Robert T. Kelley, Haley Hach, Wendy Johnson, Dan McMinn, Amy Nash, Jane O’Keeffe, Jody Ulate and Anne Witty. Teaching Assistants help guide students and faculty throughout the conference.::

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TWH DIRECTORS ASSISTANTS (DAs): Laura Apol, M. G. Barlow, Grace Carpenter, Katherine Fisher, Jen Knox, Julie Morrison, Michael Murphey, Adela Najarro, Brett Shapiro, Patti Tod and Ellen Sollinger Walker. ::Directors Assistants help directors, students and faculty throughout the conference.::

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TWH SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Facebook: TheWritersHotel

Twitter: @TheWritersHotel

Instagram: #thewritershotel

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TWH MAINE All-Genre “Mini MFA” Writers Conference

JUNE 4-10, 2025

In-Person schedule

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Welcome to The Writer’s Hotel MAINE All-Genre “Mini MFA” Writers Conference 2025!

::We will be sending our “Daily Digest” each morning to attendees, which will contain any important notes and conference documents. Please check your email for it each morning. ::

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4:

5:00-6:00 PM: Conference check-in.

TWH Directors Scott Wolven and Shanna McNair will be available to meet and greet attendees! TWH materials will be distributed, including TWH badges and folders.

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6:00-7:30 PM: Faculty Reading.

Our first of two Faculty Readings! Come and listen to instructors and guest readers. There will be a short book signing immediately following the reading. This event is free and open to the public. Adults only. There will be a cash bar.

Readers, in order of appearance: Elizabeth Hand, Alexandra Oliver, Lidia Yuknavitch, Jeffrey Ford, Shanna McNair and Scott Wolven. Public announcements will be made on the Poets & Writers Literary Event Calendar and on TWH social media.

::Please note that immediately following the reading, there will be a private event for conference attendees only.::

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8:00-9:30 PM: TWH Attendees only: Meet and Greet Mixer.

TWH 2024 Meet and Greet Mixer. Meet your fellow writers and get acquainted! Light appetizers will be served to attendees (at no extra cost to attendees and there will be a cash bar for those who would like to purchase drinks.

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::End of day one.::

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THURSDAY, JUNE 5:

10:00 AM-1:00 PM: Seven Major Workshops are held.

Each attendee will belong to their own Major Workshop group. All writers should come prepared to discuss their workshop-mates writing in detail and have typed comments to offer. Those writers being “workshopped” that day will have their comments to review after class; bring your printed copies to class each day.

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1:00-2:30 PM: Lunch.

Writers take this food break on their own.

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2:30-5:00 PM: Three Craft Labs.

2:30-5:00 PM: Fiction Craft Lab: Jeffrey Ford.

2:30-5:00 PM: Nonfiction Craft Lab. Craft Lab Leader:

2:30-5:00 PM: Poetry Craft Lab. Craft Lab Leader: Richard Blanco.

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5:00-7:00 PM: Dinner.

Writers take this food break on their own.

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7:00-9:00 PM: TWH Salon #1.
This event fosters TWH community. Each TWH Salon will be its own event with its own readers. Signups will take place in advance. Writers will read in a casual setting and receive casual feedback after their reading. ::This event is not open to the public. For TWH Community only.::

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::End of day two.::

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FRIDAY, JUNE 6:

10:00 AM-1:00 PM: Seven Major Workshops are held.

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1:00-2:30 PM: Lunch.

Writers take this food break on their own.

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2:30-5:00 PM: Three Craft Labs.

2:30-5:00 PM: Fiction Craft Lab: Scott Wolven.

2:30-5:00 PM: Nonfiction Craft Lab. Craft Lab Leader: Mira Ptacin. Craft Lab topic: “Entering Through the Side Door: A Path for Approaching Your Truth in Difficult Material.” One doesn't have to live a long life to write a memoir; memoir is not an autobiography. Rather, it is a snapshot from your life, a polaroid from a moment where everything changed. Often, that moment was not a soft experience; writing about it requires vulnerability. And being vulnerable is not easy. In this generative writing workshop, you will learn how to take experiences from your life--from wild and poignant experiences to ordinary and typical--and write about them in a way that is less intimidating and intense: by entering through the side door to tackle the absurd and the profound rather than plowing head on into "The Big Thing"--stories that tend to be too daunting to enter from the front. Often the best way is circuitous or counterintuitive; we may need to take an unexpected route to get to those hidden chambers, those most secret spots in which truth resides. This class will begin with a brief lecture by the instructor, followed by writing prompts, and instructor-led group critiques. The writing prompts and exercises will be intended to liberate attendees’ creativity, provide literary distance and perspective, and open their eyes to possibilities that may not seem immediately obvious.

2:30-5:00 PM: Poetry Craft Lab. Craft Lab Leader: Former Maine Poet Laureate Wesley McNair.

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5:00-7:00 PM: Dinner.

Writers take this food break on their own.

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7:00-9:00 PM: TWH Salon #2.
This event fosters TWH community. Each TWH Salon will be its own event with its own readers. Signups will take place in advance. Writers will read in a casual setting and receive casual feedback after their reading. ::This event is not open to the public. For TWH Community only.::

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::End of day three.::

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SATURDAY, JUNE 7:

DAY OF MAINE RECREATION: A full day of free time in the great state of Maine. Enjoy!

Writers take this day-long break on their own.

7:00-9:00 PM: TWH Salon #3.
This event fosters TWH community. Each TWH Salon will be its own event with its own readers. Signups will take place in advance. Writers will read in a casual setting and receive casual feedback after their reading. ::This event is not open to the public. For TWH Community only.::

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::End of day four.::

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SUNDAY, JUNE 8:

10:00 AM-1:00 PM: Seven Major Workshops are held.

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1:00-2:30 PM: Lunch.

Writers take this food break on their own.

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2:30-5:00 PM: Three Craft Labs.

2:30-5:00 PM: Fiction Craft Lab: Elizabeth Hand.

2:30-5:00 PM: Nonfiction Craft Lab. Lidia Yuknavitch.

2:30-5:00 PM: Poetry Craft Lab. Alexandra Oliver.

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5:30-7:00 PM: Dinner.

Writers take this food break on their own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

7:00-9:00 PM: TWH Salon #4.
This event fosters TWH community. Each TWH Salon will be its own event with its own readers. Signups will take place in advance. Writers will read in a casual setting and receive casual feedback after their reading. ::This event is not open to the public. For TWH Community only.::

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::End of day five.::

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MONDAY, JUNE 9:

10:00 AM-1:00 PM: Seven Major Workshops are held.

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1:00-2:30 PM: Lunch.

Writers take this food break on their own.

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2:30-5:00 PM: Three Craft Labs.

2:30-5:00 PM: Fiction Craft Lab: Scott Wolven.

2:30-5:00 PM: Nonfiction Craft Lab. Craft Lab Leader: Susan Conley.

2:30-5:00 PM: Poetry Craft Lab. Craft Lab Leader: Julia Bouwsma.

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5:00-7:00 PM: Dinner.

Writers take this food break on their own.

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:: Please note there will be a cash bar for all events, starting with the Sara Patton Ceremony.::

7:00-7:15 PM: Sara Patton Stipend Awards Announcement Ceremony.

Three $500 Sara Patton Stipends will be presented to awardees by TWH Director Shanna McNair. Three awards will be given: one in Fiction, one in Nonfiction and one in Poetry. Please see our website at at the bottom of the page for full details: https://www.writershotel.com/twh-maine-mini-mfa-conferences. ::Past and present TAs and past and present Workroom or Private Study participants are not eligible; High Frequency Press writers are not eligible. All other attendees are automatically entered. This is a merit-based award.::

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7:15-8:45 PM: Final Faculty Reading.

Our final Faculty Reading! Come and listen to instructors read. There will be a short book signing immediately following the reading. This event is free and open to the public. Adults only. There will be a cash bar.

Readers, in order of appearance: Julia Bouwsma, Susan Conley, Elyssa East, Jeffrey Ford, Shanna McNair and Scott Wolven. Public announcements will be made on the Poets & Writers Literary Event Calendar and on TWH social media.

::Please note that immediately following the reading, there will be a private event for conference attendees only.::

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

9:00-10:30 PM: TWH Attendees only: Meet and Greet Mixer.

TWH 2024 final Meet and Greet Mixer. Meet your fellow writers and get acquainted! Light appetizers will be served to attendees (at no extra cost to attendees and there will be a cash bar for those who would like to purchase drinks.

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::End of day six.::

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TUESDAY, JUNE 10:

Checkout Day!

Thank you so much for being with us for our TWH MAINE “Mini MFA” All-Genre in-person program! We’ll see you in June for our virtual Agent Pitching Sessions on Zoom, which will conclude our conference. Looking forward!

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::End of day seven.::

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TWH MAINE All-Genre Writers Conference

Agent Pitching Sessions Virtual SCHEDULE

Saturday June 27, 2025, 11:00 AM-5:00 PM Eastern Time

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11:00 AM-1:00 PM: Agent Pitching practice.

Log in and check in! There will be one Zoom link (below) for this day of virtual sessions. Writers will log in via this online schedule to register.

Practice pitching with TWH Directors Scott Wolven and Shanna McNair. Scott and Shanna will be available to hear pitches and answer questions before the Agent Pitching Sessions. This is an optional session.

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2:00-5:00 PM: Pitching Session with Literary Agents

Writers have their literary agent lists and relevant information about participating agents and are prepared to pitch. Scott and Shanna will match each writer, so that they can pitch their manuscripts one-on-one in breakout rooms. Participating agencies for our pitching sessions are TBA.

This event concludes our conference.

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::End of day eight.::

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