JJ, I was at the workshop last summer with Sue at Vermont College. Participants come from all over the country, and even from abroad. My goal is to get the MFA in Creative Nonfiction with Sue as my main faculty. I would have embarked on this already but two good things came my way this year which took financial priority 1) our new house with a mighty mortgage 2) my trip to Europe in May. EVERYONE who had obtained their MFA from Vermont College who was at the writer's conference last August said it was one of the best things they could have ever done for themselves. If you don't want to embark on the entire MFA journey, I would recommend the writer's conference. I would go this year too, but I have to go to my grandmother's 100th birthday that week in August. There are not enough good words in the dictionary to describe the experience at the post grad writer's conference at VC. But bring your own food and a fan for your room.