Important Information for 2018 Participants

25th Annual Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway

January 12-15, 2018

Below is a list of everything you need to arrive safely, happily and ready to enjoy the weekend, including how to book our special rate to extend your stay. Please read this carefully even if you’ve attended before so you don’t miss anything.

 

Arrival Logistics for Friday, January 12, 2018

• 4:00 p.m. or later: You may check in at Seaview anytime after 4:00 p.m. When you arrive, you can pull up to the main entrance where the bell service will help you unload. You can then pull around to the free parking area or leave your car with valet parking for $13 per day (or $6 per day for commuters).
• 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.: Plan to stop by “Getaway Central” between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. to register and pick up your Getaway folder and registration materials. Getaway Central is located near the front desk on the way to the guest room elevators.
• 5:00 p.m. event option: Sharing Room – This unhosted, informal setting offers the opportunity to share your writing with fellow participants.
• 6:00 p.m. event options
  • First-time Participants Session: New to the Getaway or haven’t attended in a while? Plan to attend “Meet, Greet & Ask” so you can meet other writers who are new to the Getaway, take a tour and ask any questions you might have.
  • Writers’ Happy Hour – Look for others wearing Getaway name tags and introduce yourself.
• 7:00 p.m.: Opening Program – Reception, Book Swap and Orientation. The menu features traditional reception snacks and a cash bar. If you have a hearty appetite, consider eating dinner beforehand. The formal program will begin around 8:00 p.m.
• If you need to arrive after 7:00 p.m., ask the front desk to direct you to the opening session in the Bayview Ballroom and you can pick up your folder at the registration table near the ballroom entrance.
• If you need to arrive after 9:30 p.m., please stop at Getaway Central on Saturday morning between 8:30 – 8:45 a.m. to check in and pick up your materials.
• If you have registered for one of the Friday afternoon Algonquin-style workshops, we will email you by January 9 with suggested arrival times and locations.

 

Weather Alert

The Getaway will NOT be cancelled! If the forecast looks threatening, consider arriving a day or two early at the special reduced rate mentioned below. If you are delayed for any reason, weather or otherwise, please contact us and plan to arrive Saturday and you can still benefit from most of your weekend.

Cancellation policy reminder (As published in The Fine Print)

• On or before Nov. 20 — 100% refund minus a $50 processing fee
• Nov. 21-Dec. 10 — 50% of total refunded
• Dec. 11-31 — 50% credit for future Getaway
• Jan. 1 or after — Sorry, no refund will be issued
• Change Fee ($25) will be charged to switch your workshop, room package, tutorial(s), add-ons and/or payment method after Dec. 10

 

What to Bring

• Notebook and writing paper.
• Medications, toiletries and personal items.
• Dress is casual.
• Bring an extra sweater to layer. New Jersey can be chilly in January and one of the ballrooms requires a quick (5 second) outdoor walk.
• If you smoke, bring a warm coat! Seaview is completely non-smoking.
• Cash, checks or credit card for the Bookstore, housekeeping gratuity, coffee at the gift shop and Saturday night’s dinner out.
• A credit card to swipe at check in for incidentals.
• Optional:
  • A laptop and printer are not necessary, but if you bring them, free wi-fi internet access is available in many parts of the hotel. (There is a business center equipped with a printer. Details below.)
    • Note: If your workshop requires you to bring a laptop or tablet, please do so.
  • Book(s) to be signed by Special Guests Stephen Dunn and Gregory Pardlo and/or other faculty.
  • Item to trade at the Friday night Book Swap: The swap is an informal way to share books and literary magazines. They’ll be placed on a table where you can drop off your items and pick up whatever strikes your fancy. Feel free to bring an item to share, but you won’t get it back, so bring only what you can live without. (And no, you certainly don’t have to be published in them.)
  • Appropriate clothing and gear if you plan to swim, participate in yoga, go for a nature walk, work out, play golf, get dressy for AC or the Getaway disco, etc.
  • Snacks and beverages that don’t need refrigeration.
  • If you’d like to participate in an Open Mic or an informal “Noisy Sharing Room” session, bring a previously written short piece of work (or a poem or two), 3 minute maximum for regular open mics, or 5 minute max for the musical open mic. You are also welcome to bring instruments to the musical open mic.

 

Getaway Bookstore

Hours for the Getaway Bookstore:  Sunday, 5:00-8:15 p.m. and 10:00-10:30 p.m. Cash, check or credit cards accepted!

How to sell your book(s): If you have books, CDs or crafts you would like to sell at the Getaway Bookstore, bring up to 10 copies of each item you wish to sell. We will sell them on consignment for a 20% fee. Instructions will be in your Getaway folder. Payments and unsold items will be returned on Monday. Please plan to pick up your items before you leave.

New for 2018 – Crafts: The bookstore will sell handmade crafts including jewelry, knitted items and more. Bring yours along if you wish to sell your crafts. The same 20% consignment fee will apply.

 

Extending your Getaway

Greedy for more solitude? Come early or stay longer.

• The rate for extra nights for the 2018 Getaway will be $95/night plus taxes and fees (single or double occupancy, no meals included).
• You’ll be able to stay in the same room throughout your whole visit.

If you would like to extend your Getaway, please call Beth Williams, Group Reservation Manager, at 609-748-7608. If she doesn’t pick up, leave a message and identify yourself as a Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway participant who would like to check in early or stay longer. It may take her up to two business days to return your call, so do your best to be patient.

 

Printing

Seaview has a 24 hour Business Center which will allow you to print for free. You’ll need to use your room key to access it, so commuters will need to team up with those staying over. Email your file to yourself, or use your USB drive to transfer your document to Seaview’s computers to print.

Please note:

1. Most workshops have a 12:00 p.m. deadline for turning in work to print, and the Business Center will be very busy then. Please plan accordingly and be patient.
2. To keep things flowing in the Business Center, it will only be possible to print from 11:15 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday (No writing, typing or browsing).

 

Location, Directions, Public Transportation, Etc.

Visit our location page for comprehensive travel recommendations.

If you get to the area before check in begins, consider stopping by Historic Smithville or drive the loop around the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge; both are just minutes away.

 

Carpooling to the Winter Getaway

Use our carpool board to connect with others looking to share rides and expenses. Please note, that over the years participants have often waited until the last minute to use the carpool board. That said, the sooner you post, the more likely you are to find someone to share a ride with.

 

Schedule

You’ll receive a copy of the schedule in your Getaway folder at registration, but you can view the tentative schedule here.

 

Additional Program Information

• Reminder about meals: Meals will be served buffet style with a variety of choices including vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and dairy free options.
• Your tuition includes: Friday evening reception, lunch Saturday and Sunday, and dinner Sunday.
• Additional meals included for those with room packages: 3 breakfasts, 1 additional lunch (Monday)
• The weekend will wrap up on Monday with the Closing Program, a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a farewell lunch (included for participants with a room package, and able to be added by commuters for $30 per person). Refresh your memory of the schedule.
• Like to be active? We’re offering sunrise yoga all three mornings at 7 a.m. Bring loose fitting clothes and a yoga mat or towel.

 

For Poetry Workshop Participants

Workshops
On Saturday and Sunday mornings, all the poets will gather for an hour or so to discuss a packet of poems. Then Peter will give you a prompt and send you off to write. Your new poem will be photocopied over lunch and delivered to your workshop in the afternoon. You will get to work with a different workshop leader each day and will find your “Poetry Table” assignments in the folder you’ll receive on-site. The Monday morning workshop session (10:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) will also have your Poetry Table pre-assigned. You can refresh your memory of how it works.

For those registered to work with Special Guests Stephen Dunn and Gregory Pardlo, you may workshop the morning’s assignment or bring a poem in progress (30 line maximum). Either way, we’ll copy it for you over lunch.

Tutorials
If you indicated when registering that you would like to take advantage of a one-on-one poetry tutorial, please note that it will take place Saturday or Sunday afternoon between 4:40 – 7:00 p.m. You will have the opportunity to select your 20 minute slot at the start of our Saturday morning session. Some people like to get feedback on a poem they are still working on; others bring one they think is finished. Either is fine.

Please look at our tutors’ bios ahead of time:

• Emari DiGiorgio
• Karen Zaborowski Duffy
• Kenneth Hart
• Christine E. Salvatore
• Gretna Wilkinson
• Paul-Victor Winters

 

Contact Info

• If you have any questions prior to January 11, please call us at 609-626-3594 or email info@wintergetaway.com.
• If you have a last minute question or emergency on January 11 or 12, leave a message at Seaview for Peter Murphy, 609-652-1800.

 

**Please travel safely! The biggest risks you take should be with your imagination.**