"The total immersion was exhausting, but wonderful.  The published guest writers who came were excellent.  I felt very honored to have been able to attend readings and workshops with them.  Invaluable.  The faculty have been 100% supportive and positive with their praise and their criticisms.  They have taken what feels like an overwhelming task, this writing, and made us believe we can be successful.  Even as many of us are starting from the ground up.  I’m glad the summer residency is completed, but I don’t want to leave either."

"I enjoyed the course because we spent a lot of time discussing various poetry topics before we began workshopping our own poems.  I thought having a close group allowed the poem workshopping to be that much more meaningful. I also enjoyed the various published poems we all copied and brought to class."

"The combination of full time and visiting faculty along with the two-genre emphasis brought a lot of natural energy to the residency."

"We built a cohesive writer's workshop and we were all very responsive toward one another.  The writing exercises gave us the opportunity to write poetry on the spot and delve deeper into our style.  It has changed my style for the better and shown me a better way to write."

"Instructors were a major strength.  I really admire Steve’s work and did as an undergraduate student.  My group was also very strong with opposing and complementing viewpoints, as well as styles.  Also, I’m glad we were able to review as many essays as we did.  It helped me bond with my group, and I learned more about my own writing."

"The smaller class size and constant presence of faculty members have been instrumental in making this summer residency successful."

"This has been an amazing workshop.  I’ve learned and have been taught many things on how to become and be a better writer.  The professors are so helpful and give great advice.  I love it here!  The craft seminars really help inspire and teach us students.  It has been a very wonderful experience!  Woo!"

"Clearly a well thought out program.  I have no complaints, only praise."

"I’ve been absolutely blown away by the quality of my experience in Kathy’s [Winograd] workshop this residency.  She is knowledgeable and helpful, the two most important qualities in a teacher.  Kathy gave us plenty of what we needed and left us wanting more and really looking forward to the [non-residential] semester."

"Great overall.  Joe’s [Mackall] honesty and willingness to tackle any and all questions really made the group open up, and helped us stay focused on constructive critique, on helping each other, and growing as writers."

"Ruth [Schwartz] was amazing, creative, enthusiastic."

"Our workshop group with Ruth was just fabulous.  She’s a great teacher and a good spirit; our group members really got along well."

"Steve Harvey is the strength of this course.  Without Steve, I would have gritted my teeth for two weeks during morning workshop.  Instead I witnessed a master teacher in action; rejoiced in finding a fellow logophile; and delighted in his intellect artistry, erudition and humor.  If anyone on earth could teach the impenetrable and unequipped George W. Bush, it would be Steve Harvey."

"The excellent and wide range of faculty was great―keep it up!  Loved the “down-home” flavor of the people involved who are very not egotistical or stand-offish (please forgive my poor clichés―my writing gift is sorely strained at the moment)."

"The faculty―Joe [Mackall], Steve [Harvey], Ruth [Schwartz], and Kathryn [Winograd] ―are all outstanding: helpful, accessible, engaging, smart, and sincere.  I learned more in one week than in four years of college―and I was a journalism major, so you’d think writing would have been part of the curriculum.  Thanks!!"