Amherst Writers and Artists Workshop

This workshop follows the Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA) format; each participant is recognized as a writer with a unique voice. The facilitator offers writing prompts, participants write for a specific time period, and then share their writing. Group feedback focuses only on what is strong, memorable and working in the piece shared. Providing feedback on others’ work is an integral part of the class; the facilitator will model how to do this and will provide examples of helpful responses to written work. Participants will have the opportunity to experiment with simple poetic forms, short fiction, personal essay and memoir. Writers always have the option to write in any form they choose, regardless of prompts provided by the instructor. The AWA method requires deep listening and the ability to enter the writer’s world.