The Business of Writing: Pine Manor Solstice Offers New Track of Worskshops

The dream of writing doesn't have to include getting fabulously rich -- but it sure would be nice to get published, and sometimes even to get paid something! Pine Manor College presents its 2009 Solstice Summer Writers' Conference with an optional added track: seven sessions on the "how" of the business.

I especially like the sound of this one:

Writing in the Fourth Dimension: How to Balance Writing and the Obligations of the Temporal World
Date: Tuesday, June 23
Time: 2:15–3:15 p.m.
Guest instructor: Laura McCullough

Do you long to write more? Does life get in the way? We all know prolific writers who seem to squeeze more time out of the day than the rest of us —writers with families and jobs must learn to see time differently and to claim writing space without guilt. Poet and writer Laura McCullough —a mother of five, teacher at a community college, and director of a program— will explore ways writers can find more writing time and space, and offer tips on how to negotiate work and family roles to better support artistic and creative endeavors.

Adding this series to the diverse Solstice list of authors and mentors makes an amazing combination. The conference is June 22-26, at the small campus just outside Boston in Chestnut Hill. This year's special guest is Andre Dubus III author of The Garden of Last Days and of House of Sand and Fog; poets, memoirists, novelists, and skilled writers of short forms like essays and stories gather for the week. Check out the web site, www.pmc.edu/solstice; rolling admissions began in January, and there's financial assistance available.