Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont has announced its fourth annual Tremont Writers Conference, an intensive five-day retreat for writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry coordinated in conjunction with Smokies Life. The conference will be held October 21-25, and applications to participate are currently open until May 15.
The conference will offer participants the chance to brainstorm projects and fine-tune their work alongside award-winning author workshop leaders and professional park educators in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This year’s faculty members include guest writer and New York Times best-selling author Ron Rash; recent Kentucky poet laureate and memoirist Crystal Wilkinson (leading the nonfiction cohort); celebrated playwright and Knoxville poet laureate Linda Parsons (poetry cohort leader); and award-winning Cherokee novelist Kelli Jo Ford (leading the fiction cohort).
“This is a rare opportunity for writers to work closely with authors they admire in a setting as immersive as it gets: the Smokies,” said Frances Figart, conference co-director and creative services director for Smokies Life. “We keep the retreat intentionally small — choosing writers who are deeply engaged with their work and excited to challenge themselves in a new setting. It’s that level of collective commitment that bolsters the creative process and makes the experience so productive for our writers.”
Faculty members will lead daily morning group workshops and also mentor writers in optional one-on-one sessions throughout the retreat. Each afternoon, experienced Tremont naturalists will guide participants in activities meant to create a deeper connection to the region’s cultural and natural history. Evenings will conclude with group dinners, fellowship and readings by the featured authors. Meals and lodging are provided.
“Like all of Tremont’s programs, roughing it (a little!) is part of the experience,” said co-director Jeremy Lloyd, who serves as Tremont’s manager of field and college programs. “Most of the workshops take place outdoors, where we can take in and be inspired by our beautiful natural surroundings — with fewer distractions from the modern world. This format is part of what makes the Tremont Writers Conference unique, paving the way for more meaningful connections with workshop leaders and fostering a sense of community among participants.”
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