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About

Mission Statement

Our mission at Writers in Paradise is to provide talented and hardworking writers of all levels and genres the opportunity to learn from and work with other writers under the guidance of masterful authors.  For an entire week, we strive to provide an open and nurturing environment where creativity, critical awareness and writing techniques can be exercised, fostered, and encouraged.  Every year we grow our conference to include new voices and ways of looking at writing and what it means to write in today’s market while maintaining a core faculty of proven authors who are both successful in their genres and gifted in the classroom.

Our central premise has always been to help talented writers reach their intended audiences.  We understand the complexities of putting together effective stories and poems, and this understanding and sensitivity makes our workshops popular and coveted.  One of our goals is to create community among our participants, which is why our workshops are closed to all but those participants who submit manuscripts and are accepted into workshop—one long time faculty member calls it “having skin in the game.”  We believe that keeping workshops small allows for focus, productive criticism, and honesty .

While we are competitive and accept writers based on the strength and potential of their writing, we abide by the notion that good writing is good writing and we all stand to learn from one another no matter where we come from, how old we are, or what we may or may not have studied formally.

With the help of our St. Petersburg community and Eckerd alumni, we work with an endowment that affords us the opportunity to help many participants financially.  We never want money to be the reason that you can’t attend.  If you have a story that’s burning to be told, we want to help add tools to your craft-box, so you can effectively tell it.

After a week at WIP, we hope you leave with a new and inspired sense of direction, some good friends with whom you can share writing throughout the year, and with confidence that you can navigate new writing challenges on your own.

Our Team

Man seated next to big black dog

Les Standiford, Conference Director

Marina Pruna, Conference Coordinator

Dawn Ellenburg, Creative Director

Nick Garnett, Faculty Assistant

Testimonials

When I attended Writers in Paradise seven years ago, I was ready to give up on publishing my novel. I’d already published quite a few nonfiction books, but my heart belonged to fiction. Laura Lippman told me not to give up, and why. Her support lifted my spirits, enabling me to continue to work on my novel. Eventually it found a home with a literary press in the UK. In the WIP workshops, I learned what I was doing wrong. This helped me with subsequent novellas and novels, many of which were published by small presses. Writers in Paradise is a great investment in your future as a writer.

Virginia Aronson, aka Mickey J. CorriganAuthor of Project XX (SaltPublishing, 2017)

I’ve been to two consecutive Writers in Paradise and plan to return for a third next year! I’ve studied with Denise Duhamel and Major Jackson, who are both phenomenal teachers and lead interactive, quick-paced workshops. I learned more than I expected both times and made friends I’m in touch with often. I’m a much better poet for having attended these.

David ColodneyAlum 2016 & 2017

The conference offered a great roster of authors, events, and panels–from the daily short story workshop with Andre Dubus III, to the nightly craft talks with Ana Menendez, Major Jackson, Les Standiford, and Russell Banks. The approach to the work was rigorous, and the tenor was friendly and fun. I left feeling reinspired about fiction, and eager to get back to writing. PS: I was torn between“but the tenor” and“and the tenor”–I’m still torn ? AND I SAY THIS because I’ve been to other writing workshops where the approach was rigorous, BUT the tenor was neither friendly nor fun, and this is a big reason I liked WIP so much…that combination of rigor and fun…

Leah GriesmannCarlson Fellow 2017

I’m a retired attorney and an Eckerd College graduate. Fifty years ago I learned English literature from an extraordinary faculty that included luminaries like Robert Detweiler, Peter Meinke, and Jim Carlson. Recently, when I started writing fiction, I returned to Eckerd for the 2017 and 2018 conferences. I was challenged an equally extraordinary faculty that included Laura Lippman, Les Standiford and Andre Dubus. But I also got the chance to wear my collection of Hawaiian shirts. So, as the former Governor of California once said,“I’ll be back.”

John Francis CallahanBig Sur Nation, alum 2016 & 2017

Attending Writer’s in Paradise has been an essential ingredient to my development as a writer. I’ve attended several years and have always come away with new tools and skills. The readings, faculty, panels, lectures and fellow students make it a great week and a conference not to be missed.

Gale MasseyAlum 2016 & 2017- GaleMasseyBooks.com The Girl From Blind River – July 10,2018

Les Standiford fosters a friendly and respectful environment and is especially masterful in teaching the art of creating story blueprints. I left the conference with a filled notebook, several new friends and ideas on how to structure my next project. No doubt I hope to return.

Sara GoudarziStandiford Fellow 2017

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I register for the conference without applying to a workshop?

At the heart of the Writers in Paradise conference is the intense week-long workshops with distinguished authors. Most writers who attend the conference do so to workshop their writing. Workshop participants are selected based on the strength and potential of a writing sample, which we collect during the online application process.
Though we encourage writers to apply to workshops, we understand that some may prefer to attend the conference without applying or as an option if not accepted into workshop.  Attending the conference without attending workshop is what we call auditing.  Auditing the conference means you pay a flat fee and get to attend all conference activities except workshops.  Please contact the Conference Coordinator for more details about auditing at [email protected].

Can I apply to more than one workshop?

Absolutely. You may apply to as many workshops as you like. Just keep in mind that there’s a non-refundable application fee of $25 for each workshop you apply to, AND if you are accepted into a workshop, you’ll be accepted into that ONE workshop only (which will last the entire week). Only the application fee for that ONE workshop will count toward tuition.

Additionally, please know that we may choose to place you in a different workshop than the one you applied to if we feel that your work is better suited to another faculty member.  If we feel this way, we will reach out to you to let you know and to give you our reasons, and you will ultimately have final say.

What kind of writing should I submit in my application?

We accept applicants based on the strength and/or potential of a writing sample. You may submit your best work, published or unpublished, or you may submit a work in progress that you plan to have workshopped if accepted. It’s up to you. In the application, you will have a chance to tell us what kind of writing you’ve submitted and why. For formatting guidelines, please see our applications page starting August 1.

Is the manuscript submitted with the application the same one that will be used in workshop?

Not necessarily. After acceptance, you will have a chance to submit a “final” manuscript for workshop. You may choose to call your submission manuscript the final manuscript or submit something different as your final. Either one is fine as long as the original guidelines are still respected (ms length, etc.). Tip: If you chose to submit your best work or published work during the application process, chances are you’re unlikely to want to open that up to critique and/or revision. So, our suggestion is to keep in mind that you are submitting to a conference for workshop, not publication. Be brave and open to submitting as your final manuscript work that you really want feedback on.

Can I attend more than one workshop if I’m accepted to the conference?

No, and here’s why.  Our conference is designed to give participants a full week of intense workshopping and mentoring. This means that, if you are accepted into a workshop, you’ll be in that one workshop for the entire week along with up to 11 other participants and your faculty leader. There is no hopping around to other workshops.  This also means that your workshop will be closed to all other participants. Keeping workshops closed to all but those accepted into said workshop fosters community, honesty, and focus. We know from past experience that the relationships built in our workshops can and will outlast the week. In most cases, you will find good readers of your work, receive critical and constructive feedback on your piece(s), learn about craft and publishing, and make a solid connection with your faculty leader.

If I'm accepted into a Special 3-Day Workshop, can I still attend the full week of activities?

Absolutely!  You are still considered a full participant and are welcome to all conference activities and gatherings throughout the entire week.

What if I need financial help to attend the conference?

When you start your application, you’ll have a chance to tell us if you’d like to be considered for financial assistance in the form of a fellowship, a scholarship, general funds, or all three. You will also be asked to tell us in 500 words or less why you should be considered. You do not need to fill out any additional documentation. Everything is contained in the one application.

We do not typically offer financial assistance to those auditing. However, if you find yourself under special circumstances and would like to discuss financial aid, please do reach out to the Conference Coordinator at [email protected].

How do I set up accommodations for accessibility?

The Eckerd College Writers’ Conference: Writers in Paradise is committed to making arrangements that allow all members to participate in the conference. Please contact our Conference Coordinator (see Our Team above) to make arrangements for accommodations.

Why isn’t there housing on campus?

Eckerd College is a small private college. Though it does provide housing for its students, the housing facilities are very limited and thus not available to visitors. For this reason, we invite attendees of Writers in Paradise to stay at our partner hotel or find accommodations on their own from any of the hotels and b&b’s in the St. Petersburg area.

What airport should I use if I’m flying in to the conference?

Please use the Tampa International Airport (TPA) as your first choice. TPA is roughly 30 minutes away from Eckerd College and the Residence Inn.  An Uber ride from TPA to the Residence Inn (Tierra Verde) will run approximately $40.

If staying elsewhere, please check with your hotel or b&b to see if they offer shuttle service from the airport as many of them do. If seeking shuttle service, we recommend Skyway Historical Shuttles, the company we use for hotel-campus-hotel transportation. Please call or email William at 855-759-9298 or [email protected].

I have a car. Is there parking on campus?

Yes. Eckerd College has plenty of guest parking on campus. Please see the teal and purple sections on the map.

I don’t have a car. How can I get to campus for the conference?

Writers in Paradise provides free daily shuttle service to and from our partner hotel (Residence Inn) and campus. Trips are scheduled in accordance with conference activities and run on a specific schedule. If you plan to stay at a different hotel or b&b, you will have to arrange your own transportation to/from campus. Our shuttle schedule will be made available after the application period has closed and acceptances have been made.

Will I need to print while I’m at the conference? Where would I do that?

Though our workshops are geared toward critiquing the work that you’ve submitted, some faculty leaders may include generative exercises in class in an effort to stimulate further writing or as a means to deepen craft. Eckerd College has several options for printing, which will be provided to you after acceptances to the conference are completed. Printing on campus can be done at the Armacost Library using the Papercut system, at the Copy Center in Edmundson Hall, or at any FedEx/Kinko’s location close by.

What is Writer Idol?

Writer Idol is an afternoon panel modeled after the tv show, American Idol. How it works is, in preparation for this panel, we ask participants who’d like to be a part of the panel to turn in the first page of a story they are working on. The page must be the first page only and the page must not contain the author’s name. When the session begins, three faculty leaders sit as judges at a table in the front of the room while a 4th person reads from the stack of submitted first pages. The judges listen to what’s being read, and if at any point they hear something that turns them off in any way, they raise a hand. Once two judges raise their hands, the reading stops, and the judges have a chance to say why s/he raised a hand. If the page is read all the way through, it is considered a successful beginning and the judges usually say why they stuck with it.

The goal behind Writer Idol is to give participants a seat at an editor or agent’s table at a journal or publisher via the cold read. And because the page read has been submitted without the author’s name, the author/participant can sit silently and listen to raw and honest critique from professional writers without anyone in the room knowing. That said, it’s important to remember that Writer Idol is always conducted in the spirit of constructive criticism.

Rules for Writer Idol:

  1. The Conference Coordinator or Conference Assistants collect these pages in person from the start of the conference up to five minutes before the start of the panel, at the registration desk ONLY.  No emailed pages will be accepted.
  2. You may submit only one time for all Writer Idol sessions.
  3. Once you’ve submitted your page, no changes or swaps will be accepted.
  4. You may submit any first page of a story. It does not have to be the story you are workshopping at the conference.
  5. Fiction and nonfiction are both accepted as a gripping start is important in any narrative.
  6. Tip:  it helps to know who’s judging the panel (names will be available on the schedule before the start of the conference). If one of the judges on the panel is already your workshop leader, you’ll want to turn in a page that s/he hasn’t already seen. Otherwise, you’ll get 2 fresh readers instead of 3.
  7. Standard formatting of the page is expected: 12-point font, double-spaced, one-inch margins.  No handwritten pages.
  8. You may include the title if you like, but it’s not mandatory.
  9. Your name cannot appear on the page.

What is Pitch Idol?

This session is offered occasionally and is a much-requested spin-off from Writer Idol.  One of the most amusing and effective uses of montage in cinema comes at the opening of The Player (1992), where a film producer played by Tim Robbins listens as a series of would-be scriptwriters “pitch” their ideas for films, most of which are obvious bombs-to-be.  But prose writers are also confronted by the need to answer the question,“What is your book about?” not only during cocktail parties but in entreaties to agents and editors who first want a short and effective summary of a manuscript before they invest the time to read it.  Thus comes “Pitch Idol,” an opportunity for prose writers to “pitch” their books to a panel of WIP faculty experts.

Participants will prepare a ONE-PAGE, 250-WORD SUMMARY of the story, one that is intended to convince listeners that the whole manuscript is worthy of a closer look.  Summaries will be read aloud to the panel, anonymously, and individual panel members will raise a hand when a false note is detected.  At the point where two hands have risen, the reading ends, and the panel will elaborate on what seems to have gone wrong.  If a pitch is read through to the end, it has“won,” and panel members will talk about what has intrigued them.

  1. The Conference Coordinator or Conference Assistants collect these pages in person from the start of the conference up to five minutes before the start of the panel, at the registration desk ONLY.  No emailed pages will be accepted.
  2. You may submit only once.
  3. Once you’ve submitted your page, no changes or swaps will be accepted.