Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum And Educational Center Holds Spring Writers Retreat
PIGGOTT, Ark. –The Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center recently held its annual Spring Writers’ Retreat. Nine talented writers from five states came together at the Arkansas State University Heritage Site in Piggott to hone their skills and to form a community in Northeast Arkansas.
Spring Writers’ Retreat Participants (Left to right): Bethany Stephens (Rogers), Linda Wyss (Piggott), Anne Winchester (St. Francis), Barbara Taylor (Bella Vista), retreat mentor Roland Mann (Orlando, Fla.), Susan Hemingway (Bella Vista), Ethan Baker (Poplar Bluff, Mo.), Doug Hemingway (Bella Vista), Fay Guinn (Jonesboro) Not Pictured: Donna Morris (Pocahontas)
Roland Mann of Orlando, Fla., served as mentor for the retreat. Mann is a former journalist, newspaper editor, and editor with Marvel Comics. He is a talented author, creative writing instructor, and mentor.
Mann said, “A retreat is different than a workshop or conference. In general, a retreat allows the writers to get away from the daily grind at home and focus solely on whatever it is they wish to write. Writing exercises serve to get their writing muscles going. The Hemingway-Pfeiffer writing retreats are, I think, the model for retreats. I think writers should at least try a retreat some time during their writing career — just get away from all of life’s day-to-day worries and write.”
Writers began each day with group activities designed to inspire and encourage creative thought followed by a time to write. The participants enjoyed lunch together at the educational center and ended the afternoon with a group meeting to reflect, share, and discuss the products and processes used by each writer.
This format allowed writers time to focus on their own creative interests, to receive feedback on their work, and to form relationships with other writers.
Writers’ retreats are held three times a year at the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum in Piggott. The next retreat is scheduled for June 9-13, with Arkansas State professor Dr. Rob Lamm serving as mentor. Contact the museum for more information at 870-598-3487 or e-mail adamlong@astate.edu.
Arkansas Heritage Sites at Arkansas State University develops and operates historic properties of regional and national significance in the Arkansas Delta. These sites provide educational resources for formal and informal learning, including serving as living laboratories for students in the university's Heritage Studies Ph.D. program. In addition, they serve as economic catalysts in communities where they are located by attracting heritage tourists from around the country.
