The Summer Program celebrated another successful season in 2008, offering over 65 courses in creative writing and the visual arts. Hewing to the founders' belief that "the best catalyst for artistic growth is the freedom to pursue creative work within a community of peers," the Summer Program encouraged a supportive, communal spirit each week.

Students were greeted with a Welcome BBQ on Sunday evenings, and additional gatherings and events throughout the week, including morning coffee and pastry in the lounge, a bag lunch on Tuesday, and a potluck picnic on Thursday, all of which provided ample opportunities for students and faculty to interact. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, the faculty presented their work, often pairing readings and slide lectures, stimulating dialogue across genre and media. Thursday nights showcased student accomplishments, starting with a tour of the visual arts studios, and ending with a student reading in the Stanley Kunitz Common Room.

Of course the renowned faculty is key to the achievements of FAWC's Summer Program. Some of the most talented and respected writers and artists working today teach workshops in poetry, fiction, memoir, playwriting and creative nonfiction; painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, stone carving, and book arts. The practice of rotating the faculty each year keeps the program fresh and vibrant; a full 40% of the faculty hired in 2008 were new to the Work Center. On the creative writing side, poets Kimiko Hahn, Mark Conway, Michael Ryan, Martha Collins and Ross Gay joined a veteran roster that included Maxine Kumin, Vijay Seshadri, Henri Cole, Major Jackson, and Marie Howe. New fiction faculty included Jayne Anne Phillips, Martha Southgate and Nahid Rachlin. Pamela Painter introduced a workshop titled "Quick, Sudden, Flash: Writing the Short Short Story." Phillip Lopate taught an advanced course in "Writing Memoir, Personal Narrative and Essay." David Gessner focused on "Writing From Place." Elana Greenfield attracted playwrights and thespians alike with her "Playwriting Workshop Intensive."

New faculty and challenging courses also enhanced the visual arts offerings. Landscape painter Stuart Shils brought his students to paint at several different outdoor locations. He began his workshop with a fascinating lecture, open to the public, titled "The Perception of Nature and the Nature of Perception." Photographer Connie Imboden also worked with the concept of perception, teaching her students to develop their intuitive visual process in her course "Creativity, Intuition and Seeing." Rebekah Tolley taught an introductory level "Polyester Plate Lithography," a non-toxic approach to traditional lithography. Joanne Dugan explored the ideas and processes of creating photography books, including fine art monographs, children's books, and photographic gift books. Printmaker Daniel Heyman introduced "Reduction Woodblock Printmaking," a process new to the FAWC catalog of workshops. Lauren Ewing returned to the faculty roster to offer a stone carving course for beginners. In addition, perennial favorites such as Robert Henry and Richard Baker taught figure painting, while Joel Janowitz's watercolor workshop focused on "Painting Light." Sue Miller, Jim Peters and Roberto Juarez offered courses that combined painting, collage and mixed-media. In the printmaking department, Betsey Garand returned to teach her popular class "Drypoint: Traditional and Contemporary Methods of Image Making," Louise Hamlin explored "Carborundum Printmaking," Peik Larsen taught "Photoetching," while Andrew Mockler, Bert Yarborough and Vicky Tomayko presented different approaches to Monotype/Monoprint. Photographers Constantine Manos, Amy Arbus and David Hilliard were back by popular demand; Manos focused on street photography, Arbus set her students to capture narrative portraits, and Hilliard combined both ideas in his workshop "The Portrait, The Environment."

In addition to the many outstanding readings and slide lectures presented by the faculty, there were also a number of special events that drew crowds of locals and tourists alike to the Stanley Kunitz Common Room. Patricia Feinstein presented "Hans Hofmann," a film documentary created in collaboration between Hofmann and her late husband, artist/director/producer Sam Feinstein during the summers of 1950-51. Mary Oliver read her poems to a sell-out audience to benefit the FAWC's "Grace Paley Endowed Fellowship." On Saturday, August 9, the Work Center paid tribute to Grace Paley with readings and remembrances by Richard McCann, Victoria Redel, Gerry Albarelli, Barbara Selfridge, and Grace's daughter, Nora Paley. Tribute was paid to FAWC founder Stanley Kunitz as well, with a screening of Tobe Carey's film "Stanley's House." The Work Center was also a part of the Highlands Fest in Truro, which featured a reading by former FAWC Fellow Tony Hoagland.