Spring is in full bloom and we are excited to share that last month, MCWC travelled to Sonoma State University for the first ever Sonoma Community Writers' Festival!
A group of MCWC writers read pieces that were selected for the latest issue of Noyo Review, our curated collection of work from our MCWC community published annually online. If you haven't read it yet, you can check it out via the link below!
Top row (left to right): Pamela Bordisso, antmen pimentel mendoza, Rashaan Meneses, Frej Barty, Virgie Tovar; Bottom row: Ebony Haight, Michelle Peñaloza
SUPPORT NOYO REVIEW
The tradition and publication of Noyo Review annually depends on a small and dedicated group of people who are passionate about MCWC and uplifting the voices of writers in our community. By making a donation, you can help support this work of building and sustaining a vibrant, relevant writing community. Every gift is appreciated, no matter how small!
REGISTRATION IS OPEN AND WE HAVE A FEW SPOTS LEFT!
If you haven't gotten your spot yet for our in person conference in August, don't wait too long as three of our workshops are already sold out! Registration will close when all spots are full or by June 30, whichever comes first.
We still have spots open in the following workshops:
MG/YA with Lio Min
Nonfiction with Jessica Ferri
Speculative Fiction with Nic Anstett
Hybrid Genre with Henry Hoke
We hope to see you in Mendocino August 1-3!
Q&A WITH FACULTY MEMBER
JESSICA FERRI
We sat down with MCWC 2024 Nonfiction Workshop Faculty, Jessica Ferri, and asked a few questions...
You are a prolific critic, essayist, bookseller, and educator. You hold a master’s degree in music and worked in publishing for over a decade. How would you introduce yourself and your work to writers interested in working with you at MCWC 2024?
I'm a writer and reader who believes that writing is a matter of life and death, and for many, a matter of survival. I think writers can write about anything, as long as the writing is interesting. I believe in making it work on our own terms.
How would you describe your creative nonfiction workshop to a writer curious about it?
Ours will be a workshop about writing through the body, and being grounded in the body as we write. An "in-body" experience!
What are you hoping participants of your MCWC workshop will get out of the time they spend with you?
I hope that they will find confidence in their voice and the knowledge that if they must write, they have to write for themselves.
How does teaching figure into your writing practice?
Absolutely and immensely. The dynamic nature of the classroom is so important to keeping a writer on their toes. I think the classroom is the place where we are our most human.
Do you practice any creative rituals or routines that help you create your work?
I try to read as much as time allows, and I keep a commonplace book. I also really love taking a walk, if there's somewhere with flowers.
Who/what are your key influences and sources of inspiration?
It would be difficult for me to do any writing without the work of Marguerite Duras, Hélêne Cixous, or Virginia Woolf. I'm also passionate about visual art. I love to read about other artists' routines.
Please answer one or more of these questions lifted from the (in)famous Vanity Fair Proust Questionnaire:
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A dog (or dogs), a book, a bed.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Politeness.
Which talent would you most like to have?
It's not a talent, but I wish I could read and write in German and French.
Who are your favorite writers?
Thomas Bernhard, Virginia Woolf, Jean Stafford, Jamaica Kincaid, Sarah Manguso, Sheila Heti. I have been reading and rereading Maggie Nelson and Rachel Cusk.
Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Mrs. Dalloway, probably. Or Jane Eyre. Definitely Chris Kraus and Annie Ernaux.
What is your motto?
Be yourself (Always thinking of Robin Williams as the Genie in Aladdin, "beeee yourself.")
3 MONTHS TO MCWC 2024!
Photo by: Mimi Carroll