VONA/Voices Workshop for 2011

The Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation (VONA) at the University of California at Berkeley invites applications from unpublished as well as published writers of color -- anyone dreaming of writing as a serious pursuit.

The Voices Workshop is a special gathering of writers who spend 1 week working with authors s of color. This workshop honors the literary traditions of heritage and culture and promotes the styles, voices, forms and concerns of writers-of-color and their connections to the literary world. All workshops are intimate gatherings of writers who take their writing seriously and are looking for an experience that will nurture them as writers; heighten their awareness of writing as a political, social and literary tool; and provide a community that supports each writer as they explore issues that require a profound sense of trust and professionalism.

This year, we offer workshops for everyone in: Poetry, Fiction Writing, Memoir, and Political Content in Story, Memoir and Poetry

Workshops for Alums in: Fiction, The Poetry Collection, Memoir.

We also offer two Residencies which are directed to writers who are interested in a one-on-one mentorship and concentrated writing time. The week is spent with the master writer who guides them through rewrites and toward a greater awareness of the writing process and their identities as writers.

2011 faculty: Elmaz Abinader, Faith Adiele, Junot Díaz, Ruth Forman, M. Evelina Galang, David Mura, ZZ Packer, Willie Perdomo, Diem Jones.

Application Deadline: 04/18/2011. To apply, go to the VONA website.

Photos to follow

My principal collaborator---Marisel Moreno-Anderson, assistant professor in the Department of Romance Languages and Literature---says that today is like a wedding: you're planning for a year, and the day finally arrives.

The forecast had predicted rain, and although it is overcast in the morning, the sky gets clearer and bluer as the day unfolds. He's waiting for us as we enter the terminal at the airport and our first ten, fifteen minutes of chitchat is all in Spanish---not forced, just flows that way.

Main events are an hour and half charla with MFA students; an audio interview with Marisel; an evening reading, Q &A; and a book signing. The Decio Mainstage Theater holds 300 or so and it's full. Mostly students, but also the Dean of the Graduate School, the English Chair, Africana Studies Chair, ILS staff, etc.

A conclusion I easily come to: he's a consumate professional at engaging with his audience. What I mean is: his articulate and deft mingling of humor, andecdote and erudition is exemplary.

The line of people waiting to have books signed is longest I've seen at one of our events here, with the exception of Carlos Fuentes a few years ago.

I'll close with how he began:  he is generous in his expression of gratitude for the work that goes into organizing an event like tonight's. He seems to want to gently educate us that although the invited artist gets most of the applause, the work that goes on behind the scenes also merits appreciation and support.