University of Michigan. New England Literature Program.

Based first in New Hampshire and then in Maine, this off-campus program allows students and instructors to live and work closely together reading New England authors, writing, and exploring the New England. Established in 1975 by Walter Clark and Alan Howes, the program combines study with camping and hiking.

The New England Literature Program (NELP) is a University of Michigan academic program that takes place at Camp Wohelo on Sebago Lake, Maine. Begun in 1975, and offered during the Spring half-term, students and staff members live and work together closely, reading New England authors, writing, and exploring the New England countryside, its people, culture, and history. The program was conceived by professors of English Walter Clark and Alan Howes.

In addition to formal academic work in literature and writing, non-credit instruction is given in canoeing, camping, art, and nature studies. Students teach or co-teach classes as part of their NELP experience. In addition, the program includes trips to places of natural and cultural interests, including several multi-day hiking and camping trips.

NELP offers creative writing workshops, but most writing is done in a journal. The journals are both personal and academic. Every NELP participant belongs to a journal group, which meets twice a week for discussion and sharing. Writing assignments of various sorts are connected with the readings, and they are supplemented by writing on topics of the students' own choosing. Student writing often explores creative expression, the natural world and the New England environment, and the writer's response to the NELP experience. For additional information, please consult the NELP website available (as of April 2003) at: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/english/nelp/whatisnelp.asp.