Thursday, February 24, 2011

Laura Dave's New Book Now Available for Pre-order!



Writer and journalist Laura Dave is a Taos success story: she attended the conference in 1999 and 2000--and then in 2007 (and 2008) she returned as an instructor!

She's already published two successful novels, "The Divorce Party" and "London is the Best City in America."

And now her third novel is coming out, from Viking Press in May--and copies are now available for pre-order on Amazon!

Congratulations, Laura!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Check Out Priscilla Long's "Writer's Portable Mentor"!


Those of you gearing up to attend this year's conference may want to help prepare with faculty member Priscilla Long's new book "A Writer's Portable Mentor: A Guide to Art, Craft and the Writing Life"!

The book is designed for both beginning and advanced writers, and is a great resource for anyone who wants to focus on the pursuit of writing. Priscilla's book offers help with the micro as well as the macro: from the sentence level all the way through getting your work out in the world. 

You can buy the book through Amazon (or your favorite local independent bookstore, of course) and find more details about the book via the publisher, Wallingford Press.

Priscilla will be teaching a weeklong workshop at this year's conference, called "The Art of the Sentence, The Art of the Paragraph"--and there are still six spaces left!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Weekend Workshop in Poetry with Margaret Randall--Now Open to All Levels!



 Poet Margaret Randall's Weekend Workshop, formally an advanced class, will now be open to all levels! Take a look at the new course description:

Margaret Randall is now offering a weekend workshop for anyone who ever wanted to write a poem. "Adrienne Rich wrote "Poetry never stood a chance / of standing outside history..." Poets are still arguing about what that means. "A man walks by with a loaf of bread on his shoulder," begins a poem by Peruvian Cesar Vallejo, one of the richest voices in contemporary poetry. This weekend-long workshop will emphasize place and voice, encouraging the development of unique individual voices. It will focus on giving published poets who may be experiencing shifts or questions in their work an opportunity to look at the tension that exists between voice and place, and to use that tension to the poem's benefit. It will also give beginning poets a chance to look critically at their own work, and experience the art of revising engaged in by those who are more advanced. All participants are expected to bring work in progress, and all are expected to critique the work of others—in an atmosphere both nurturing and conducive to making the difficult choices."
You can register for Margaret's workshop, as well as the others still open (have we mentioned how fast registrations are flying in? They are! ) at our website

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Summer Wood's "Wrecker" Out Today!


We congratulated Taos faculty member Summer Wood recently on all the positive reviews coming out in advance of her new novel, "Wrecker."

So we thought we'd remind you that today, you can finally go out and BUY the book!

Order it on Amazon, or come by one of Summer's many upcoming readings and get her to sign your copy.

Once again, congratulations, Summer!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

New at this Year's Taos Conference: Screenwriting Workshop With Acclaimed Writer Peter Chiarelli!


Over the years we've received numerous suggestions that we include a screenwriting workshop at the Conference in addition to courses in Fiction, Nonfiction and Poetry.

Well, this year we're finally doing it--and we couldn't be more excited about who we've gotten on board as in instructor!

Peter Chiarelli is a Hollywood producer-turned-screenwriter, perhaps best known for penning the Sandra Bullock romantic comedy "The Proposal."

Before turning to screenwriting full time, Peter worked at several big name studios including Dreamworks and Red Wagon Entertainment. Among many other credits, Peter served as Executive Producer for the acclaimed indie film "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh."

Peter will welcome writers of all levels in his weeklong workshop, "Writing for your Audience: A Practical Guide to Screenwriting." Check out the course description below:

Producers, financiers and filmmakers are the people who decide what screenplays are bought and made, so understanding who these people are and what they are looking for is critical to the ultimate success of any screenplay that you write. This course will examine who the players are in the filmmaking process and will explain screenwriting techniques you can use to improve your screenplay's chances of becoming a film. Furthermore, we will demystify "the development process," so you can use it to improve your screenplay on the road to a greenlight. Whether you have a drawer full of screenplays, or are just working on your first, this class aims to be a helpful guide to getting your work into a theater near you.

You can register for Peter's workshop, as well as all our other 2011 offerings, on our website.

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Upcoming Book release for Taos Alum Philip Cioffari!


Philip Cioffari was the the D.H. Lawrence fellow at the 2007 Conference.

He recieved that award for his second story collection, "A History of Things Lost or Broken."

His third book, a novel called "Jesusville" is based on material Philip gathered during his attendance at two Taos conferences! The book comes out in May. Check out Cioffari's description of the book below:

When Joshua Farley—a cult figure searching for an hallucinogenic plant rumored to allow the user to see God—disappears under mysterious circumstances, his disciples gather in the New Mexico desert to await his return. But they aren’t the only ones looking for him and the legendary plant. Other desperate people have also made the trek to this remote section of the world: a disillusioned journalist hoping to restore his lost faith; a small-time hood on the lam from the mob; Farley’s disinherited son; a teenage sexpot who claims to be Farley’s mistress; and a gang of mobsters come to even an old score. They meet in a darkly comic, twenty-first century equivalent of Judgment Day.

Congratulations, Philip!

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Summer Wood Soon to Hit the Road With New Novel, "Wrecker"!




Beloved Taos faculty member Summer Wood has a new novel coming out with Bloomsbury Press this month, called "Wrecker," and we aren't the only ones eagerly anticipating its release!

Publishers Weekly gave the book a terrific review in November, and last week Library Journal did the same (scroll down the page to check hers out...and note the comparison to fellow Taos teacher, Pam Houston!).

Summer's got a fabulous page up for the book--which comes out February 15th--on her website. You can read more about (and pre-order!) the book there and read an interview with Summer about the novel, too.

She'll be taking off on her book tour soon: check out the events planned here. Those of you in New Mexico, note that she'll be reading at Collected Works in Sante Fe on February 18th (with Taos teacher Robert Wilder), at Moby Dickens in Taos on the 18th, and in Albuquerque with yet another Taos instructor, Gregory Martin, on Sunday the 19th.

Congratulations, Summer!

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Memoirist Gail Caldwell to Deliver Taos Keynote!




We're delighted to announce that Gail Caldwell, author of this year's acclaimed memoir, "Take the Long Way Home," has accepted our invitation to speak at this year's Conference!

"Take the Long Way Home" is Gail's incredibly moving account of her friendship with fellow writer Caroline Knapp. Knapp, best known for her memoir of alcoholism, "Drinking: A Love Story," died of lung cancer in 2002.

Gail is an accomplished journalist: she served as chief book critic for the Boston Globe and in 2001, won the Pulitzer Prize for her criticism. She published her first memoir, "A Strong West Wind," about growing up in Texas, in 2007.

We're thrilled that Gail will be joining us at the conference, and look forward to welcoming her to New Mexico!