Fiction and Poetry
Writing Master Classes
A weeklong immersion for experienced writers with manuscripts ready for
critique. Separate workshops limited to eight writers each make our master
classes an instant community of readers unusual both for its diversity of
origin and the literary caliber of its members. Participants to date have
come from across the US as well as elsewhere in the English-speaking world,
and have consistently praised not just our faculty but the quality of the
interaction with the other writers in their workshop. We also accept a small
number writing in Spanish, provided they have a deep enough knowledge of
English to insure full participation in the group.
Workshops meet every morning for two hours, during which two
submissions are discussed; individual follow-up conferences are
normally scheduled later the same day, typically over coffee or a
drink at the Posada del Tepozteco. With the middle of the day
unscheduled, there are ample opportunities throughout the week for
writing, relaxation (see program overview) and for exchanging
manuscripts across the separate workshops. After-dinner readings by
faculty and workshop participants are held alternate evenings in local
bars and restaurants. Work to be discussed in Tepoztlán is
submitted in advance to all participants by email, with hard copy
distributed on site. In order to make the most of this unique
convergence in time, participants are encouraged to think
strategically about the work they select, and to include a cover
letter to their fellow writers highlighting their aims, concerns and
questions.
Our week begins with a sunset reception on arrival and culminates with
an optional group climb to the pyramid at the top of the Tepozteco and
a gala reading and dinner.
Registration for our writing master classes
is by submission only.
Please read our guidelines carefully before applying.
UNDER THE VOLCANO MASTER CLASSES
January 9-18, 2009
Bilingual Fiction/Memoir: Magda Bogin
Blending and Blurring Genres: Ruth Behar, Sandra Cisneros & Lourdes
Portillo
Additional Faculty to Be Announced
Cost: $1195 plus lodging
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Non-Fiction
Under the Volcano welcomes writers working in traditional non-fiction forms
(journalism, memoir, criticism, biography) as well as those exploring the line
between fiction and non-fiction —writers who depart more radically from
established fact and form and whose work, for lack of a better word, is generally
characterized as "creative non-fiction." We admire invention and encourage
writing that takes risks.
Blending and Blurring Genres
Fiction writer Sandra Cisneros, documentary filmmaker Lourdes
Portillo, and ethnographer Ruth Behar come together to offer a
workshop on blended and blurred genres. We welcome writing that
creatively meshes fiction and non-fiction, that uses history and
documentary to tell stories, and that engages individual voices,
families, and communities in a socially conscious way. This workshop
is for experienced writers who will present their work in
English. Comments will be provided in class. Please bring a strategic
segment of a work in progress (10 pages) on which you want feedback.
Writer and translator Magda Bogin will again offer her intensive
reading of projects that embrace history, memoir or fiction. Ideally,
we will forge a community of writers working mostly in English, but
also in Spanish for reasons of birth, necessity or fate. This is the
right place for those with more than one identity in their inner life
and their imagination. No assignments will be given, but much careful
& caring scrutiny to issues of intent, tone, and the delights of
lanuage.
The Shape of An Idea
A writing lab specifically designed for professionals with ideas that
are still in a relatively early stage, The Shape of An Idea is
an ideal program for those prepared to commit themselves to a week of
intense, highly focused work. While projects brought to this workshop
may ultimately turn into fiction, the operating premise is that
participants will bring the seeds of articles, proposals, memoirs,
even books.
The program begins with a weekend of brainstorming that segues into
five days of workshops and writing, with continuous opportunities for
criticism and revision. Workshops convene each morning, with
afternoons devoted to writing and individual editorial conferences.
The combination of group and individual critique is intended to yield
each participant 15-20 pages of throughly revised work. Depending on
the nature of the project, the result may be the final draft of a
short work or a significant portion of something larger. Our sessions
culminate with a group climb to the pyramid above the village and a
gala evening at the Posada del Tepozteco.
Enrollment in this workshop is limited to six.
An e-mail cover letter
is required as part of the application process.
THE SHAPE OF AN IDEA:
Date: TBA
Instructor: Magda Bogin
Cost: $1195 plus lodging
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Vision and Revision
Juan Tovar
We learn to write by writing and above all, by rewriting. If writing
exercises our storytelling faculty, rewriting develops the
professional skill that allows the storyteller to create mature works
of fiction, characterized by "that mysterious and secret complicity"
that Borges contrasts with "simplicity, which is nothing." In this
workshop on Revision we will take on this latter, decisive step in
literary creation based on the instructor's own experience, relying on
examples from my recent anthology, Figuracines y transfiguraciones,
copies of which will be distributed to the participants. Those
registering for this workshop are encouraged to select material from
their own work that they intend to rewrite.
VISION AND REVISION:
Date: TBA
Instructor: Juan Tovar
Cost: $1195 plus lodging
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"One of the most stimulating aspects was the diverse and talented mix
of participants; as a group we made up a whole range of ages,
backgrounds, outlooks, so there was never a lack of lively
conversation or interesting viewpoints."
"I came away with a great many new insights not only on the craft of
writing, but also on techniques for teaching my own classes, which
was an unexpected plus."
"I'm still suffused with the warmth of Tepoztlán and the
support of the group. The schedule offered just the right blend of
work and holiday, and the right balance of group and independent
meals. Best of all was the good will and generosity of all involved
— the faculty as well as the participants."
"As a mother and a teacher constantly stretching to take care
of others, I felt incredibly nourished and cared for, leaving me
free to read, write, walk, swim, explore, immerse myself in the week
in Tepoztlán."
"What stands out: your incredible attention to details —
everything from the sign our driver would hold at the airport to the
lovely folder of info by our bed, to the basket of nuts and sweets,
to the backpack lunches."
"The unexpected beauty of the village and the Posada left me
spellbound; I'm still walking those cobblestoned streets, up the
steep hills, turning a corner and stopping, dumbstruck at the bright
colors of the 'papel picado' paper streamers festooning the streets
and houses, hearing the electronic christmas carols chirruping out
of one small backyard nativity scene after another. All of it an
enormous gift."
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