The 2008 Viroqua Writers Workshop
...A Wisconsin Weekend Like None Other
Printable Writers Workshop PDF Program • Registration Form
What:
The workshop offers an opportunity for writers to receive expert briefings on diverse and saleable story subjects indigenous to this unique place in the heart of the Driftless Area of the Upper Midwest.
Writers can choose from a menu of interesting story subjects, workshops, readings and roundtable discussions. There will be additional background information, contacts and time for some self-guided rambling around the territory to get a real feel for the stories we have to tell, and if that’s not enough, there will be some very enjoyable time spent just talking, eating, quenching our thirst, and kicking back for a Wisconsin weekend like none other!
When:
September 11-14, 2008
Where:
Viroqua, Wisconsin, and the surrounding Coulee Region Countryside
Why:
Writers will discover a remarkable reservoir of stories waiting to be told, sold, and published.
2008 Viroqua Writers Workshop
Sept. 11-14, 2008
Workshop Program
Thursday
4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Registrants sign in at Wisconsin Technical College, 220 S. Main St .
7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Wine and cheese reception at Vernon Vineyards with a Welcome by Ingrid Mahan, Viroqua Partners executive director
Friday
8:00 – 8:30 a.m. Workshop day overview at WTC
Patrick Strickler, workshop coordinator
8:30 – 9:15 a.m. Presentation:
“How a Major Metro Newspaper Travel Section Works”
Lori Rackl, Chicago Sun-Times Sunday Travel Editor
9:15 – 10:00 a.m. Roundtable:
“Writing Travel Stories That Sell”
Facilitator: Lori Rackl, travel editor
10:00 – 10:30 a.m.Break
10:30 – 11:00 a.m. Reading #1
Michael White‘s “Driftless Draws ”
1l:00 – 11:30 a.m. Reading #2
Ann Morrison's “ Family Trips ”
11:00 – Noon Feedback on readings/discussion
Noon – 1:30 p.m. Lunch
Main Street Market
Remarks: “Why I Like Writing about Viroqua”
Brian Clark, freelance writer
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Presentation
“The Art of Writing Great Travel Stories”
Frank Bures, instructor at UW-Madison's Writers' Institute and award-winning travel writer
3:00 – 3:15 p.m. Break
3:15 – 4:00 p.m. Roundtable: “How To Sell a Story”
Facilitator: Frank Bures
4:00 – 4:30 p.m. Reading #3
TBD
4:30– 5 p.m. Reading #4
TBD
5:00 – 5:30 p.m. Feedback on readings/discussion
7:00 p.m. Dinner on your own
Saturday
8:00 a.m. Workshop day overview
Kickapoo Valley Reserve Nature Center
Patrick Strickler
8:30 – 10:00 a.m.Presentation:
“The Kickapoo Reserve, Case Study of an Environmental Success”
Marcy West, Kickapoo Valley Reserve executive director
10:00 – 10:30 a.m.Break
10:30 – Noon Presentation:
“Protecting One the Driftless Region's Priceless Assets”
Jeff Hastings, Trout Unlimited's TUDARE Project Manager
Noon – 2:00 p.m.Box lunches
Guided walk into reserve
2:30 – 4:00 p.m. Presentation:
“Current Environmental Challenges in the Driftless Region”
Tim Hundt, Vernon County Broadcaster
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Writers Roundtable:
“The Writer's Role and Responsibility”
Facilitator: Anne O'Connor, editor of the Kickapoo Free Press
7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Dinner on your own
Sunday
8:00 – 8:30 a.m. Workshop overview
Viroqua Coop Café patio
Patrick Strickler
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Breakout Sessions:
“Seeing Travel Stories in the Driftless Region”
9:30 – 10:00 a.m.Break
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Breakout Session Reports
11:00 – 11:30 a.m. Summation, next steps and adjourn
Questions can be directed to Patrick Strickler
[thebluewatersgroup@yahoo.com]
