Fourth Summer Institute

The Society held its Fourth Summer Institute June 25 to July 1, 2005. It was our first to take the form of a writing retreat. Five participants came prepared with projects in progress and used the time available primarily to write and to get feedback from others in a kind of extended Columbia seminar format. There were five working days, each with two or three short seminars. The consensus is that the time was well spent. Success can no doubt be attributed to the luxury of having a small number of participants in close geographical proximity for an extended stretch of time, something that we've never had before, at conferences, previous institutes, seminars, or even graduate courses.

The retreat was graciously hosted by Charlene and Joe Crupi at their home in the Poconos of Pennsylvania and in a nearby community lodge (former spacious home of the Mott family of apple fame). Both the house and the lodge are lakeside, with beautiful views of water and of woods. When participants weren't exercising our minds and laptops, we could be found swimming in Lake Paupac or biking around it or hiking to the lovely waterfall that cascades out of it. Unless, that is, we were enjoying the delicious food prepared by the Lake Paupac Club's summer caterers or by Charlene and Joe themselves.

The Society fronted the cost of reserving rooms at the lodge; participants' registration fees reimbursed the Society.