The Antioch Writers’ Workshop at the University of Dayton will hold its 32nd annual summer program July 8-14, 2017. This summer marks the workshop’s first summer program presented in partnership with University of Dayton, on the university’s campus.
Participants may opt for the Full Week experience, attending morning classes as well as selecting an afternoon seminar focused on fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry. Or, they may choose an A La Carte option, attending a smaller segment of the workshop. Options are available for all schedules, writing levels and budgets.
Registration for attending the full conference is open through June 16 on the workshop’s website, www.antiochwritersworkshop.com. A La Carte registration is open through July 5.
Keynoter and Sunday Morning Creative Writing Craft instructor is John Scalzi, a science fiction author and former president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his Old Man’s War series, three novels of which have been nominated for the Hugo Award, and for his blog Whatever, at which he has written frequently on a number of topics since 1998. His novel Redshirts won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel. John is also the recipient of the 2016 Ohio Governor’s Award for an Individual Artist.
Scalzi’s keynote, which will be delivered at University of Dayton, is Saturday July 8 at 7 pm, and is free and open to the public. The workshop is able to provide this free event, as well as faculty and participant readings July 9-13 and other free events throughout the year, thanks to a grant from the Ohio Arts Council.
A “Saturday Seminar” on July 8 will be held before the keynote as a “prologue” to the weeklong workshop, and may be attended by itself or as part of the workshop week. Featured speaker is Jessica Strawser, editorial director of Writer’s Digest magazine and author of the novel “Almost Missed You.”
Faculty from across the United States includes award-winning mystery novelist Lori Rader-Day (“The Day I Died”), best-selling nonfiction author Matthew Goodman (“Eighty Days”), novelist Crystal Wilkinson (“The Birds of Opulence”) and other instructors. Agent Kari Sutherland (the Bradford Literary Agency) and editor Kevin Morgan Watson (Press 53) will also be on hand to take pitches and answer questions about the business of publishing.
The workshop, originally started by Antioch College in 1987, has operated as an independent 501c3 nonprofit since 1992. In addition to its in-kind partnership with University of Dayton and grant support from the Ohio Arts Council, Antioch Writers’ Workshop at University of Dayton receives support and sponsorship from WYSO 91.3 FM, Books & Co. at The Greene, and local businesses in and Dayton.