Write Into Summer

	Unleash Your Literary Muse

"Lane spotted her immediately, and despite whatever it was he was trying to do with his face, his arm that shot up into the air was the whole truth." -- Franny and Zooey, J.D. Salinger

Is it a dream of yours to write like Salinger? Well, I can't help you with that. But you'll have a chance to practice your craft if you attend a summer writing workshop.

At the renowned Iowa Summer Writing Festival, aspiring authors can pick from several noncredit courses -- 136 of them to be exact, from "Memoir Into Fiction: Writing the Autobiographical Novel" to "The Art of Metaphor" to "Story Structure for the Screen."

Iowa City is truly a writer's town. "A lot of people who come here find a home in this really singular community," says Amy Margolis, director of the festival, who also received her MFA at the University of Iowa.

Novelists, screenwriters and poets get to feel like insiders in this community. Sometimes it's a bit to the extreme. "They will workshop the contents of your grocery cart," says Margolis. "Everything is so closely observed here."

Since the inception of its esteemed workshop program in 1936, the university has a tradition of turning out fine writers, such as Flannery O'Connor and John Irving. While its MFA program is highly selective, this summer festival casts a much wider net, bringing more of the creative community together to share the rich literary resources that the campus offers.

And with so many courses to choose from, writers of all stages can benefit from the festival. "People make their own selections based on their own goals for their time. We try to offer not just a range of genres but also different approaches of the classroom. Some are based on the workshop method, where people are getting feedback on their work from home; others are built primarily on exercises and assignments to generate new work," says Margolis.

The workshops attract accomplished teachers, including Hope Edelman (nonfiction), Bret Anthony Johnston (fiction) and Katie Ford (poetry).

There are still slots available, but registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, so it's best to sign up now. There's no application process necessary, just a "desire to write," as the Web site states.

Classes range from about $250 for a weekend session to $500 for a week.

Summer at Skidmore

The New York State Summer Writers Institute is held on the beautiful campus of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Students can register for a two- or four-week session, which both take place in July. Students who attend for four weeks are eligible to receive academic credit.

Part of the lure of this program are nightly readings and the ensuing receptions. Here, participants can have a drink and chat with teachers and other writers about their latest books. Authors are also very drawn to the program: Ricky Moody, Mary Gordon, Lee K. Abbott and Marilynne Robinson are just some of the talented faculty.

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