2012 Squire Summer Writing Residency

Registration is now open for the 2012 Squire Summer Writing Residency, July 19 – 22 at Queens University of Charlotte.


The Squire Summer Writing Residency offers an intensive course in a chosen genre, with ten hour-and-a-half sessions over the four days of the program. Registrants work in-depth on their own writing, while also studying the principles of the genre with their instructor: Morri Creech for Poetry, Robert Inman for Fiction, or Pat MacEnulty for Creative Nonfiction.

The 2012 Residency will begin Thursday evening with registration, a welcome get-together, and a “Writingest State” trivia contest.  It will kick into high gear on Friday morning, when registrants will hit the ground running in their chosen workshop:

Poetry with Morri Creech
"In our time together we will examine closely at least one of the three poems submitted for the course; we will also turn our attention to formal composition, examining the possibilities of metrical composition and formal structures such as the sonnet. It is my hope that everyone will leave the workshop with raw material for several new poems that negotiate a balance between free and formal strategies, and with sharpened formal skills that will add metrical composition to the tools available to poets."

Fiction with Robert Inman
"I'm a storyteller, and I believe that all stories -- regardless of genre -- are about people.  Fiction that engages and resonates with readers is fiction driven by strong characterization -- not what a story is about, but who?  We'll talk a lot about imagining character, and how that helps drive the other elements of the story.  Each participant will submit up to fifteen pages of recently-produced work and share it with all workshop participants.  In a collegial and constructive atmosphere, we'll look at how we can make our work memorable through the use of strong, intriguing central characters who confront compelling dilemmas. We'll also look at how the techniques of other genres -- stage and screen -- can help us sharpen the impact of our prose stories.  We'll explore aspects of the writing life such as our work habits -- how diligently we apply the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair and sustain the momentum of our imagined worlds.  Our goal will be to nurture each other and come away with work that excites us with its possibilities.  It's your workshop, so come prepared to work, support, encourage, experiment, and be open to the joy of discovery.  I'm there to help."

Creative Nonfiction with Pat MacEnulty
"In these workshops, we will discuss the transformative aspects of voice, craft, and structure in our nonfiction writing. Through a variety of writing exercises, we will explore the key components of personal writing and practice writing as an act of intimacy. We will experiment, share, and learn workshopping techniques that nurture our own and others' writing. You'll leave the workshops with techniques for mining your own material, seeds for new works, and a renewed sense of the joy of writing. You'll also leave with new tools for committing to your writing process."

Register online at www.ncwriters.org, or by calling 336.293.8844.

We look forward to a weekend of excitement and inspiration in the Queen City, and we hope you will be a part of it.