Summer 2025: June 8 – 12
Fuel your passion and transform your writing! Spend an inspirational week at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains on the beautiful campus of Hollins University. Join us in one of our intimate and inspiring manuscript or write now workshops in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or multigenre. Or our tutorial option, which allows you to work with your faculty mentor in one-on-one sessions that focus solely on your own work.
Our manuscript workshops allow you to share work with colleagues and your faculty mentor in advance. In return you will receive supportive and critical feedback during the week. If you don’t have a manuscript, or you’re looking to start new work, a “write now workshop” is the perfect choice. This allows you to write each day and join fellow writers for both in-class writing exercises and sharing of work written during Tinker Mountain.
Whether taking part in a tutorial, manuscript, or write now workshop, you can participate in craft talks, readings, and social sessions. You’ll have plenty of interaction with faculty, including a one-on-one session with your faculty mentor, and have the opportunity to network with other writers for ideas and support.
Details and Fees
How to Register
To register over the phone or by mail, please contact Chris Powell at 540-362-6225 or cpowell@hollins.edu).
Mailing address:
Tinker Mountain Writers’ Workshop
Hollins University
Christine Powell
Box 9552
7916 Williamson Road
Roanoke, VA 24020
Fax: 540-561-2325
NOTE: Registration is first come, first served. Some workshops will fill quickly — please register early and clearly note your order of preferred choices. Must be 18 or older to attend.
Fee: $795
($100 discount for Hollins alumnae/i and previous participants)
Housing
Housing is available on campus or at area hotels. Campus dorm rooms are fully air-conditioned, single rooms, with shared, hall bathrooms. On campus housing is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson offers a Hollins rate of $94-$99/night (double or king). Call 540-366-5678 and ask for the Hollins rate, or book online HERE.
On Campus Housing Fee: $225
Meal Plan
Meal plan includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner served in the main dining hall.
Our food service provider, Meriwether Godsey, believes in providing fabulous food and serving the freshest, healthiest and closest ingredients available. Their team is passionate about food and are totally committed to scratch cooking. This is true not just for entrees, but for soups, composed salads, sides, as well as salad dressings, sauces, and desserts. In addition, they offer selections that are locally made by others — like artisan breads and pastries. They are attentive to a wide range of dietary needs and are happy to make accommodations for special requests.
Fee: $200
Cancellation and Refund Policies
- Payments are nonrefundable after April 1, 2025.
- If none of your workshop choices are available, your payment will be refunded regardless of the date.
- All requests for refunds must be made in writing.
- Payment in full is due by May 1, 2025.
- In the unlikely event that we cancel your class, we will refund your payment in full.
Schedule for the Week
June 8-13, 2024
(Please note: this is a tentative schedule and is subject to change)
Sunday, June 8
2 – 5 p.m.: Check in
5 p.m.: Welcome, orientation, and dinner with faculty
6:45 p.m.: Faculty readings
Monday, June 9
8 a.m.: Breakfast
10 a.m.: Workshops in session
12 p.m.: Lunch
1:30 p.m.: Craft Talk
5:30 p.m.: Dinner
6:45 p.m.: Faculty readings
Tuesday, June 10
8 a.m.: Breakfast
9 a.m.: Workshops in session
12 p.m.: Lunch
1:30 p.m.: Craft Talk
5:30 p.m.: Dinner
7 p.m.: Student readings/Open mic
Wednesday, June 11
8 a.m.: Breakfast
10 a.m.: Workshops in session
12 p.m.: Lunch
1:30 p.m.: Craft Talk
2:30 p.m.: Optional class activities
5:30 p.m.: Dinner
Thursday, June 12
8 a.m.: Breakfast
9 a.m.: Workshops in session
12 p.m.: Lunch
1:30 p.m.: Craft Talk
5:30 p.m.: Cocktails and dinner with faculty
Friday, June 13
8 a.m.: Breakfast
11 a.m.: Dorm check out
Note: All meals served as part of the meal plan are in the Moody Center.
Dinners on Sunday and Thursday are open to everyone, regardless of the meal plan.
Scholarships Available
Merit
Three partial scholarships will be awarded to writers who are registered for a workshop. Scholarships are $500 each and are applied to the $795 registration fee.
The awards will be made at the discretion of the scholarship board based on the merit of the work. Recipients must cover the balance of the registration fee, travel, lodging, and food. Recipients must agree to have their name and likeness used on the TMWW website, press releases, and other publicity materials. Any adult (over age 18) may apply.
One scholarship will be awarded in each of the following genres: fiction, creative nonfiction/memoir, and poetry. Deadline for applications is March 10, 2025. Recipients will be notified by April 14, 2025.
Applicants must include a personal statement and a writing sample.
Scholarship Essay
A personal statement of no more than one page describing your interest in TMWW, including any workshops or conferences you’ve attended in the past, how you heard about the TMWW, and what you hope to gain from the experience.
Writing Sample (No More Than Five Pages)
- Prose manuscripts must be double-spaced.
- Your name and a page number should appear on each sheet of the manuscript.
- Include a short synopsis if your manuscript is excerpted from a longer project.
- Please send your strongest unpublished work.
- We are unable to return submitted materials.
Need Based
One full scholarship in the amount of $1,220 (registration, on-campus housing, and meals) is possible thanks to the generous support of several TMWW alumni who want to share their positive and supportive experiences at TMWW with someone who has a love of writing, but would not be able to attend such an experience without financial assistance. While we do not ask for specific financial information, we ask applicants to self-certify that without financial assistance it will be difficult, if not impossible, for them to participate. This certification will be taken and accepted at face value.
The award will be made at the discretion of the scholarship board based on both the merit of the work and financial need. Recipients must agree to have their name and likeness used on the TMWW website, press releases, and other publicity materials. Any adult (over age 18) may apply.
Deadline for applications is March 10, 2025. Recipients will be notified by April 1, 2025.
Scholarship Essay
Please include a personal statement of no more than one page describing your interest in TMWW, including any workshops or conferences you’ve attended in the past, how you heard about the TMWW, and what you hope to gain from your experience.
Writing Sample (No More Than Five Pages)
- Prose manuscripts must be double-spaced
- Your name and a page number should appear on each sheet of the manuscript.
- Include a short synopsis if your manuscript is excerpted from a longer project.
- Please send your strongest unpublished work.
- We are unable to return submitted materials.