I'm delighted to be able to report some new afternoon-workshop course offerings for the July 18-25 Port Townsend Writers' Conference.

Bill Ransom (pictured) who founded the Conference, in 1974, and who has taught here periodically since, will be leading two workshops. On Monday, July 19; and Tuesday, July 20, he will be leading “A Writer’s Tool Box”, designed to help writers revise their work.  

"Bring poetry, fiction or nonfiction prose manuscripts, a writing implement and a willingness to mark up your work," he writes. "We will identify weak and strong elements of language and will apply what we've discussed to your writing. Strengthen your writing with this workshop, no matter which genre you bring or how much experience you've had; the art, however, is all up to you."

Ransom's latest collection is “The Woman and the War Baby”.

We have also just added a new photography workshop with Daniel Zolinsky, happening Tuesday, July 20; and Wednesday, July 21. Photographers are encouraged to attend both workshops in order to get the greatest benefit.

"The workshop will have as its basic premise that there is a relationship between photography and literature," Zolinsky writes. "We will explore the parallels of storytelling and the common thread that they share, which is fundamentally a way of seeing, or the difference between just looking and really seeing. Seeing as a way of life. Both disciplines also share the same pillars of authenticity and truth, and seek to find intensity rather than beauty. Participants will delve into the intuitive process required to interrogate reality and as Minor White said: “To look at something to ‘see’ what else, what more there is to it.” We will take advantage of the exquisite setting of Fort Worden to work in the field and explore the site to find its essence to articulate a sense of place, and also to discover the abstract in nature, and examine the compelling reality just beneath the surface of ordinary experience, and hopefully it will lead us to  what James Agee calls “lucky situation of joy”—a  moment of revelation when emotions are transcribed by photography. No photography experience is necessary. Bring a camera, film or digital. Digital will facilitate reviewing results at he end of the workshop. Bring a notebook as you may wish to write a text to accompany your photographs."