Macondo Foundation: Programs—Macondo Workshop


	Macondo Workshop Description Our annual Macondo Writing Workshop is an exceptionally unique summer gathering of writers working on geographic, cultural, economic, social and spiritual borders. Begun in 1998 by writer Sandra Cisneros and named after the town in Gabriel García Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, the week-long workshop transforms San Antonio, Texas — and more broadly, La Frontera — into a space of intense artistic and cultural creativity. Every summer, the Macondo Workshop meets from the last Sunday in July through the first Sunday in August at the Our Lady of the Lake University campus in San Antonio.

	(l-r) Laura Negrete, (back) Angie Chau, Gabriela Jauregui, (center) Yael Flusberg, Daisy Hernandez, Lorraine Lopez

	Workshops and Events The Macondo Workshop is a master’s level workshop, meaning that participants are expected to be committed and well-seasoned writers capable of reviewing each other’s work with compassionate rigor and vision. Workshops are divided into three categories: The Mocosos Workshops are for 1st year participants, and are led by experienced Macondo alumni. Persons wishing to attend the Macondo Workshop as 1st year participants must be nominated in writing by past participants of the Macondo Workshop and must apply for admission by completing the attached 1st Year Application (Annual Deadline January 31). The Famosa/o Workshops are for 2nd and 3rd year participants. These workshops are led by different guest writers each year. Application requirements and workshop structure vary from year to year based on the guest writers’ preferences and workshop logistics. For 2008, the Famosa/o Workshop leaders will be the Poet Ai and Andrei Codrescu. Both workshops will be mixed genre (poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction). The Infamosa/o Workshops are open to all participants of the Macondo Workshop. These workshops are designed around a particular topic or literary genre. Generally, afternoons are spent in workshop and evenings are devoted to readings and lectures or forums regarding various artistic, political, and spiritual issues related to writing. In addition, there are several events planned throughout the week to provide participants with many opportunities for quality social interaction.

	(l-r, around the table) Michelle Otero, Francisco Aragon, Erasmo Guerra, Rene Colato Lainez, Carolina Monsivais