Bread Loaf Writers' Conference

TheMiddlebury Bread Loaf Writers' Conferenceis anauthor's conferenceheld every summer at the Bread Loaf Inn, nearBread Loaf Mountain, east ofMiddlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1926, it has been called byThe New Yorker"the oldest and most prestigiouswriters' conferencein the country."Bread Loaf is a program ofMiddlebury Collegeand at its inception was closely associated withRobert Frost, who lived in nearbyRiptonand attended a total of 29 sessions.
Every other day for 10 days, the 220 participants attend 10-person workshops, where their writing is assessed by the faculty and others in the workshop, including Scholars and Fellows. Numerous readings, craft classes, events, and agent meetings are also included.Michael Collier, a poet and professor at theUniversity of Maryland, College Parkand director of the conference, toldSeven Daysnewspaper of Vermont the event should not be confused with the more leisurely model of a writers' retreat. It's "designed for learning rather than for on-site writing."USA Todayin an article on summer literary gatherings, said of Bread Loaf, "There is nowhere in America where you can hear more great writers reading more great work in such a short space of time."Seven Daysnotes that participants are warned to pace themselves to avoid exhaustion.
According toSeven Days, the likelihood of general admission to Bread Loaf (in 2005) stood at about 17 percent, given a total applicant pool of 1,500. Of those accepted, 170 students pay full fare. These people are called Contributors (because they contribute to the workshops with their writing).The New Yorkerwrote that the most coveted scholarships to Bread Loaf are the 25 "Waiterships", in which promising writers earn their keep by serving three meals a day to the paying guests. Besides the Waiterships, applicants who have been published can try for tuition scholarships, and those with a published book can become Bread Loaf Teaching Fellows. Waiters, Tuition Scholars, and Fellows are given the opportunity to give public readings.
Noted authors who have been associated with the conference over the years includeRichard Wright,James Brown,John Ciardi,Bernard DeVoto,Robert Frost,John Gardner,Richard Gehman,Donald Hall,John Irving,Shirley Jackson,Barry Lopez,Robie Macauley,George R.R. Martin,Carson McCullers,Norman Mailer,Toni Morrison,Linda Pastan,May Sarton,Anne Sexton,Eudora Welty,Stanley Elkin,Tim O'BrienandRichard Yates.
In the 1960s the conference director wasJohn Ciardi, who lost the support of the executives (particularly that of assistant director Paul Cubeta, who agitated strongly for increased salaries). Cubeta was replaced by Edward A. "Sandy" Martin in 1965. Dissent from the participants continued to grow over the next few years as pressure increased to abandon the principles of earned hierarchy and adopt more egalitarian structures and behaviours.
Recent Faculty have includedJulia Alvarez,Andrea Barrett,Charles Baxter,Linda Bierds,Robert Boswell,Lan Samantha Chang,Ted Conover,Mark Doty,Percival Everett,Lynn Freed,Linda Gregerson,Patricia Hampl,Edward Hirsch,Brigit Pegeen Kelly,William Kittredge,Rebecca Makkai,Antonya Nelson,Carl Phillips,Natasha Trethewey,Ellen Bryant Voigt,Daniel Wallace, andDean Young.
The Conference is currently administered by directorJennifer Grotzand assistant director, Lauren Francis-Sharma.
Recent Fellows at the Conference have includedChristopher Castellani,Geri Doran,Thomas Sayers Ellis,John Engels,Ilya Kaminsky,Suji Kwock Kim,Naeem Murr,Peter Orner,Eric Puchner,Richard Siken,Monique Truong,Vendela Vida,Tiphanie YaniqueandC. Dale Young.
Well-known recipients of waiterships have includedJulia Alvarez,Amanda Davis,Samuel R. Delany,Carolyn Forche,Jonathan Galassi,Jean Kwok,Justin Torres,Tama Janowitz,Antonya Nelson,Tiphanie YaniqueandJoy Williams.
Beginning with the 2020 conference, the new director, Jen Grotz, discontinued this form of scholarship, redirecting funds to scholarships without work requirements as a more generous way of supporting the same participants. This decision considered the fact that some felt that the "waiterships" though well respected created a sense of racist distinction (in recent years many waiters have been writers of color). There was a recognition that the meal service role unintentionally created the perception that some scholarship recipients were being categorized as servants.
In the 2006 episode "Moe'N'a Lisa" of the animated sitcomThe Simpsons, some of the plot takes place at the "Wordloaf Literary Conference" in Vermont, based on Bread Loaf. The episode features the authorsMichael Chabon,Jonathan Franzen,Tom WolfeandGore Vidal, all voice acting as themselves.