New York State Summer Writers Institute

For arrival and departure information please visit the Writers Institute FAQ located on the Accepted Student Information page.

The Program

The New York State Writers Institute, established in 1984 by award-winning novelist William Kennedy at the University at Albany, SUNY, announces its 24th annual summer program. Under the joint auspices of the Office of the Dean of Special Programs at Skidmore College and the New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany, the summer program is held on the campus of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York and will feature creative writing workshops in fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

Students may enroll for two weeks (June 28-July 9 or July 12-23) or for the entire four-week session (June 28-July 23). The Institute is principally for students who have had at least one or two previous workshop experiences. It is definitely not for high school students or for freshman college students. Since its inaugural season in 1987, the New York State Summer Writers Institute has drawn students from across the country—from Alabama, California, Florida, Michigan, New York, Texas, Virginia, and all of the New England states. Students from Australia, France, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Korea, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Poland have also participated. Students have ranged from the undergraduate level to 99 years of age.

The Institute offers courses for undergraduate and graduate credit, as well as noncredit courses. Standard three-hour class meetings, which are held each Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1 to 4 p.m., are supplemented by a program of Tuesday and Thursday afternoon discussions with visiting writers and other special events. Each workshop is primarily built around discussion of student works, which are collected in early June and run off in multiple sets so that students may receive them throughout their stay at the Institute, a few at a time, to be read in time for the various class meetings. Some instructors also assign writing exercises (optional) and recommend brief readings that are not written by workshop students for classroom discussion. A fiction writer-in-residence reads entire student novels or extensive fiction works in progress—not collections of stories—and meets with students on a tutorial basis. Other distinguished writers-in-residence read book-length poetry or non-fiction manuscripts and offer advice for revisions and eventual book submissions. The extra tutorial fee is $400. The program sponsors public readings by visiting and staff writers Monday through Friday evenings. Weekend programs, for enrolled students only, include publishing symposia, panel discussions and student readings. An extraordinary staff of distinguished writers, among them winners of such major honors as the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, serve as Institute faculty members.

The Office of the Dean of Special Programs has spearheaded educational innovations serving a diverse population for more than thirty years. As a result, Skidmore College is home to other nationally recognized summer institutes and residencies in the creative and performing arts. They include the SITI Company Summer Theater Workshop, the Summer Dance Workshop, Skidmore Jazz Institute, and New York State Schools in Ballet, Modern Dance, and Orchestral Studies.  More than 3,000 people enroll in these and other special programs in the liberal, creative, performing, and studio arts, and several thousand more attend summer concerts, readings, performances, and lectures. Skidmore’s Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, unique in its pioneering efforts to integrate cross-disciplinary exhibitions and programming in the life of a college, is well worth a visit, as is the Schick Art Gallery, which hosts exhibits and visits from nationally known artists.

More than 75 percent of Writers Institute students elect to live on the Skidmore campus.

Students are housed in an air-conditioned, furnished residence hall and are required to purchase the dining hall meal plan. They will have use of the College’s facilities, including its library, tennis courts, sports and recreation center, swimming pool, and Northwood’s hiking trails. Saratoga Springs is a city famous for its spas, Victorian charm, thoroughbred racing, and nearby Saratoga Battlefield. Its downtown shops, cafes, and restaurants are only a ten-minute walk from Skidmore. Institute students who want to venture further afield can also enjoy the Saratoga Performing Arts Center - summer home to the New York City Ballet, Philadelphia Orchestra, and top jazz concerts. The Adirondacks, Berkshires, and Green Mountains are all within a two-hour drive.

The Administration

Robert Boyers, Director, New York State Summer Writers Institute
Marc Woodworth, Assistant Director, New York State Summer Writers Institute
Melora Wolff, Assistant Director, New York State Summer Writers Institute
Don Faulkner, Director, New York State Writers Institute at Albany.