Why It's Great Conway NH US Annual The writers in residence and director are acclaimed authors who are also experienced and caring teachers, each with a special focus: Louis Reyes Rivera (poetry), Laura Pritchett (fiction and memoir), Fred Jerome (fiction and non-fiction investigative writing), and David Vigoda, director (fiction, poetry, and memoir). There are a variety of sessions to accommodate different interests and participants attend as many or as few as they wish. Workshop activities include presentation of participants' work, discussion of master works, writing, and discussion of genre specific issues. All participants are invited to read in a group reading. Great writing is the melding of great technique with great heart and each must be able to get out of the way of the other, even as they complete each other. Technique without heart is meaningless; heart without technique is incoherent. There are workshops about one or the other, but this is the one about cultivating and resolving the struggle between them. The workshop is unique in another way: Those who wish to explore social themes in their writing are welcome. We do not share the current discouragement of writers attempting to express their engagement with social themes. Everyone is welcome at the workshop, regardless of what they choose to express or how they choose to express it. There are no eligibility or submission requirements, but some experience is necessary. There is no application deadline, but attendance is limited. Retreat activities include swimming and boating on a protected lake, hiking, and informal socializing.