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WVU Writers’ Workshop to feature award-winning authors, note 10th anniversary
Several authors will read from their works during the 10th annual West Virginia Writers’ Workshop July 20-23 at West Virginia University.
More than 50 writers will attend the workshop to receive feedback and advice on their poetry, fiction or nonfiction. In addition, 12 West Virginia high school students will attend as part of a special workshop for young writers. The high school workshop will be taught by graduate students in WVU’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program.
“This is our 10th anniversary, so we’re particularly excited about this year’s workshop,” said Jim Harms, workshop director and professor of English at WVU. “It’s wonderful to have so many writers traveling to Morgantown from all over the country. We have a terrific faculty of featured authors this year, all of them award-winning writers, and I know it's going to be a very special four days.”
Featured authors will share their knowledge and discuss helpful ways to improve writing and revision techniques. Each author will also give a reading, which is free and open to the public.
The schedule for the readings is as follows:
- Thursday, July 20 – Mark Brazaitis, author of “An American Affair,” 1:30 p.m., Mountainlair Gold Ballroom; Karen McElmurray, author of “Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother’s Journey,” and David Wojahn, author of “Interrogation Palace: Selected Poems,” 8 p.m., Mountainlair Gold Ballroom
- Friday, July 21 – John Hoppenthaler, author of “Lives of Water” and editor of the literary journal Kestral, and Jon Tribble, editor of the Crab Orchard Award Series in Poetry and other journals, 1:30 p.m., Mountainlair Gold Ballroom; Thom Ward, author of two books of poetry and senior editor of BOA Editions, and Peter Makuck, author of four collections of poetry and editor of Tar River Poetry, 8 p.m., Mountainlair Gold Ballroom
- Saturday, July 22 – Allison Joseph, author of five collections of poetry and editor of the Crab Orchard Review, and Harms, author of five collections of poetry and director of WVU’s MFA Program, 8 p.m., Chic N Bones Rhythm Cafe
All workshop participants will meet individually with workshop faculty for intensive one-on-one conferences.
“These individual conferences are intended to focus and refine the work being done around seminar tables and in classrooms,” Harms said. “The workshops themselves have limited enrollments to guarantee personal attention.”
In addition to literary readings, there will be lectures on craft and panel discussions on publishing and editing.
For more information, contact Harms at 293-3107 ext. 33451.
Department of English