Bear River Writers’ Conference 2004

Keith Taylor of the U-M English department teaching a poetry workshop at the 2003 Bear River Writers’ Conference.

This year’s Bear River Writers’ Conference will be held June 3 through June 7, 2004, at Camp Michigania, located on the shores of Walloon Lake in Northern Michigan.

Camp Michigania, owned and operated by U-M’s Alumni Association, offers extensive amenities while still maintaining the natural harmony and up-north aesthetic that is a staple of the Bear River experience. This year’s conference, the fourth annual, reflects the enrichment afforded by University sponsorship, says director Richard Tillinghast a poet and member of the U-M English department faculty. "We have modified the conference," he notes, "to accommodate an increasing participant population with an expanded faculty roster and a host of new activities, including discussion panels on publishing and writing in Michigan."

Charles Baxter

"Based on the participation of writers with Michigan connections, as well as internationally known authors, Bear River is well on its way to becoming the premier literary gathering in the Great Lakes region," U-M President Mary Sue Coleman said in announcing the U-M's decision to sponsor the workshop. In addition to this year’s special guest, novelist Charles Baxter, who will discuss fiction, the Bear River faculty includes Thomas Lynch (creative nonfiction) and Keith Taylor (poetry) of U-M's creative writing program. Other genres to be explored are outdoor writing, music lyrics and memoir. Former US Poet Laureate Robert Hass assessed the Bear River conference as "beautifully conceived" to "grow a culture that connects our lived lives, our culture and cultural history to stewardship of the land."

Running from Thursday until Monday, the 2½ hour morning workshops leave afternoons free for the panel discussions, craft talks, writing, hiking and kayaking the coves of Walloon Lake.

After the evening meal, faculty members give readings before the day ends with writing or cocktails or campfire camaraderie.

Attendance for 2004 is anticipated at 150 participants with availability already becoming limited, so early registration is encouraged to ensure workshop preference. For workshop descriptions, information on Camp Michigania and registration materials, please visit their Web site: www.lsa.umich.edu/bearriver.

To receive additional information or a brochure please contact: Bear River Writers’ Conference, U-M Dept. of English Language & Literature, 3187 Angell Hall, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1003. Phone: 734.764.4139; fax: 734.763.3128.