Juniper Summer Writing Institute at UMass Amherst Celebrates its 15th Year, June 17-24

Stephen Graham Jones signs books for the crowd after his reading at the 2017 Juniper Summer Writing Institute. (Four Wings Photography)
Stephen Graham Jones signs books for the crowd after his reading at the 2017 Juniper Summer Writing Institute. (Four Wings Photography)

AMHERST, Mass. – The Juniper Summer Writing Institute has provided a community gathering place for more than 100 poets and writers each summer since 2003. Hosted by the MFA Program for Poets and Writers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, this year’s week-long creative writing institute is slated for June 17-24.

Workshops in poetry, fiction and memoir are the heart of the program along with engaging craft sessions and manuscript consultations. Evening readings are a highlight of the week and are open to the public.

“We’re thrilled to be welcoming new voices and many beloved returning writers for our 15th summer,” says Jennifer Jacobson, director of the Juniper Summer Writing Institute and Juniper Institute for Young Writers.

New this year are workshops in Literary Arts + Action, exploring the ways writing can be a space of political action and social engagement, led by Camille Rankine; and Words + Pictures, experimenting with the relationship between writing and visual art, which Bianca Stone will teach.

Dorothea Lasky, Rickey Laurentiis and Dara Wier will teach this year’s workshops in poetry. Noy Holland, Mitchell S. Jackson and Joy Williams will lead the fiction workshops. Eileen Myles will teach a workshop in creative nonfiction and memoir.

Guest writers offering readings and craft sessions throughout the week include Terrance Hayes, Stephen Graham Jones, Paul Lisicky, Lisa Olstein, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, Evie Shockley, Safiya Sinclair, Matthew Zapruder and Leni Zumas.

Scholarships are available, with an application deadline of March 11. Regular applications are open with rolling admission while space is available. Complete program information and applications can be found at the Juniper Summer Writing Institute website: www.umass.edu/juniperinstitute.