Madville’s first in-person writing workshop–CANCELED
Because of the increased difficulty of travel at this time, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this workshop.
We chose the name “Mad Barnstorming” for our writing workshop for several reasons. Mad is part of our name, and we are kind of mad (as in crazy) to do what we do at all. Kerry Neville (faculty member) has a memoir out with Mad in the title (Momma May Be Mad.) But most of all, the largest cottage at Spatterdock, where we will be staying and conducting the workshops is named “Barnstormer Cottage.” That will be our home for three days.
Uncertain, Texas? Is that really the name of a town?
Yes. Uncertain, Texas, is a place that spawns stories. We don’t want anyone to misunderstand where we’re going, so we thought this documentary film (2015) seemed a great way to introduce the place. Here is the trailer. (The full-length documentary is available to rent from Amazon Prime, and while you’re there, look for Bernie starring Jack Black and Shirley McClean. If you love dialect the way we do, that film will make you happy.
We are trying to share a place that is unlike any other. While it is off the beaten path, getting there isn’t as difficult as you might think. The location is rustic, atmospheric, awe-inspiring. We’ve booked all the space at Spatterdock guesthouses, but we hope also to attract more writers than that, either from the local area, or from elsewhere. There are quite a few guesthouses and cabins in the area. We will also be near Jefferson, Texas, and Marshall, Texas, where additional guesthouses are plentiful. READ About Caddo Lake State Park.
Our faculty are amazing! You have heard us talk about them before. They are Gerry LaFemina, Michael Simms, and Kerry Neville. All are multi-genre authors who also teach creative writing at the university level.
The photo gallery below shows pictures from a couple of different trips Kim took to Caddo Lake. Most of these photos are by John R. Fortune, who is pictured here alongside the text he contributed heavily to, The Northeast Corner of Harrison County, Texas. John will be our contact person in the region. Kim is pictured at Johnson’s Ranch, in Uncertain, Texas, on a sunrise boat ride, and at the railway museum in Marshall, Texas. The mosaic art and the art cars are all around Spatterdock.
Faculty
We have three authors who have all published in multiple genres, poetry and prose, fiction and nonfiction, popular and literary. All three are professors with experience in the business of publishing, and all can and will speak to what it takes to get published. These are the initial subjects they have suggested speaking about, but we will be somewhat fluid here and attendees can expect the really rich conversations to happen around the fire pit or in the rockers on the screened porch in the evenings.
Kerry Neville: “Writing Truth, Writing True: Writing Short (But Not Shortsighted) Meditative Essays”
Michael Simms: “Dragons, vampires and detectives: why genre fiction?”
Gerry LaFemina: “The Poetic Line: Finding Best Words and Best Order”