Novelist Summer Camp 2024

Are you an aspiring novelist in need of some camaraderie and connection as you face down your manuscript? Lighten up those difficult writing days through this support and productivity group that takes its inspiration from summer camp.

For four weeks, attend a mix of fun, in-person activities and virtual sessions, all designed with novelists in mind.

On Wednesday evenings from 7-8:30pm, join the group virtually via Zoom. Each Wednesday session will feature mini craft lessons, writing time, and discussion with fellow writers.

On Saturdays, attend excursions to find inspiration in works of art, uncover history in a cemetery, embark on a late-night bookstore scavenger hunt, and more, all while connecting with other writers and picking up craft and publishing tips.

In-person and online events are supplemented by an online Slack group where writers can interact and share work (optional).

Attendees may choose as many or as few events they wish to attend. Novelists working in all genres and at all levels are welcome; this program aims to provide support and a productivity boost rather than critiques or traditional workshops, though writers will have the chance to connect in genre-based groups.

SCHEDULE

Sat. June 1 - Opening Mixer and Show & Tell: Meet your fellow novelists while crafting a vision board for your novel in the Literary Cleveland headquarters.
Wed. June 5 - Online writing group
Sat. June 8 - Riverside Cemetery Ramble and Ghost Stories: We’ll gather among the graves to learn about history, research, and names.
Wed. June 12 - Online writing group
Sat. June 15 - Arts & (Writing) Crafts at Cleveland Museum of Art: We’ll hunt down some novel inspiration in the artwork at the Cleveland Museum of Art, to be followed by a writing exercise.
Wed. June 19 - Online writing group
Sat. June 22 - Late-Night Bookstore Scavenger Hunt at Loganberry: Enjoy a special after-hours trip to Loganberry Books, where a literary flashlight scavenger hunt awaits.
Wed. June 26 - Online writing group
Sat. June 28 - Goal Setting and Farewell Toast: We’ll wind down, prepare to say goodbye, and toast to a summer well spent at Bookhouse Brewing.

INSTRUCTORS

Laura Maylene Walter is the author of the novel Body of Stars (Dutton, 2021), an Ohioana Book Awards Finalist and a UK Booksellers Association Fiction Book of the Month selection. She has received grants, fellowships, or residencies from Yaddo, Tin House, the Ohio Arts Council, the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, the Chautauqua Institution, the Ohioana Library Association, and Art Omi: Writers. She is the Ohio Center for the Book Fellow at Cleveland Public Library, where she hosts Page Count, a literary podcast.

Annmarie Kelly is the author of Here Be Dragons, a memoir about the wonderful misery of raising kids with someone you love. She is also the host of Wild Precious Life, a literary podcast about making the most of the time we have. Her writing has appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered, in the New York Observer, Today Parenting, Black Fork, Anodyne, and Gordon Square Review. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio, where she is writing a novel about all the truth in the lies we tell.

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Details: Novelist Summer Camp with Laura Maylene Walter and Annmarie Kelly will meet June 1-June 29 in-person on Saturdays and online on Wednesdays. Ongoing communications will happen via email and in Slack throughout the month.

Prerequisites: None

Genre: Fiction

Level: All levels

Format: Generative meetings, discussions, and activities for writers drafting a novel

Location: Wednesdays online via Zoom and Saturdays at various locations

Size: Limited to 50 participants

Suggested Sequence: Follow this class with an intermediate or advanced fiction class

Scholarships: Scholarship spots are available for this class for writers in Northeast Ohio. Apply by April 15.

Cancellations & Refunds: Cancel at least 48 hours in advance of the first meeting to receive a full refund. Email info@litcleveland.org.

Registration Fee

$175 - Non-Member Registration

$125 - Registration with Member Discount

I'd also like to help out other writers with a donation to the Word for Word Scholarship Fund. (This fund provides low- and limited-income writers in NE Ohio with access to our classes)

How far are you in the writing process?

Just getting started

Less than a third drafted

One third to two thirds drafted

Nearly finished with a first draft

Finished with a first draft

Finished with a second draft

Have finished multiple drafts

Tell us about your work in progress

Share however much you would like about the novel you are working on. This will help us match you with other writers who may be interested in the same kind of work.

What are you hoping to get out of this novelist summer camp?

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