Clockhouse Writers

2014-02-04T07:06:00.003-08:00

SIGN UP NOW FOR THE 2014 CLOCKHOUSE WRITERS' CONFERENCE AND RETREAT

2014 Clockhouse Writers’ Conference & Retreat

June 30 – July 4, 2014 – Registration is Open

Deadline is May 1^st

Clockhouse Writers' Conference (CWC) holds an annual Conference & Retreat for graduates of the MFA in Creative Writing Program at Goddard College, which overlaps with the MFAW program's summer residency in Vermont. CWC, founded in 1996 by a group of MFAW graduates, provides time, space, and mutual support for writers and their work, while offering support to the Goddard MFAW program.

CWC is coordinated and run by its participants and includes solitary writing time, group discussions of works-in-progress, workshops, and formal readings. We stay in a dorm (or off-campus, if you prefer) and eat in the cafeteria alongside current MFAW students and faculty. We typically host the closing gathering of the MFAW residency. This year’s conference will also include a celebration of 2103 official launch of our new literary journal, CLOCKHOUSE, and the unveiling of its 2014 issue.

When: June 30 – July 4, 2014

Check-in on June 30 from 11:00 – 2:00

Where: Goddard College

123 Pitkin Road

Plainfield, Vermont 05667

A full conference schedule will be sent to all registrants in early June. In the meantime, here is the schedule for Monday, June 30:

11:00 – 2:00 pm Arrival and check-in

11:45 – 1:00 pm Lunch (optional, additional cost)

2:00 - 3:30 pm Opening Community Meeting

3:45 – 5:15 pm Plenary Panel & Discussion, “Body and Word”

5:30 pm Election of CWC Board of Stewards

5:45 – 7:00 pm Dinner

7:00 – 8:30 pm TBD (Conference & Retreat participant readings or possible attendance at MFAW Visiting Author or other event)

Please also note that checkout will be at 1:00 pm on Friday, July 4, following lunch.

Registration Details & Deadline

The registration deadline is May 1 (Registration Form and $75 conference fee). For more information and registration forms, please visit http://www.clockhousewriters.com

CWC Contact Information

Tricia Shepherd, Conference Coordinator Scheduler

Email: tricia.shepherd@clockhouse.net

Carolyn Locke, Conference Coordinator Registrar

Email: clocke@clockhouse.net

We look forward to seeing you this summer!

Keep writing,

The CWC Board of Stewards

2013 Clockhouse Writers' Conference East

2013-01-31T12:44:00.000-08:00

2013 Clockhouse Writers’ Conference – East

July 1 - July 5, 2013 – Registration is Open

Deadline is now April 1

Clockhouse Writers' Conference-East (CWC) is a conference and retreat for graduates of Goddard's MFA in Creative Writing program and overlaps with the program's summer residency in Vermont.

CWC, founded in 1996 by a group of MFA-W graduates, offers an annual conference and retreat that provides time, space, and mutual support for writers and their work, while offering support to the Goddard MFA Program.

CWC is coordinated and run by its participants and includes solitary writing time, group discussions of works-in-progress, workshops and formal readings. We stay in a dorm (or off-campus, if you prefer) and eat in the cafeteria alongside current MFA-W students and faculty. We typically host the closing gathering of the MFA-W residency. This year’s conference will also include the official launch of the annual literary journal, The Clockhouse Review.

When: July 1 - July 5, 2013

Arrive on July 1

Where: Goddard College

123 Pitkin Road

Plainfield, Vermont 05667

A full conference schedule will be sent to all registrants in early June. In the meantime, here’s the schedule for Monday, July 1:

4:00 – 6:00 PM Arrival and check-in

5:45 – 7:00 PM Dinner

7:00 – 8:30 PM Opening community meeting

The topic for the plenary panel on Tuesday is “Chaos and Control”

Scheduled presenters: Carolyn Locke, Chris Mackowski, Tricia Shepherd

Scheduled moderator: Carolyn Locke

Registration Details & Deadline

In order to better coordinate conference activities with the MFA-W residency, the registration deadline has been moved up by one month to April 1. Registrations postmarked by April 1, 2013 will be subject to the customary $75 conference fee, but registrations postmarked after April 1 will incur a late fee. See the registration form for more details.

Download the CWC registration form here: CWC 2013 Registration Form

To avoid the late fee, fill out the registration page and mail it with your $75 conference fee to the address on the form postmarked by April 1, 2013.

Please note that on-campus housing options are limited. Double-room reservations will be made on a first-come, first-served basis, and requests for single rooms will be filled after that. If you are considering staying off campus, here are some local options for lodging.

Workshop Proposals & Deadline

The deadline for workshop proposals has also been moved up by one month to April 15. Please consider offering a workshop. See the CWC registration form for more details.
Deadline for proposals: April 15, 2013.

Scholarships

Limited scholarship assistance may be available. Please email your scholarship request to Tricia Shepherd (tricia.shepherd@goddard.edu) as soon as possible.

If you are able to make a donation toward the scholarship fund, please do so, and please accept our thanks. You’ll find a donation line on the registration form.

CWC Contact Information

Julie Parent, Conference Co-Coordinator

Email: jparent_nyc@yahoo.com

Tricia Shepherd, Conference Co-Coordinator

Email: tricia.shepherd@goddard.edu

We look forward to seeing you this summer!

Keep writing,

The CWC Board of Stewards

June Station of the Word

2011-06-04T15:13:00.002-07:00

Write the first three sections of your next major work and a quick outline - or sketch, or brain stormed ideas, if you prefer - of the rest.

If you write fiction, this might be the prologue and first two chapters or the first three chapters.

If you write non-fiction, this might be the first three chapters or an introduction and the first three chapters.

If you write scripts or screenplays, this could be the first three scenes.

And if you write poetry - last but certainly not least! - this could be the first three sections of the major poem you never got around to writing. Or the first three stanzas, or the first three perfect lines of the next poem.

In any event,

LET'S GET TO WORK!

As always, I encourage you to share with us what you've accomplished - either by posting it or sending it to this blog, or by writing a quick summary of what you've done in comments below.

And, of course, we'll see you at Clockhouse Writers' Conference June 27 - July 1 this year, won't we?

June Station of the Word

2011-06-04T15:13:00.000-07:00

Station of the Word for May

2011-05-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

The most creative writing you'll ever do:

Sit down for fifteen minutes with no distractions and brainstorm a list of goals - writing, personal, professional, etc. - you want to have accomplished five years from today.

Spend another ten minutes prioritizing them.

Print your top ten.

Post them on your refrigerator.

Station of the Word for April

2011-04-02T06:43:00.000-07:00

This is National Poetry Month, and begins with April Fool's Day. Let's combine them:

You assignment this month is to take a familiar poem and write a pastiche that turns the meaning on its head. You might do this with awkward or mixed metaphors, non sequiturs, outrageous rhymes, or . . . . I'm sure you can think of something.

If you don't want to write a pastiche, you might consider a limerick (the best ones are salacious, of course), or just the worst poem you can imagine.

My favorite worst poem is

Only a Baby Small

Only a baby small,
Dropped from the skies;
Only a laughing face,
Two sunny eyes.

Only two cherry lips,
One chubby nose;
Only two little hands,
Ten little toes.

Only a golden head,
Curly and soft;
Only a tongue that wags
Loudly and oft.

Only a little brain,
Empty of thought;
Only a little heart,
Troubled with naught.

Only a tender flower
Sent us to rear;
Only a life to love
While we are here.

Only a baby small,
Never at rest;
Small, but how dear to us;
God knoweth best.

As I think about it, I shudder.

Please comment - or post your poem - below.

[Don't forget to register for CWC! Link Here.]

March Station of the Word

2011-03-01T14:20:00.000-08:00

This month's Station of the Word is a little different from usual.

Rather than write something, please sign into your account at http:// my.goddard.edu and log on to the CWC Writers Conference page in the right hand column. Sign up to go to Clockhouse Writers' Conference from June 27 to July 1 this year.

As always, we welcome comments below.

Station of the word for February

2011-02-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

Be sure to Register for CWC June 27 - July 1 at the Plainfield campus of Goddard College. Click here

Create three names for characters. You might use them in fiction, creative non-fiction, or narrative poetry. In any event, you're stretching somewhat and focusing and writing.

When you create these names,
1. Make the last name concrete (like Stone or Oakes).
2. Make the first name alliterative or have internal rhyme (Sally Stone; Joe Oakes).
3. Avoid creating porn star names (Rod Steele, Penny Laide).
4. Write a short description of each character you create.
5. Enjoy!

When you have created your characters, please list the names here by clicking comment below.

January's Station of the Word

2011-01-01T09:43:00.000-08:00

Open your dictionary at random to five different pages and choose three words from each page.

At the top of your paper, write the three words from each page in a column. You'll end up with five columns.

If you write prose, choose at least one word from each column and create a narrative of at least 100 words.

If you write poetry, choose one word from each column and create a poem of at least 12 lines.

When you have finished, please post your work under comments below.

Prescriptive New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-01T09:39:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

It's time to write some resolutions, and I have some suggestions:

1. I resolve to attend CWC this summer - either at Goddard or Port Townsend.

2. I resolve to write every day for at least half an hour. If I can't think of anything, I'll write anyway and keep my behind in that chair for the whole time without procrastinating by sharpening pencils, vacuuming, getting a drink, having a snack, listening to the radio, watching the birds outside my window or - fill in your favorite procrastination activity here.

3. I resolve to check this site for the monthly Stations of the Word, and do them.

4. When I write, I resolve to submit my work to the appropriate venue and keep good track of my submissions.

5. I will get three hours of exercise every week, just to keep my mind and body sharp.

Good luck!

Clockhouse Review Re-Launch!

2010-11-07T14:01:00.000-08:00

Greetings, fellow Clockhousers-

We would like to extend to you an invitation to take part in the relaunch of The Clockhouse Review.

For those unfamiliar with CR, it was a literary journal established almost a decade ago that exclusively featured work by alumni of Goddard College's MFA program in creative writing. Unfortunately, in its first incarnation, CR didn't have a very long run because life got in the way for the editors.

But now CR is making its comeback.

Thanks to the generous support of the Clockhouse Writers Conference and some good words from the ever-faithful Paul Selig, we're assembling a new volume that will serve as the first in a new annual series.

We have a ton of logistics to work out for CR, but we agree that the most important thing is to get the publication up and running. To that end, for this first edition, we are soliciting submissions from folks who've attended CWC during the past few years-and our general rule is this: If you attended, and we're inviting you to submit, then we're pretty much going to include what you send us.

As you're making your choice about what to send, though, please keep in mind that this first issue is intended to be a showcase. Not only will it set the bar for future issues, the college will use it for recruitment purposes for prospective students. As a result, this first issue of CR needs to shine. (Yes, of course ALL issues will need to shine, but as the old cliché goes, we only get one chance to make a first impression.) For that reason, we do reserve the right to ask you to submit something different should we deem it necessary.

In the future, we'll have a more formal process in place to judge submissions blindly. We'll include an outline of that process, along with deadlines, in the first issue. You get a free pass for this first issue, though, as a way to reward you for your past loyalty to and participation in CWC.

Submission Guidelines:

All submissions should be original. No previously published work will be accepted.

Simultaneous submissions are not acceptable (because, as we explained, if you send it, the chances are pretty high that we're going to publish it).

Prose writers may submit contributions up to 4,000 words long. Novel excerpts are acceptable so long as they are self-contained. Memoirs, essays, and other works of creative nonfiction are also acceptable. Book reviews and works of literary criticism are not. At this time, we are not able to accept translations, either.

Poets may submit up to three poems.

Short one-act plays or self-contained scenes from a longer play are acceptable.

For graphic narratives, you may submit up to ten pages of artwork so long as the story is self-contained. Graphic art should be submitted as a high-resolution PDF.

Submissions should be sent electronically as Microsoft Word documents.

Submissions should be accompanied by a brief biography.

E-mail submissions to:

Chris Mackowski
Clockhouse Review
cmackows@sbu.edu

Please label the subject line of the e-mail "Clockhouse submission."

Submission deadline in December 15.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact either of us. In the meantime, we look forward to hearing from you and promoting your work.

Sincerely,

Tim Kenyon, MFA '99
Chris Mackowski, MFA '01

November Station of the Word

2010-11-03T09:22:00.000-07:00

Choose one of your favorite charities and write a persuasive piece to persuade others to support your charity.
Limit yourself to no more than 250 words and then send your piece to me (moserbill37@gmail.com) to post here.
You may wish to support Goddard, the Red Cross, a church, the Humane Society, a political party, your local school, the American Cancer Society, or Your Favorite Charity.
Have fun, and please remember to send me the piece to post here!

October Stations of the Word

2010-10-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

Let's work on Flash Writing this month. When you have finished please post your work under comments below.

The Rubric:
Have a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Set at timer for 10 minutes and then quit.
Write no more than 100 words.
Don't use any form of the verb to be.
No rants, please.

Write a piece of Flash Fiction, a Flash Poem, or a Flash Essay.

N.B.: Having only 10 minutes, anything you write is going to be rough. That's GOOD! It gives you something to polish.

Have fun, and good luck.

Oh, the prize. You will receive satisfaction at having completed a task.

Station of the Word for September

2010-08-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

There are times in all of our lives that we wish we had a super power. Here's your chance:

Decide on an offbeat super-power (flying is a pretty common power and you are far more creative than that).

Set your timer for TEN minutes.

Write a prose or verse piece that utilizes the superpower you have chosen.

This might be an essay about what you would do, a piece of fiction in which a character has the power, or a poem about the power.

When you are finished, post your piece in comments below or send it to me (bill@billmoser.net) and I'll post it here.

By the way, I create these writing exercises every month and I never see any response. Please post them so I know I'm not wasting my time.

Station of the Word for August

2010-08-01T09:45:00.001-07:00

This is supposedly vacation month, but people seem to be really busy finishing up odds and ends at work so they can leave, packing for a vacation, getting ready for school to start - or leave for school - and time is a premium.

Because we are so rushed, we often speak in shorthand.

This month, create a shorthand acronym, a shorthand abbreviation suitable for twitter, or a shorthand family definition.

Examples: of an acronym - SONAR (SOund NavigationAnd Ranging)
. . . of an abbreviation - LOL -Laughing Out Loud
. . . of family shorthand - pulling a Brenda

Now it's your turn.

When you have one figured out - one you might consider using in your writing, prose or verse - please post it under commentsbelow.

Station of the Word for July

2010-07-12T06:23:00.000-07:00

This month's Station of the Word is vicissitudes. Create a script for a one- to three-minute video to help high school students understand the word and its nuances.

I realize this is out of most of our comfort zones, but that's part of the Risk of writing. And it helps get us ready for next year's Plenary Panel.

Please send me your scripts to post here.

And always feel free to comment below.

Writers Write

2010-07-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

Carolyn Locke presented a workshop on Renga, a form of Japanese poetry that is written communally. She and Yvonne Rutford take time here to try their hand at writing Renga. (Photo by Jen McConnell, who took time from writing to snap this.)

CWC Participants 2010

2010-07-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Front row: Janet Bloom, Darlene Olivo, Kathryn Cullen-DuPont, Catherine Chambers, Jen McConnell

Second row: Carolyn Locke, Chrystal Wing, Yvonne Rutford, Sam Sherman, Chris Mackowski, Jill Moore

Not pictured: Julie Parent, Maggie Thompson

Photo by Jill Moore

Thoughts After CWC

2010-07-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

This morning back in my own space, Lucy and Satsi not home yet from their pet resort, fans keeping the still-coolish night air circulating (windows closed against the rising heat outside), I sit with my journal and mug of iced coffee to reflect on, and not let go of, what it is that makes CWC at Goddard so special. As I was packing up to leave yesterday, the dorm was silent and breezy, and the thought occurred to me that, if financial circumstances require that I choose between going home for Mardi Gras and CWC next year, it might be better for me holistically to go back to Goddard.

This surprised me because I feel so alive in the Quarter on Carnival day--it satisfies my need to play in the visual paradise of creativity, to run into old friends, feel my homeland beneath my feet--know that I belong. Yet, the intensity, the expectations for peak moments (think of the joy at the crescendoes of laughter when we play If-Then) sometimes unmet make it risky; so much rides on that one day.

CWC unfolds gently. I emerge from my shell and am more who I really am: smart, funny, kind-hearted, involved, present, eager to learn. I feel valued (key word) among you because you reflect these things back to me, something often lacking in life outside Goddard. Or, at least, it's harder for me to detect and believe. The slings and arrows of non-safety are such that I'm guarded, and when too plentiful cause me to go into a fog. I slog as if through jello, weighted down with a kind of despair. I am very lonely.

So, for me, the seed is being valued. CWC in the context of Goddard (I doubt it would be the same off-site) provides the fertile soil, the nutrients and benevolent light that allows germination, encourages growth of a tiny bit of life long packed inside a hard ball of armor. And for that--for you--I am profoundly grateful.

Perhaps these musings are my debriefing plenary address--what's the closing parenthesis of plenary?--something I feel the urge to impart. I'm sure you have your own -- and if you choose to share them, you'll find a willing audience in me.

Blessings, blessings and hugggggggggggs that go on forever,

Darlene Olivo

Please feel free to comment below, and to send me (surog8@comcast.net) your thoughts and photos to post.

CWC 2010 Photos

2010-07-01T07:54:00.001-07:00

The top photo is of the path to the Pratt Library. The lower one is the Clockhouse from the Manor back steps. Both photos by Jen McConnell Doron.

CWC-East Registration Information

2010-03-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

The Goddard College MFACW (East) Alumni Writer’s Conference & Retreat:

The mornings are devoted to writing, the afternoons, to workshops, and the evenings, to readings.

CONFERENCE DATES:

Tuesday, June 29, 2010, 1:00-3:45 p.m. – Arrival and Check In

Saturday, July 3, 2010, 1:00 p.m. -- Departure and Check Out

A full conference schedule will be mailed to all registrants in early June. In the meantime, here's the schedule for the first day:

Tuesday, June 29th

1:00-3:45 p.m. - Arrival and Check-in

4:00-5:30 p.m. - Community Meeting

5:45-7:00 p.m. - Dinner

7:45 p.m. - Plenary Panel

The Topic: Striving for Balance in Writing

Scheduled Presenters: Kimberly Beam, Val Carnevale and Susanna Graham-Pye

Scheduled Moderator: Sam Sherman

DEADLINES

May 1, 2010: Registration and Selection of Housing/Meal Plan Options. Please note that some housing options are limited and that double-room reservations will be made on a first-come, first-serve basis, and that requests for single rooms will be filled after that.

Download the the information and registration form here.

Haybarn Retreat

2010-03-12T08:17:00.000-08:00

Announcing the 2010 Haybarn Retreat!

June 11-13 at Goddard College

in Plainfield, Vermont!

Join your fellow alumni, faculty, staff and friends for a celebration of Goddard's unique history and exciting future!

Scheduled events include community art projects, a Trustee panel discussion, Michael Arnowitt in concert and

much more!

Click here
to register now!

CWC Plenary Panel

2010-03-12T08:12:00.000-08:00

Sam Sherman will moderate this year's Plenary Panel to kick off the Clockhouse Writers' Conference and Retreat East at 7:45 June 29.

The topic for this year is Striving for Balance in Writing, and the scheduled presenters will be Kimberly Beam, Val Carnevale, and Susanna Graham-Pye.

CWC News

2010-03-05T07:56:00.000-08:00

Clockhouse Writers' Conference and Retreat (East) will be held this summer on the Plainfield campus to overlap the MFAW residency.

The dates are June 29 - July 3, which will overlap the MFA-W residency.

The Plenary Panel, as you can see by the schedule below, will be the first evening after dinner.

Information and Registration are available at Clockhouse Writers' Conference and Retreat (East).

TUESDAY, JUNE 29

ARRIVAL AND CHECK-IN, 1:00-3:45 p.m.

COMMUNITY MEETING, 4:00-5:30 p.m.

DINNER, 5:45-7:00 p.m.

PLENARY PANEL, 7:45 p.m.

We hope to see you there. If you have questions, please contact Board of Stewards Lead, Bill Moser (surog8@comcast.net) or CWC&R Co-ordinators Kathryn Cullen-DuPont (kcd@womenandhistory.com) or Sam Sherman (sam2climb@aol.com).

We hope to see you in June.

Station of the Word for July

2009-07-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

Spend ten minutes writing about the following topic:

Summer fruits of the earth and seas

Use whatever form you usually write in, prose or poetry, fiction or non-fiction.

Then choose a form you seldom use and try your hand at that for another ten minutes.

Enjoy.

To post your response, click comment below.