Creative Writing Colloquium Schedule 2026 Creative Writing Colloquium Schedule8:15 - 9 a.m. Registration9-9:15 Opening Remarks9:15 - 10 a.m. Session 1 (Fiction)Alicia Drumgoole"Beautifully Broken: The Power of Character Contradiction"The difference between a good story and a great story lies in character development. Memorable characters come from their contradictions. This session will cover techniques to make your characters more memorable through the use of paradox, how to use dialogue to illustrate a character’s strengths and flaws, and how to plan the character’s choices to better drive the plot of the story. This session will end with a quick exercise allowing writers to create and share their own character sketches. 9:15 - 10 a.m. Session 1 (Poetry)Eric Bliman "Documentary Poetry "In this session, participants will be introduced to documentary poetry, which is a strain running through recent and contemporary poetry that seeks both to free the writer's passion while engaging with subjects and themes of personal and/or social import. Poets in the documentary mode often use research (with a "big R" or "little r") and techniques like persona as ways to create credible scenes that illuminate the delights and struggles of contemporary life. Several examples of recent and contemporary poems with documentary elements will be read and discussed, and participants will be asked to model such a poem and share their work. 10 - 10:45 a.m Session 2 (Fiction)Neil Connelly“The Plot Thickens: Free Your Story from Freytag and the Chains of Time ”Not unlike the middle school writing class’s five-paragraph essay, there is undeniable wisdom to be found in Freytag’s Pyramid and the standard plot scheme. But too many writers take general principle (so necessary for beginners) as rigid law or sacred scripture, limiting their imagination and hampering their fiction’s narrative energies. Similarly, adhering to strict chronological storytelling cripples the potential of many stories. Together we’ll examine these ideas, and ultimately you’ll decide whether to keep the training wheels on for a while longer or cast them off. 10 - 10:45 a.m Session 2 (Poetry)Heather Hamilton“Crafting Effective Imagery”Have you ever wondered why some writing pulls you in and makes you feel like you’re there in person, experiencing what’s being described directly? Often, this experience is due to good use of imagery. In this craft lecture, poet Heather Hamilton will discuss what makes for effective imagery, present skillful examples of this in published work, and guide you through how to incorporate strong images into your own writing. 10:45 - 11:30 a.m. Session 3The Quill and Ink Society Keynote: A Reading by the Quill and Ink Society The Quill and Ink Society is an eclectic group of writers representing all stages of the writing craft. Monthly meetings include chapter critique, overall writing related discussions, and networking with fellow writers. The group meets the 4th Thursday of the month at Grove Family Library in Chambersburg, PA. All are welcome to attend! 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Lunch (Jensen Dining Hall)1:15 - 2 p.m. Author Q and A You got questions? We got answers! Ask any of our colloquium authors your burning questions about writing, publishing, and more! The colloquium is underwritten by the Arts for All grant opportunity of the Greater Harrisburg Community Foundation, a regional foundation of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities.
