Manuscript Consultation: Fiction

May 15, 2026

Schedule: 4:15-4:45pm Fri

Instructor: Lydi Conklin

Registration Deadline: May 4

Out of stock

Description

Writing Retreat participants may sign up for a 30-minute one-on-one manuscript consultation with retreat faculty members. Appointments will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis either booking online or by calling the office at (608) 987-3292: Friday 4:15-4:45pm Saturday 9:15-9:45am Sunday 9:15-9:45am

Prose: No more than 12 pages of prose, double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins

Poetry: No more than 12 pages of poetry, single-spaced, 12-point font.

Class size 1

  • Tuition $50

Instructor

Photo of Lydi Conklin

Lydi Conklin

Lydi Conklin has received a Stegner Fellowship, four Pushcart Prizes, a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award, a Creative Writing Fulbright in Poland, a grant from the Elizabeth George Foundation, and fellowships from MacDowell, Yaddo, Bread Loaf, Sewanee, Emory, Hedgebrook, Djerassi, the James Merrill House, Lighthouse Works, and elsewhere. Their fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, One Story, McSweeney’s, American Short Fiction, and VQR.…Read More

Lydi Conklin has received a Stegner Fellowship, four Pushcart Prizes, a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award, a Creative Writing Fulbright in Poland, a grant from the Elizabeth George Foundation, and fellowships from MacDowell, Yaddo, Bread Loaf, Sewanee, Emory, Hedgebrook, Djerassi, the James Merrill House, Lighthouse Works, and elsewhere. Their fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, One Story, McSweeney’s, American Short Fiction, and VQR. They have drawn cartoons for The New Yorker and Narrative Magazine, and graphic fiction for The Believer, Lenny Letter, and the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago. They’ve served as the Helen Zell Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan and are now an Assistant Professor of Fiction at Vanderbilt University.

Their story collection, Rainbow Rainbow, was longlisted for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Award and The Story Prize. Their novel, Songs of No Provenance, was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.

Instructor Website

Workshops

Mining Your Stories Writing Retreat

Registration Policies & Waiting Lists

Class Confirmation

You will receive a confirmation of your workshop registration via email about a week prior to the class. If you do not have an email address, you will receive a snail-mail confirmation. Please check the online class listing for supplies to bring to class (there will also be a link to the Supply List in your class confirmation). Some supplies may need to be ordered well ahead of time.

Please note that your class registration will not be confirmed without full payment.

Please read your class confirmation carefully as it may include a supply list and other important details, and note our community standards on our Planning Your Workshop Experience page.

Materials Fees
Many classes have materials fees in addition to the tuition. These are identified in the class listing and are usually paid with the tuition payment; however, in some cases materials fees are paid directly to the instructor at class time (check the class listing).

Cancellation Policy
While we recognize that life intrudes and plans change, in consideration of the time and energy instructors invest in preparing for classes, we must adhere to the following cancellation policies:

Student cancellations

> Cancellations made 30 days or more before the start date of the workshop are eligible for a 75% refund OR a gift certificate in the full amount. The gift certificate can be applied to workshops or lodging one year from the date of cancellation and is transferable.

> Cancellations made 29 days or fewer before the start date of the workshop are not eligible for refunds or gift certificates. We encourage all students to purchase trip insurance, which is available for a reasonable fee.

> Cancellation requests must be made by contacting our office at info@shakeragalley.org or (608) 987-3292.

If you have booked lodging with Shake Rag Alley in conjunction with your class and cancel less than seven days in advance of your reservation, a $50 cancellation fee will apply.

Cancellations by Shake Rag Alley

> If Shake Rag Alley must cancel a class for any reason, you will be notified via email or phone and will be eligible for a full refund or, if you prefer, a transferable gift certificate. You may also consider donating your refund to support our operations or scholarships.

If you have booked lodging with Shake Rag Alley in conjunction with a class canceled by Shake Rag Alley, you may receive a full refund on lodging or gift certificate should you wish to cancel.

Waiting Lists

If a workshop you are interested in is sold out, please fill out this waiting list form. We will contact you if a spot becomes available. The class code requested on the form is the Workshop ID shown at left, beneath the Add to Cart button.

Workshop ID 26R0515N-C Catalog