Payment & Cancellation Policies

PAYMENTS

The MWPA is not able to accept installment payments (unless it is expressly stated for a specific workshop). Workshop space will not be reserved until we receive full payment. If an agency, business, school, or other organization is paying student fees, payment is still due at the time of registration. Purchase orders or intent to pay are not accepted. The MWPA accepts checks, money orders, cash, and Visa or MasterCard through our website, printed registration forms, or over the phone. If you would prefer to pay with American Express or Discover, payment can be made via our website. A $25 fee is assessed for bad checks.

ATTENDEE CANCELLATIONS

Registration in an MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes an agreement to our terms and conditions, so please read our attendee cancellation policies carefully.

  • A nonrefundable fee of 25% of the workshop cost is included in each registration.

  • Cancellations made 14-days or more before a workshop (or, for a multi-day workshop, the first session; or, for a workshop requiring manuscript submission in advance, the deadline for manuscript submission) will receive a cash refund of 75%.

  • Cancellations made between 13-days and 7-days before a workshop (or the first session or deadline for manuscript submission) will receive a 50% credit toward a future workshop.

  • Cancellations made less than 6-days from the day of a workshop, the first session, or the manuscript deadline (i.e. on a Monday before a Saturday workshop) cannot be refunded nor receive credit.

  • For workshops that require a manuscript submission in advance, cancellations made after the manuscript submission deadline cannot be refunded nor receive credit.

  • We cannot refund participants for workshops they miss without cancelling (i.e. no-shows).

WORKSHOP CANCELLATION 

Workshops that do not meet a minimum enrollment may be canceled up to two business days (48 hours) prior to the first class meeting. If a workshop is canceled by the MWPA for any reason, all registrants will receive full refunds.

BAD WEATHER POLICY 

Weather-related cancellations are extremely rare. To check on the status of your workshop if you are concerned about inclement weather, you may call 207-272-8627 (Please only use this number for weather-related events or emergencies on the day of a workshop.) If a workshop is canceled for weather-related reasons, the MWPA will announce the cancellation as soon as possible, the workshop will be rescheduled, and all registrants will be notified of the new date. If a registrant cannot attend the rescheduled workshop due to scheduling conflicts, the registrant will receive a full refund.

WORKSHOP ACCEPTANCE 

The MWPA reserves the right to refuse a registration for any reason.

 Workshop Policies

A STATEMENT ABOUT MWPA WORKSHOPS & EVENTS

The Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance is committed to providing harassment-free experiences for everyone attending our workshops, conference, writers retreats, and events regardless of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, age, veteran status, disability, or other protected status.

The MWPA has a zero-tolerance policy toward any and all harassing or bullying behavior at MWPA workshops, conference, writers retreats, and events. This includes but is not limited to deliberate intimidation, verbal harassing behavior, and inappropriate physical contact. This policy includes harassment or bullying between attendees, or between attendees and MWPA instructors.

Participants asked to cease inappropriate behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the MWPA may take any action they deem appropriate, including expulsion from the event.

If you have any questions, concerns, or thoughts, please contact MWPA’s executive director Gibson Fay-LeBlanc at any time: director@mainewriters.org or 207-228-8264.

EXPECTATIONS OF WORKSHOP ATTENDEES

Attendees are encouraged to be considerate and thoughtful when attending MWPA workshops. If pre-workshop reading has been assigned, please read the handouts in advance; if pre-workshop manuscripts have been distributed, please read and mark them in advance, and arrive prepared to discuss your opinions in a supportive manner.

During the workshop, please try to be aware of how your behavior might impact others and avoid behaviors that might detract from your colleagues’ experience, including but not limited to arriving late, monopolizing class discussions, and after the workshop, please avoid persistent, unwanted email contact post-workshop with either other attendees or instructors.

CEUs

The MWPA is proud to offer Continuing Education Units (CEU) for any of its workshops. The CEU is a nationally recognized method of quantifying the time spent in the classroom during non-credit learning. Ten hours of instruction equal one (1) CEU. Workshop attendees who have completed less than ten hours of MWPA workshops in a calendar year may request partial CEUs; for example, if you have attended a 5-hour workshop, MWPA can provide  .5 CEUs, or five contact hours. (*Please note that by definition, CEUs are non-credit continuing education and therefore not transferrable as academic credit.)

WORKSHOP REGISTRATION

Workshop registrations are non-transferable; registrants may not send someone in their place.

WORKSHOP ACCEPTANCE

The MWPA reserves the right to refuse a registration for any reason.

ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS & CONDITIONS

Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to these terms and conditions.