When Willa Cather received the advice to write about the part of the world she knew best, she turned for inspiration to the Nebraska prairie that affected her youth. Each year, the Willa Cather Foundation is pleased to host a Prairie Writers' Workshop for beginning, aspiring, or experienced writers. The four-day event is held in Red Cloud, Nebraska, where Willa Cather spent her formative years. In addition to direct instruction from a professional writer, the workshop incorporates tours of seven local historic sites relating to Cather's life and work; visits to the 608-acre Willa Cather Memorial Prairie with time for on-site nature writing; and a reception that provides participants with the opportunity to share their work with the public.

The 5th annual Prairie Writers' Workshop

A Poetry-writing Workshop: Exploring Your "Gift of Song"

with Mary K. Stillwell, artist in residence

May 17-20, 2012

Red Cloud, Nebraska

This 4-day workshop offers 12 hours of poetry-writing classes under the instruction of Mary K. Stillwell, artist in residence. The workshop will take place in Red Cloud, Nebraska; the childhood home of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Willa Cather. Guided tours of Cather's childhood home and other historic sites relating to her life and writing, including the Willa Cather Memorial Prairie, will be available to workshop participants.

An early reviewer of Willa Cather's collection of poems, April Twilights, described its author as having "the gift of song," with the "true poet's eye for the concrete and the true novelist's interest in men and women." In this writing workshop, we will focus on identifying the themes and motifs that may already appear in our own writing, discovering our inspiration, capturing significant detail, practicing forms with which we are comfortable, and experimenting with new methods of expression.

Itinerary

Thursday, May 17
4:00-5:00 p.m. Participant check-in
6:00-9:00 p.m. Writing workshop. Your Song: Where are we now? What's important to us and to our lives? Where to begin? Where do we want to go? Who do we want to speak to? Bring your favorite poem (one you've written or the work of another).

Friday, May 18
9:30 & 11:00 a.m. or 1:30 & 3:00 p.m. Town tour of Cather historic sites
6:00-9:00 p.m. Writing workshop. Finding your "home pasture": Writing about our place, our stories, our lives. Drawing inspiration from reading, viewing, and listening to other works of art.

Saturday, May 19
10:00-11:45 a.m. Tour of the Cather Prairie/on-site nature writing
1:00-5:00 p.m. Writing workshop. The Poet's Backpack: Experimenting with sound and meter. Metaphor, simile, and conceits. Finding the right word. The gift of revision.

Sunday, May 20
1:00-3:00 p.m. Sharing our work with each other. How to get the most out of writing groups. Is publication for you? If so, how to go about it. How might readings benefit your work.
3:00-4:30 p.m. Public reception and reading.

4-day Workshop Price

General Registration: $65.00

Student Registration: $40.00

Late Registration (after May 7): $90.00