The Onion River Roundtable

Welcome to the Onion River Roundtable: the unofficial, virtual campus for students, graduates and instructors from Vermont College’s MFA in Writing program. With a fellowship flung round the globe, we—the Class of Fall ’08—wanted to create a place to convene, chat, and carry on the sense of community that forms during the intense residencies in Montpelier.

So here we are.

Our name comes from the Onion River (also known as the Winooski, Abenaki for “wild onion”), which falls from its headwaters in the Green Mountains through forest, valley and farmland roughly 90 miles to Lake Champlain. En route, the river passes through downtown Montpelier, as do many fine poets and writers in their individual journeys as wordsmiths.

Reminiscent of New York City’s Algonquin Roundtable from the 1920s and of course, King Arthur’s legendary table of equals, the Onion River Roundtable pools together a community of writers—bound by a common place—and drawn, as if by a swift current, toward the invisible, unpredictable, ever-irresistible flow of artistic expression.

As in writing, there are few rules, (almost) none of which is unbreakable:

1. Membership is by email invitation to any and all writers associated with VC’s MFA program. (For inclusion, write onionriverroundtable@yahoo.com with your name, preferred email, and when you were part of the program.)
2. When you receive a reply, Blogger.com requires that you register. (It’s quick, easy and FREE.)
3. Finally, we’re an upbeat community and want to create a stimulating, supportive, and informative environment. Controversy is a reality of life together and an opportunity for growth as writers, yet we hope our debate and discussion will always be respectful.

We have many ideas for how to use this forum but, as with water, the roundtable belongs to us all.

So send an email. Sign up. Log on. And sound in (or off) on what you’re thinking, writing or reading.