Writing Retreat for Veterans

A Farewell to ArmsIn 1928, Ernest Hemingway penned portions of one of the most enduring war novels in American literature, A Farewell to Arms, at the home of his second wife Pauline Pfeiffer in Piggott, Arkansas. Hemingway’s studio is now the site of an all-expense paid weekend writing retreat for veterans. The retreat offers military veterans from or living in Arkansas the opportunity to work on personal creative writing, share their work, receive feedback, and interact with others interested in writing. Not all writers come with something in mind to write, but many do. The retreat is structured to be interactive, a time when friendships are formed, craft is honed, and creativity is enhanced.

Dr. Rob Lamm, of Jonesboro, AR, will serve as mentor for the retreat. Rob serves as Director of English Education at Arkansas State University. Highlights of his career include serving as a visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame, directing the NEA Writing Project, editing the literary magazine Arkansas Anthology, and mentoring writers’ retreats at the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Educational Center. He presents on many subjects, including “Visual Arguments,” “Humor Writing,” “Writing Poetry,” and other forms of creative writing. The second edition of his college-level textbook Dynamic Argument was published by Wadsworth Publishers, Cengage Learning.

Writers’ retreats are structured to be interactive with group activities and private writing time and mentoring. Writers contribute stories, poems, and essays to be published on-site in a spiral-bound souvenir anthology for each participant. For more information or to receive an application, contact us.

This event is held in partnership with the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.