Chautauqua!

This summer I will be the writer-in-residence for a week (July 14-18) at the Chautauqua Institute in western New York. I will be teaching/leading a fiction writing workshop for adults who want to write for children/teens. I am thrilled to be hosting a week-long workshop. Last summer I was at the Cape Cod Writer's Center Conference and couldn't believe the quality of the work produced by my students in only one week. I'm also looking forward to the amazing classes and lectures that are offered. This is from the website: "Chautauqua Institution is a community on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York state that comes alive each summer with a unique mix of fine and performing arts, lectures, interfaith worship and programs, and recreational activities. Over the course of nine weeks, more than 100,000 visitors will stay at Chautauqua and participate in programs, classes and community events for all ages—all within the beautiful setting of a historic lakeside village."

Chautauqua has a peculiar place in my memory. When my grandparents visited there for a weekend, my grandfather saw his first ballet performance. He was so shocked by the apparel worn by the male dancers that he burst out laughing. People were not amused, mostly my grandmother. What would they think about me, sixty years later, returning to teach?

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