“Pathways to Barrett” creative writing workshop gives writers a competitive edge
Creative writers: the HFC Writing Center will host a “Pathways to Barrett” workshop on Thursday, October 22, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. in Room A-201 on the second floor of the Learning Success Center (Building A on the main campus).
Every winter semester, HFC encourages students to take part in the Francis G. Barrett Creative Writing Contest with the Larry Colter Poetry Prize and Grunow Writer's Prize. This prestigious annual contest honors the memory of the HFC English Department's first chairperson and celebrates the creative writing of students at the College. It is open to works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, experimental prose, and drama from HFC students.
HFC student Alex Gray – The Mirror News editor-in-chief and a member of the Henry Ford II Honors Program – is a Barrett winner and Colter winner from the 2025-26 academic year. Gray will facilitate this workshop, providing information, encouragement, and support for student writers well ahead of the Barrett submission deadline, which is Friday, February 26, 2027.
"Alex wanted more students to know about the creative writing contest and how they could start preparing now to submit their work in the next semester, so they are running a workshop to share their experience and offer some advice and support!" said Writing Center Director Dr. Chelsea Lonsdale.
Other Writing Center events
Please join us for two other events at the Writing Center, including:
- Dr. Mike Hill’s Poetry Reading and Writing Workshop on Tuesday, October 20, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
- "Writers of HFC meet + greet coffee hour" on Thursday, October 22, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
"The Writing Center is so excited to offer these events for the HFC community. I think most people see the Writing Center as a place to get help with writing – and we are that – but we also want to be a place where writing happens and where writers are celebrated for their creativity, their curiosity, and their intellect. Writing is a distinctly human endeavor, and we are proud to be a resource on campus that recognizes and supports writing of all kinds," said Lonsdale.
The “Pathways to Barrett” workshop is free and open to the HFC community. Light refreshments will be served. For questions or more information, contact Lonsdale at calonsdale@hfcc.edu.