Translators’ Conference Faculty Handbook

Dear Bread Loaf Faculty,

We would like to welcome you to Bread Loaf. Bread Loaf fosters communities where open-mindedness, respect, and appreciation are truly valued and where each person can thrive and benefit from their time on the mountain. We’re glad you’re coming and look forward to working with you. Below you’ll see information that we hope will be helpful to you as you prepare for your visit.

Shared Campus

During the session, the Bread Loaf campus is shared by the Bread Loaf Translators’ Conference and the Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference. Each group has its own workshops, lectures, and classes and then comes together to share social hours, meals, and the evening readings. Many of the evening readings in the Little Theater will feature a faculty member from each program.

Arrival and Departure

Faculty members arrive by 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 14. Visit the front desk of the Bread Loaf Inn to get your housing assignment and get settled before the 5:30 p.m. social hour in the Barn, followed by dinner in the Bread Loaf Inn at 6:30 p.m.

Dinner will be the first meal served upon your arrival to Bread Loaf. There is an important orientation meeting that night at 8 p.m. in the Barn. During the orientation, faculty members will receive a registration packet with the daily schedule and craft and lecture schedules, among other details. Participants arrive the following day.

Saturday, June 21 is the last day of the session. It is a travel day—breakfast is available in the morning and all head out before noon.

To make shared taxi arrangements from the Burlington Vermont Airport or the train station in Essex Junction, VT, Bread Loafers reserve a ride with the conference’s transportation partner. Each summer we work with a transportation service that arranges shared rides for attendees for a fee paid directly to the service. We’re happy to let you know that Jessica’s Vital Transit will provide transportation for attendees this summer. This is for Bread Loafers who will arrive at the Burlington Airport, the Greyhound Bus Stop at the Burlington Airport, or the Amtrak Station in Essex Junction, Vermont.

Please note that it’s important to make your taxi reservations as soon as possible in order to reserve a spot.

At your earliest convenience, contact Jessica’s so they can fit you into a schedule of shared rides. Jessica’s staff will be able to give you a price quote depending on the number of Bread Loafers arriving a the same time. 

Click this link to go to the Jessica’s Vital Transit online reservation kiosk. 
A few notes:
1. To get started, choose “Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference” from the Attending field at the top of the form and complete the fields from there. 
2. In the departure section, please note “Bread Loaf Inn” for the pickup address and “Please Advise” for the Collection Time so Jessica’s can choose the time that will work best for your flight and taking into consideration that all must leave the Bread Loaf campus by noon on the departure day.
3. Please note the gratuity information and the cancellation policy near the bottom of the form.

2025 fees (approximate): $159 for one passenger; $89 each for two passengers; and $59 each for three or more passengers. 

Please make your reservation with Jessica’s as soon as possible. Later, upon arrival at the airport, look for the driver holding the “Bread Loaf” sign in the luggage claim area.

*Jessica’s Vital Transit Contact Info*
Reservation Form:
https://jessicasvt.com/contact.html (staff respond to form reservations in the morning and evening)
Email:
info@jessicasvt.com
Phone: 
802-349-8833 (staff respond to calls between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. EST). 

If arriving by train in Middlebury, VT, please see the Travel Page for updated information on how to reserve a spot in a Middlebury van that will transport passengers from the Middlebury Train Station to the Bread Loaf campus.  The Middlebury train station is about a 20 minute drive from the Bread Loaf campus.

Those arriving by car may park temporarily along Route 125 near the Bread Loaf Inn while getting their housing information and registration materials.  After that, Bread Loafers with cars park in the big parking lot in front of the Barn on campus. The Front Desk staff will provide more details about parking when they share your housing information with you on arrival day.

A Middlebury Email for Faculty

Bread Loaf faculty and participants are assigned a temporary Middlebury email for use during the conference. Bread Loaf staff will continue to use the personal email on file for conference communications, but the Middlebury email will be needed before the conference to access the Measles Proof-of-Immunity Form (link forthcoming on June 4). (Note: those who fulfilled the POI requirement last year are all set for this year and need not submit it again.) During the conference the Middlebury email will be used to access Wi-Fi on the Bread Loaf campus.

Faculty will receive a “Middlebury Account Activation Instructions” note sent to their personal emails this week. If you don’t receive the ITS note by Friday, May 30, please send a note to Noreen at ncargill@middlebury.edu to let her know. 

Health and Safety on Campus this Summer

COVID-19 Protocols

Please read the Covid-19 Protocols page that outlines the protocols we’ll have in place this summer. This document is a list of protocols that acknowledges the shared responsibility towards keeping the Bread Loaf campus a safe and healthy community. Attendees are responsible for reading and following the protocols described here.

Required Measles Proof of Immunity 

A link to the College’s confidential Measles Proof-of-Immunity Form will be mailed to your personal email on June 4 and will be due before your arrival on campus.  The form link will go to your personal email, and your Middlebury email will be needed to access the form. (Those who attended a Bread Loaf conference last year or who are on Middlebury faculty/staff have already fulfilled this requirement and need not upload it again via this process.) 

The Vermont Department of Health is requiring that all Bread Loafers be able to provide proof of immunization from measles before the start of our summer sessions. As noted previously, there are three options for fulfilling this requirement of measles immunization:

  1. obtain proof of immunization from already extant records;
  2. get a blood test that proves immunity from a doctor or clinic;
  3. get an immunization shot for measles (MMR) from a local pharmacy or doctor and provide proof of it.

Note: Individuals born prior to January 1, 1957 are assumed to be immune to measles and do not have to provide proof of immunity. Instead of uploading a proof of immunity document via the forthcoming secure form, these individuals will provide a document showing their date of birth. 

You’ll find more details about measles and the College’s approach on Middlebury’s measles information website. 

Middlebury College and Bread Loaf Policies

Before your arrival on campus, we ask that you familiarize yourself with the Middlebury College and Bread Loaf Writers’ Conferences policies concerning community health, safety, and responsibility. Faculty are responsible for knowing and understanding these polices, which are articulated HERE. Should you have any questions at any time, please do not hesitate to contact one of the following Bread Loaf staff members or one of the Middlebury College contacts noted in the policy information linked to above.

Jennifer Grotz, director, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conferences
(jgrotz@middlebury.edu) or 802-443-5286)

Noreen Cargill, administrative director, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conferences (ncargill@middlebury.edu or 802-443-5062)

Jason Lamb, coordinator, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conferences (jlamb@middlebury.edu or 802-443-5286)

Packing

Items you may want to bring

  • We encourage bringing a mask with you to campus; masks will also be available on the Bread Loaf Campus while supplies last.
  • We encourage attendees to bring antigen test kits with them to campus to have on hand in case they are needed; rapid test kits will be available on campus while supplies last.
  • Water bottle—Conference days are long and it’s important to stay hydrated.  Water fountains are located in the Barn, where most meeting spaces are located.
  • If you’re driving, you may want to bring a fan; there are no air conditioners on campus, and the evenings can be warm.  Evenings can also be quite cold, so an extra blanket may be useful as well.
  • You should plan to bring clothes for both warm and cool weather.  Temperatures during the day and evening could range from the 40s to mid-70s.
  • Raincoat
  • Flashlight or head lamp with batteries
  • Toiletries
  • Sunscreen
  • Insect repellant
  • Medication such as Benadryl in case of bug bites
  • Your prescription medications and your medical insurance card. We also recommend that you bring a list of your current prescription and non-prescription medications and the phone and fax numbers for your health care provider.
  • Laundry detergent
  • Bathing suit—you can swim in Lake Pleiad (the outing will require use of a car and there is a short hike through the woods to get to the lake)
  • Hiking boots—in case you would like to explore hiking trails in the Green Mountain National Forest.  The Long Trail, stretching from Massachusetts to Canada, is just a few miles away.
  • Ear plugs, just in case
  • Bathrobe and flip flops—there are shared bathrooms in student housing.
  • Running and walking gear—in case you would like to explore the dirt trails near campus.
  • Funds—the bookstore will accept cash and cards. The Barn Socials and evening Pubs will provide a cash bar, with cash and cards accepted.  There is no ATM on campus.
  • Alarm clock
  • Small cooler, if you wish—access to a refrigerator is not generally available.
  • Book-light
  • Eyeshade/sleep mask
  • Reusable mug/thermos
  • Yoga mat (see Yoga section below)
  • We’re sorry, but pets are not allowed on campus.
  • Binoculars (for the nature walk, if you would like to attend).
  • Extension cord
  • Adapter for your three-pronged laptop or hairdryer (many outlets on the mountain are two-pronged)
  • There is a fully equipped computer room on the Bread Loaf campus, with Macs and PCs; however, if you like, you can bring along your laptop or iPad.  Wi-Fi access is available in most public spaces, including the Library, Inn, and Barn.

Faculty Housing

Most faculty stay in Maple or Birch cottages, where each room has a private bath and there is a phone on each floor. Please note that some rooms are located on the second and third floors of buildings, and there are no elevators. If you have special needs for medical reasons, please let us know right away, so that we can make arrangements for you.

There are a limited number of houses on campus for faculty members whose spouse/partner and children will be staying with them during the conference. 

Pillows, sheets, blankets, and towels are provided. Each bed will have the folded stack of clean linens placed at the end of the mattress so participants and faculty are able to make their bed. The Bread Loaf Inn Front Desk staff can assist with providing additional linens during the week as requested. Irons are available, and there are coin-operated washing machines and dryers on campus.

Bread Loaf is a smoke-free campus. Vermont State Law prohibits smoking in any building on campus, including dormitories.

Children on Campus

Some faculty members bring their children along. They will enjoy playing in the open, grassy fields on campus. Activities available to older children include tennis, volleyball, ping pong, and croquet. The Bread Loaf Inn Front Desk may have some equipment for borrowing. For younger children, there is a small play area next to Dragon’s Den. A TV and DVD player are at times available (with adult supervision) in the library, so you may want to pack a couple of your kids’ favorite videos. There are also DVD players available in the classrooms that may be available for occasional use.

Though there is lots of open space on campus for exploring and fun, there is a road that runs through the campus, and it can be quite dangerous. The road looks quiet, but this is deceptive. Fast moving cars and trucks appear suddenly, so it’s important that children do not play anywhere near the road; this includes the grassy area across from the Bread Loaf Inn. We would also like to ask for your help in keeping the area around the Little Theater quiet during readings and lectures in that building. The theater is very open with lots of screened doors and windows, so noises outside can be distracting.

Workshops

Introductory Workshops

Workshops will meet four times during the conference—from 10:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The workshop meeting dates, times, and locations are noted on the cover sheet shared with faculty before the session.

You should schedule, at your convenience, individual conferences with each of the participants in your workshop. Plan on 30 minutes for each meeting.

Translation Manuscript Workshops

Workshops will meet four times during the conference—from 10:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The workshop meeting dates, times, and locations are noted on the cover sheet included in your workshop folder shared via Googledocs.

Please be sure to print your workshop manuscripts (including the cover) at home and bring the packet of manuscripts to the conference. Unfortunately, conference copying facilities are not large enough to handle the printing of individual packets. Conference participants also receive access to the workshop packet in advance of the session.

You should schedule, at your convenience, individual manuscript conferences with each of the contributors in your workshop. Plan on 30 minutes for each meeting, and for discussion use the manuscripts that you received access to via the Googledocs folder.

Participant Readings

Bread Loafer readings are a nice opportunity for contributors to share some of their work, meet people from other workshops, and get some experience reading before an audience. These informal readings are hosted by a Bread Loaf staff member and take place in the Barn on some evenings (details will be noted on the daily schedule in your orientation packet). Readers are asked to sign up in advance. These readings can be a lot of fun. When faculty members attend, it boosts morale considerably. We encourage you to attend one or two, as a way of showing your support.

Barn Social and Pub

The Barn, located in a central spot on the Bread Loaf campus, is a place for participants to gather and socialize. During the conference the Barn Social will take place from 5:30 p.m. until just before dinner each day, and the Barn Pub will take place from 8:45 p.m. to midnight. The Social and Pub offer soda and snacks that are free of charge and beer or wine for purchase. There is no ATM on campus, however the bars will accept cards as well as cash.

Meals

Meals are served as a buffet in the Bread Loaf Inn dining room. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are available, and the kitchen staff is able to accommodate food allergies.

Breakfast will be available at 7:30 a.m., lunch at 12:45 p.m., and dinner at 6:30 p.m.

Bread Loaf has a large Dining Room, but for those who would like to enjoy their meals outdoors, a selection of picnic blankets will be available as well as picnic tables and Adirondack chairs on the Bread Loaf lawns. We invite those driving from home to bring along camping chairs. 

Please follow the meal start times as noted here. Meals during the conference are staggered with the Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference in order to help cut down on waiting times.

Wi-Fi

Leading up to the conference, faculty and participants receive a temporary Middlebury email via an ITS Welcome note (see details in the Middlebury Email section above). Once on campus, Bread Loafers access Wi-Fi by choosing MiddleburyCollege from the WiFi options that come up on their personal device and entering their Middlebury email and password.

Ways to Connect with Home While on Campus

Email:

You will be able to stay in touch via email. A computer lab located in the library on campus has Macs available and some PCs are available on the main floor of the library. And if you bring your laptop, iPad, or phone, wireless access is available in public spaces (and possibly in your room, though that is not a sure thing). Please see the important wi-fi note above on how to register for wi-fi once on campus.

Phone:

Cell phone service is available in the Bread Loaf Inn and the Barn on the Bread Loaf campus but access is intermittent depending upon your provider. Verizon and AT&T should work fine.  Other providers may not work. While on campus participants have successfully stayed in touch with home using their smartphone to access wi-fi calling, Facetime, or Zoom. There are landlines available on the campus—usually one phone per floor in each of the buildings. After you arrive, you could share that floor phone number with family at home. The phone for the main switchboard on campus is 802-443-2700 (hours are usually 8 AM to 10 PM). The Front Desk staff member will transfer the call to your floor or take a message for you, if needed. 

You can also give people the Bread Loaf Office info, and we will get any messages to you (e-mail: blt@middlebury.edu; phone: 802-443-5286).

Mail

Address for mail

Faculty Name
Bread Loaf Translators’ Conference
PO Box 216
Ripton, VT 05766

Address for FedEx or UPS

Faculty Name
Bread Loaf Translators’ Conference
4229 Route 125
Ripton, VT 05766

Incoming mail will be held daily at the Front Desk of the Bread Loaf Inn.  Stamps will be available for purchase at the Front Desk as well.

Library

The Davison Memorial Library at Bread Loaf hosts a collection of reference books and literature, including a reserve shelves stocked with books by faculty.

Computers & Printers

There are PCs and Macs available to use in the Apple Cellar on the bottom floor of the Library and also on the first and second floor of the Library. To print during the conference, Bread Loafers use their Middlebury email to log into one of these College computers and from there send their document to a printer nearby. (See the Middlebury Email section above for more details.)

Bookstore

The store stocks books written by Bread Loaf faculty, participants, staff, and guests. Cash and cards are accepted.

Front Desk

Visit the Front Desk in the Bread Loaf Inn for matters regarding your room and lodging, moose facts, lost and found items, local lore, information about local walking/running trails, buying postage, mailing packages, transportation tips, and other general information.

This summer the Front Desk will have masks and COVID-19 antigen tests available.

Back Office

Visit the Back Office in the Bread Loaf Inn with any workshop, lecture, class, or other questions. Photocopying is available. Faxing via the Back Office may be possible.

Laundry

Coin-op washers and dryers are in the Laundry House in front of the Barn. Attendees provide their own laundry detergent. If you need change for the machines, the Front Desk staff will be glad to help. Some irons are also available.

Parking

Please park your vehicle in the large parking lot in front of the Barn. It is illegal to park on Route 125 and you may get a ticket.

Self-care During the Conference

The conference schedule is quite busy, and we want to take this time to note how important it will be to pace yourself and to take care of yourself during the session. To this end, yoga classes will be offered daily. AA Meetings are scheduled to take place each evening. See details below, and find more ideas listed in the Extracurricular Activities section later in this Handbook.

Yoga instructor Joanna Colwell will offer Iyengar yoga classes daily from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. in Barn 008. The classes are appropriate for all abilities and all are welcome. A handful of mats will be available. If you’re able to bring your mat from home, please do.  There will be no yoga on Saturday, June 21, the departure day.

AA Meetings are scheduled to take place daily from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Upstairs Library (Back end of Building). To schedule additional meeting times while on the mountain, just let a Back Office Staff member know. Staff will reserve the room and include a note about the meetings on the Crumb Bulletin Board near the Dining Room.

Health Matters

In case of emergency dial 911 from any campus phone. A sign near each phone lists important details including the exact address and phone number for that location.

For non-emergency health matters, a self-care cart is available near the lobby of the Bread Loaf Inn. The cart is stocked with items such as Band-Aids, Advil, and Tylenol. Please plan to bring Benadryl pills and ointment in case of bug bites as well as any other first-aid items you feel might be necessary for your personal comfort during the session. And should you find that the cart does not address your particular concerns, the Bread Loaf Inn front desk staff will help you with a referral, and Porter Hospital is located in Middlebury, if needed.

For mental health matters, contact the conference director, administrative director, or coordinator (Jennifer Grotz, Noreen Cargill, or Jason Lamb) for a referral, or call the emergency number at the Counseling Service of Addison County (dial 9 and then 388-7641 from any campus phone).

When packing, remember to bring your prescription medications and your medical insurance card. We also recommend that you bring a list of your current prescription and non-prescription medications and the phone and fax numbers for your health care provider.

For details regarding the 2025 COVID-19 protocols and also the required Measles proof-of-immunity process, please see the “Health and Safety on Campus this Summer” section included earlier in the Handbook.

Emergencies on the Bread Loaf Campus

In case of serious medical emergency or fire on the Bread Loaf Campus, always call 911 from any campus phone or from your cell phone. Though it’s possible to use your cell phone, it’s best to use an on-campus phone, if possible. The on-campus phone will alert 911 to your location automatically. Otherwise, a sign near each campus phone lists important details including the exact address and phone number for that location.

In case of non-life threatening but urgent matters, contact the Bread Loaf Inn Front Desk at x2700 from any campus phone or 802-443-2700 from your cell phone (Front Desk Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.). Outside of office hours, call x2911 from any campus phone or 802-443-2911 from your cell phone to reach facilities staff who will help you with the situation.

We recommend making note of the numbers listed above so you can have them handy during the session.

For emergencies that affect the Bread Loaf campus, the Middlebury Department of Public Safety uses the RAVE alert system to notify attendees via email and also by text for those who have cell service on campus.

Extracurricular Activities

Scheduled

  • Robert Frost picnic
  • Music Night at the Barn Pub
  • Book-signing Outdoor Reception
  • An evening coffee reception
  • Barn Social and Barn Pub
  • Nature Walk

Unscheduled

  • Hiking trails around campus
  • Visiting the stream just across the hayfield
  • Swimming in Lake Pleiad, which is a good quarter-mile hike down the Long Trail. Transportation is needed to get to the trail head.
  • Tennis
  • The Front Desk may have some equipment available for games such as volleyball, Frisbee, whiffle ball, and croquet.

Middlebury College Athletics Facilities

The Middlebury College athletics facilities, located on Middlebury’s main campus, are available to Bread Loaf participants; however, you will want to note that a car will be needed to get to the facilities. The main campus is about a twenty-minute drive from the Bread Loaf campus. You’ll find the hours listed on the Athletics Facility web page. The athletics facility staff will have a list of conference participants on hand, so you will just need to give your name to a staff member upon entering the building. The Bread Loaf Inn Front Desk staff would be happy to give you directions to the athletics complex.

Crumb Bulletin Board

The Crumb bulletin board will be posted near the dining hall of the Bread Loaf Inn throughout the session. Please take a moment after breakfast each morning to check the board. We’ll use it to inform you about any schedule changes, guest arrivals and departures, and other important conference information.