Feature Articles

The New Hampshire Writers' Project:
Fostering the Literary Arts in the Granite State
By K.M. Jenks

Sometimes, on the library side of book concerns, which has pressing issues of its own, we forget the wellspring of the information flow: the author. Few writers are writers by profession; they have to be something else as well, to pay the freight. Crammed in between a day job and the need to sleep, writing is a solitary activity done in time denied to friends and family. How to get better at the art, where to find peer reviewers, or how to accomplish the more mundane but still mysterious process of publication and promotion are things many writers may think about in the shower or driving to work, but can't get near. That's where organizations such as the New Hampshire Writers' Project come in. I spoke recently with Katie Goodman, the Executive Director, about the work the organization does.

YBP: Why a Writers' Project? Isn't an artist obliged to work alone in the garret until publication of the Great American Novel, or at least a Pretty Good American Poem?

K. Goodman: Sixteen years ago, in New Hampshire, a group of private citizens considered that question, and answered no. These people were literary enthusiasts who wanted to provide a network that would serve the writers of New Hampshire. The model was the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance.

YBP: What kind of services does NHWP offer?

K. Goodman: We offer workshops, referrals, and do some promotion of work by New Hampshire authors. We have a website and a newsletter that serves our membership--we have about 750 members in our organization at present. And I believe we have the most comprehensive listing of literary events in the state. Everything's in there, and we sponsor some of the events. We're always updating the calendar.

YBP: Is there a typical member in terms of gender, age, or genre preference?

K. Goodman: Really the reverse. Our members include unpublished writers, people writing memoirs for their grandchildren, internationally best-selling authors, Pulitzer Prize winners, beginning poets, and the present and several former NH Poets Laureate as well as a former national Poet Laureate. We have some terrific writers in our membership.

YBP: So you don't have to be invited to join the Writers' Project, as if it were a juried crafts league?

K. Goodman: The idea is not to make an exclusive club, but to open NHWP to writers of all kinds, and also to friends and supporters, publishers and booksellers, students.

YBP: Tell me about NHWP's workshops.

K. Goodman: We try to balance the workshops so that fiction writers, poets, and writers of non-fiction are equally served. We have beginning and master classes for varying skill levels. We do members surveys to determine the areas of greatest interest. At our next Writer's Day, coming up in March, we're offering Elements of Children's Fiction, The Art of Writing the Short Script, Feature Writing for Freelancers, Legal Issues for Writers, and many others.

[For a complete list, use this link to the website] http://www.nhwritersproject.org/NewFiles/Home.html

YBP: Is there a workshop that's always a hit?

K. Goodman: Our poetry workshops and anything to do with memoirs are always very popular, and so are the fiction "how-to" classes. We try not to repeat exact classes, or bring back the same instructors; we continue to offer something new, and try to offer something for everyone.

YBP: What kinds of referrals does NHWP do?

K. Goodman: Often someone is looking to found or to join a writers' group. These groups are a lifeline to people who are looking for peer reviewers. Other times there are organizations, such as schools or businesses, looking for a person to conduct a workshop or speak on a topic having to do with writing.

YBP: So you're not making referrals of members to, say, literary agents?

K. Goodman: No, but we have offered workshops with literary agents, who describe how to make a book proposal, what an agent does, and how not to drive an agent crazy!

YBP: How is the Writers' Project funded?

K. Goodman: Through membership, private fundraisers such as the Writers' Block Parties, and through grants, one of which is a grant from the NH State Council on the Arts.

YBP: Your website says that the Writers Block Parties have raised over $15,000. Sounds like a great idea. How does it work?

K. Goodman: One of our supporters hosts a party at his or her home, and the guests donate an admission price to NHWP. Several of our member writers or poets read during the evening. These gatherings have been successful not only in fundraising, but also in connecting creative people who have heard of each other, but never met. David Carroll [author of Swampwalker's Journal, Trout Reflections, and The Year of the Turtle] introduced Mary Ann Esposito [host of PBS's Ciao Italia] at one of the block parties. It was a great introduction--David was so enthusiastic!

YBP: You have an office here on the campus of Southern New Hampshire University. How did that come about?

K. Goodman: We approached the University with the idea of a partnership, and President Paul LeBlanc was overwhelmingly supportive of the idea. The University has been very generous to us in terms of space and resources. I believe it will be a great partnership and will benefit both SNHU students and our members.

YBP: Do you have any special events planned for the year ahead?

K. Goodman: We're exploring an idea we call "literary tourism." Writers in New Hampshire often make use of the state in terms of setting the scene, and we'd like to offer a tour of an area associated with a certain book, which might also include a workshop with the author.

YBP: Is this kind of informational service and networking for writers an idea coming into its own? Does every state have an organization similar to the NH Writers' Project?

K. Goodman: There are some, such as the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, as I've mentioned, the Writers Centers in Maryland and in North Carolina, Gemini Ink in Texas, and The Loft in Minneapolis. We are in touch with them, and exchange newsletters and information.

YBP: As the Director, if you could be granted a single wish for the Writers' Project, what would it be?

K. Goodman: [Laughs] Anytime you talk to the director of a non-profit organization, the subject will turn to funding! I wish the Project might have an endowment, and be not so close to the edge in terms of finances.

YBP: The mission of the Writers' Project is, as it says in your banner, to foster literary arts in the Granite State. How can you tell if you're succeeding?

K. Goodman: I believe we've been successful at getting the message out that there is a resource for writers in the state. Five years ago, when I came on board, I'd make calls, introduce myself, and then spend time explaining what the Writers' Project was. That's changed. People have heard of us, and find us through a variety of means, by word of mouth, via the web, and also through our literary programs.

The New Hampshire Writers' Project each year prepares a Book Sampler, which features the work of members. The following titles are selections from the 2003-2004 Sampler; please contact NHWP for the complete listing.

AGENT FOR JUSTICE