Workshop Dates: Sunday, October 8, 2023 – Friday, October 13, 2023
- RSVP by end of day on Saturday, July 15th. Your acceptance email contains your link.
- When invited via email, join the ViableParadise Slack Group. After you join, you will also be given an invitation to the private #vp2023 channel just for you and your classmates.
- Please do join one of the “Welcome to VP!” Zoom calls with the VP staff. We’re happy to answer any questions, and it’s a great opportunity to meet some of your classmates.
- Be sure to make hotel reservations at the Island Inn by August 15th to take advantage of the workshop’s group discount.
- Your tuition payment of $2,450.00 is due by August 15th. If you think you will need more time and would prefer to work out a payment plan, mark that in your RSVP form and we’ll be happy to work something out with you.
- You will be receiving a student survey in a few weeks to collect important health and safety information. Please return it promptly.
- For more details on travel, what to bring, etc. please review the Student Handbook.
- We strongly advise you familiarize yourself with the Viable Paradise Harassment Policy.
Travel Information
The workshop officially begins at 6 p.m. on Sunday and ends around 5 p.m. on Friday. We prefer that you arrive on the island between 11 a.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday. If you arrive outside those hours, there may be limited assistance from the workshop staff.
We prefer that you leave the island between 2 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday. Many people stay until at least Saturday morning to enjoy the company as long as possible, but choose what’s best for your travel itinerary and budget.
If you are coming by air, you will almost certainly be flying into Boston Logan International Airport (BOS). From there, you can take Cape Air directly to Martha’s Vineyard, or you can take the bus, then ferry.
Peter Pan runs a bus route from the airport to the Woods Hole ferry terminal. The bus line delivers you right to the ferry terminal. Tickets for the bus should be purchased in advance. Be aware that the fall schedule usually isn’t final until some time in September.
Each ferry runs from Woods Hole to either Oak Bluffs or Vineyard Haven, and then back to Woods Hole. Tickets for the ferry can be purchased at the ferry terminal, and the bus schedule is designed to give you enough time to purchase a walk-on ticket before boarding. If you are planning to take a car to the island, you should make a reservation well in advance with the Steamship Authority. It’s about a five-minute drive from Oak Bluffs to the hotel, and about a fifteen-minute drive from Vineyard Haven to the hotel.
Workshop staff will be available to drive you to and from the Martha’s Vineyard airport or Vineyard Haven ferry terminal if you arrive between 11 a.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday and depart between 2 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday. If that doesn’t work for you, please let us know when we ask you for your arrival information. Taxi service and ridesharing are also available on the island.
Lodging
Students are responsible for making their own lodging arrangements at the Island Inn, including sharing suites. Bookings at the Island Inn are managed by a company called Vacasa, and you can book your rooms by either:
- calling Vacasa’s reservation team at +1 850-466-8882, Monday – Friday between 8am – 5pm Pacific time, or
- emailing Vacasa’s group reservation team at Group.Reservations@vacasa.com
When making your reservation, please be sure to tell Vacasa that:
- You are with the “Viable Paradise Writers Workshop” and
- Provide them with the group ID “MAMVGRP018“, and
- Request a room in Building G, which is where the workshop itself takes place and where faculty, students, and staff will be staying.
To receive our group rates, please be sure that you do this before August 15th, 2023.
The Island Inn offers several different room types. All of the units in Building G are Condo Suites or Townhouse Suites.
Condo Suites: One-story units with a bedroom, a living room, a kitchenette, and a bathroom. Depending on the particular room, there may be additional sleeping capacities (typically, twin beds in a low-partitioned space adjacent to the living room, a convertible couch, etc.).
Townhouse Suites: Two-story units with a master bedroom and half bath (or bath with shower) on the upper floor, and a bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen on the lower floor. These also vary, so some may not have full kitchens, upstairs showers, etc.
There are also studio apartments at the Island Inn, but these are somewhat isolated from the rest of the workshop areas and are not included in the MAMVGRP018 group rate.