The sixth annual Mayapple Writers’ Retreat will take place at Byrdcliffe in Woodstock, NY from July 27 to 31, 2017. The program includes four public readings of poetry and prose by regional and national writers.
The Woodstock Mayapple Writers’ Retreat is a professional level writers’ workshop and retreat with a, “comfortable, egalitarian atmosphere,” according to founder and Mayapple Press publisher Judith Kerman of Woodstock. Both poetry and prose work will be developed during the retreat. The program began in Saginaw, Michigan, where for nine years it was known as “Rustbelt Roethke,” named in honor of the poet Theodore Roethke, a major 20th century American poet, who grew up in Saginaw.
After Kerman’s move to the Hudson Valley, the workshop changed states and names, but not its basic format. This is its 15th year, its sixth at the renowned Byrdcliffe Artists’ Colony in Woodstock, a haven for artists and writers for over a century.
In addition to Hudson Valley participants, this year’s writers come from Massachusetts, Southern Tier New York State, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
Schedule of Public Readings (poetry and prose – free admission)
- Thursday, July 27, 7:00 pm at New World Home Cooking, 1411 NY Rt. 212, Saugerties: Readers are Goat Hill Poets, including Leslie Gerber and Judith Lechner.
- Friday, July 30, 7:00 p.m. at Creekside Grill, Woodstock Golf Course, Rts. 212 and 375, Woodstock. Readers: Mark Fitzgerald, Aine Greaney, Rosalyn Rossignol.
- Saturday, July 29, 6:30 p.m. at Woodstock Library, 5 Library Lane, Woodstock. Readers: Richard Hedderman, Robert McDonough, Anne-Marie Yerks.
- Sunday, July 30, 7:00 p.m. at Villetta Inn, 3 Upper Byrdcliffe Way, Woodstock (next to Byrdcliffe Theater). Readers: Vincent Cooper, Shannon Frystak, Jen Hirt, Judith Kerman.
Mayapple Press is a small literary press founded in 1978 by poet and editor Kerman. It celebrates literature that is both challenging and accessible: poetry that transcends the categories of “mainstream” and “avant-garde,” women’s writing, the Great Lakes/Northeastern culture, the recent immigrant experience, poetry in translation and science fiction poetry.
All of the listed Woodstock Mayapple Writers’ Retreat readings are free and open to the public; donations are appreciated and help defray expenses. For more information about Mayapple Press, please visit http://www.mayapplepress.com or call 845-684-5519
