Summer Writing Intensive Draws Award-Winning Authors

This summer, in collaboration with Words After War, Marlboro College will once again honor the veterans among its founders and its founding principles in a Summer Writing Intensive. The week-long intensive will take place from July 31 to August 6, and will allow writers to hone their craft with a truly impressive array of professional writers.

“These are talented, interesting—and award-winning—authors,” said John Sheehy, Marlboro College writing professor and one of the instructors for the intensive. “With respect to the talent we have been able to bring to Brattleboro, the Summer Writing Intensive has always punched above its weight. No literary offering in Brattleboro or the surrounding area even comes close.”

This year’s visiting authors include Whitney Terrell, who’s first novel The Huntsman was a New York Times Notable Book, Matt Gallagher, who’s new novel Youngblood got a rave review from Michiko Kakutani, and Sara Novic, who’s novel Girl at War was named one of the year’s best books by Booklist, Bookpage, and Electric Literature. Visiting author Phil Klay wrote Redeployment, winner of the 2015 National Book Award and, John says, “easily among the most important pieces of war fiction written in the last decade.”

This is the third year of the popular Summer Writing Intensive, developed in collaboration with alumnus and writer Brandon Willitts ’12, and it is open to to active writers at any level of experience. Military veterans who are interested in the craft of writing are especially encouraged to apply, and are eligible for a grant to attend at no cost. Each weekday of the writing intensive will end with a free public reading in Brattleboro.

“I can’t remember the last time a National Book Award winner gave a reading within 50 miles of here, but we’re bringing one to Brattleboro to read to the public for free,” said John. “That is huge.”