Who are we? The Jiménez-Porter Writers' House is a unique Living and Learning Program that offers students at the University of Maryland a literary center for the study of creative writing across cultures and languages. The program's mission is three-fold: -to act as the vibrant literary hub of the University of Maryland, College Park, via public reading series, publication of a literary journal, and other outreach activities -to foster a successful literary community in residence at University of Maryland, College Park - a successful literary community being one that strives to be supportive of all members, academically and socially -to study and support creative writing in its cross-cultural dimensions - to maintain this focus in who we are (recruitment of a diverse student body and staff), what we study (curriculum), and what we produce (literary journal, reading series, etc). The Writers' House shares Dorchester Hall with the Global Communities Program. Living in close proximity, students from both programs gather, plan activities, form community and help one another make important connections across disciplines and cultures. The program was conceived and developed primarily for upper-division students, but will consider applications from academically talented incoming freshmen who have a solid focus on creative writing. The program is open to all majors, freshman to senior. Who are we named after? The Writers' House is named for two twentieth-century writers closely connected to the University of Maryland. Juan Ramón Jiménez was a professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and a recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Katherine Anne Porter is a preeminent American fiction writer who left a portion of her personal library and papers to the university, housed among the Special Collections in Hornbake Library. Born a native of Texas on May 15, 1890, Katherine Anne Porter's passion for writing led her to move to New York, where her first short story was published. Her reputation rests on her short fiction, although she published one novel and non-fiction pieces, including book reviews, essays, and memoirs. Many of her stories sprung from her personal history and from places where she resided, such as Mexico, Berlin, and Paris. Between 1920 and 1931 she spent nearly three years in Mexico, which became the setting of some of her stories, including Maria Concepcion. In 1969 Porter moved to College Park, Maryland, from Washington D.C. She donated her personal library and a portion of her papers to the University of Maryland Libraries, where a room in Hornbake Library is named in her honor. Part of a group of poets and writers who led Spain's literary revival at the turn of the century, Juan Ramón Jiménez was one of the greatest Spanish poets of the 20th century. Also a critic and editor of literary journals, one of his most important contributions to literature was his idea of "poesia pura," or pure poetry. He spent the later part of his career teaching at the University of Maryland at College Park between 1948 to 1951. His fellow faculty members nominated him for the Nobel Prize in Literature, which he won in 1956. An extraordinarily prolific writer, his several dozen works include Animal de Fondo, Platero y Yo, and Three Hundred Poems. Who's on staff? Director Johnna Schmidt is a graduate of the MFA Program in Creative Writing at University of Maryland. A fiction writer, Johnna has been at the Writers' House since its inception, and teaches Fiction as well as Writing for Publication. Johnna got her start in writing through an interest in theater, and has performed across the U.S. and previously lived and worked in San Francisco and New York City. Her awards include the American Writer's Program Intro to Journals Nomination in Fiction, and a sample of her recent work can be seen at washingtonart.com. Johnna resides in the D.C. area with her husband and two sons. Assistant Director Vivianne Salgado is a native of Chile, and studied fiction for four years with Pia Barros at Ergo Sum, one of the most prolific literary workshops during Pinochet's dictatorship. Vivianne received an M.A. in Contemporary Lating American Literature from University of Maryland and is currently working toward her Ph.D. Vivianne is a fiction instructor at The Writers' House as well as Summer ARTS! Program at Maryland. Assistant Director Zein El-Amine was born and raised in Lebanon and has lived in the U.S. since 1987. A graduate student in the MFA Program in Creative Writing, his poems have appeared in GYST, Pnumbra, DC Poets Against the War anthology, and Joybringer. He received first prize in the the Tallahassee Writers' Association Annual Poetry and Haiku Contest. He is a regular contributer of political essays to Left Turn Magazine which he co-founded and his editorials have appeared in the Washington Post and the Washington Spark. Writers! Download the Application for the Writers' House HERE!