Dr. Sharleen Mondal Attends Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference As Contributor in Fiction

Dr. Mondal with her workshop group

The annual Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference in Ripton, VT is the oldest writers’ conference in the United States. Its faculty over the past 94 years have included Robert Frost, Toni Morrison, George R.R. Martin, and Anne Sexton. The conference hosts writers from across the country in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry workshops over a period of ten days. Dr. Mondal had this to share about her experience as a Contributor in Fiction at this year’s conference from August 14-24.

What prompted you to apply to Bread Loaf?

I recently made a switch from publishing literary criticism to writing fiction as my primary work. In the fall of 2017, I did a program through the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity called Post-Tenure Pathfinders, which helps tenured faculty determine their post-tenure focus, rather than simply being reactive to whatever they are asked to do without a clear sense of purpose. Dr. Dawn Weber, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, sponsored my participation in this life-changing program. I was able to make a realistic plan for working on my novel. I reached out to writers who are doing what I wanted to do--write fiction without having earned an M.F.A.--and they helped shepherd me through the steps I would need to take, including finding writers’ conferences that were a good fit for me, which for me meant well-established conferences that had a reputation for either supporting writers of color or making significant efforts to welcome writers of color. I applied to VONA (Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation), Kundiman (for Asian American writers) and Bread Loaf. I did not get into VONA or Kundiman but got into Bread Loaf, much to my gratitude and delight, since the acceptance rate this past year was just 26%!

Meadow at Bread Loaf

What did the application process involve?

There was a general application form, scholarship application, and a writing sample. For my writing sample, I selected the fourth chapter of my novel and requested comments on it from a number of colleagues and fellow writers, as well as sharing it twice with the Akron Writers’ Group, once at a Motivating Writers session where we read our work aloud for positive reinforcement (sort of like a community reading), and once at a Writers’ Workshop where I circulated hard copies and got very detailed feedback from extremely diligent and generous readers.

What was it like to be at Bread Loaf? What were some of the most meaningful or memorable moments of the conference?

Bread Loaf was busy! The schedule was non-stop from morning through evening. Each workshop had ten participants, a faculty member, and a fellow who co-taught with the faculty member. We had to submit our manuscripts that we wanted workshopped in advance of the conference (I selected the eighth chapter of my novel for this purpose). We read and commented on our workshop members’ manuscripts ahead of time (so we came to each workshop with written comments prepared, which we’d hand back to the writer after we discussed their work). There were 186 pages of writing for me to read carefully and comment on before I even got to Vermont! The workshops were humbling and deeply gratifying since everyone’s manuscript was of such high quality. My workshop leader, Ravi Howard (author of the novels Like Trees, Walking and Driving the King), established a wonderful workshop environment from the outset and my group members were at the top of their game, so every workshop was laser focused, full of insightful critique. When I wasn’t in workshop, I was attending the daily lectures by faculty; readings by faculty, fellows, scholars, and fellow contributors; craft sessions; panels; and meetings with literary agents. There were also book signings, meals in the dining hall, and plenty of other opportunities to socialize with other writers.

Robert Frost's Cabin

Some of the most meaningful moments for me--apart from having my manuscript workshopped--included attending the amazing poet Jericho Brown’s reading and most especially hearing him read his poem “Bullet Points.” I loved gathering in the Little Theatre with my fellow Bread Loafers and watching The Pieces I Am, the documentary about Toni Morrison that Bread Loaf leadership got special permission to screen for us. I enjoyed hiking with fellow Bread Loafers up to Robert Frost’s cabin (he was a regular there for many years) and hiking the nearby Robert Frost interpretive trail which includes Frost’s poetry throughout the trail. Other memorable moments happened when I was out by myself; I went out birding nearly every morning, usually in the meadow across from the Bread Loaf Inn, and saw my first Indigo Bunting--and one morning I even saw a baby bear! though thankfully it scampered away as soon as it saw me and was on the other side of some trees that separated us.

Is there anything else you want to share with your students or colleagues about your experience at Bread Loaf?

Yes: keep writing and do it every day. I established a daily writing habit in the fall of 2012 (writing at least 30 minutes a day every weekday whenever possible) and it is one of the most important habits I have ever formed. Were it not for daily writing, I could not have finished so much of my novel, revised it, applied to and gotten into Bread Loaf, or be moving forward on the manuscript now with such regularity during my Senior Study Leave. Try daily writing. It will change your life. We even have a group at Ashland that I normally direct when I am not on leave, the Ashland University Research and Writing Community (the interim director for the 2019-2020 academic year is my colleague Dr. Mason Posner), that supports faculty (full-time and part-time), staff, graduate students, and College of Arts and Sciences students who want to establish a daily writing habit--please check it out if you are interested!