If you want to nurture your writer’s soul, come check out the Write Angles Conference on Oct. 17! Going on its 30th year, the conference is produced by writers who volunteer to host panel discussions, workshops and meetings at Mount Holyoke College’s Willits-Hallowell Center in South Hadley, Massachusetts.
Carol Edelstein will be the morning keynoter this year at 9 a.m. Edelstein runs a weekly workshop in Northampton, Massachusetts, and has two published books of poetry. She and her husband co-direct a monthly reading series and an independent press promoting local writers called “Gallery of Readers.”
At 1:45 p.m., the keynoter is Susan Stinton. The author of four novels, a book of poems and lyric essays, Stinton also teaches fiction at Amherst College. She’s received the Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist Award from the Lambda Literary Foundation and the 2015 Trustees Award from Forbes Library. She goes all over the country to many bookstores, conferences and colleges, giving lectures, readings and workshops.
The conference begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m. During that time, there will be three panels, all of which are easy to sign up for during registering. The panels are as follows:
Panel One
- Authors Jedediah Berry, Marika McCoola, Ilya Parker and Gabriel Squailia will discuss how to tell readers stories of the bizarre, mystical and extraordinary in way that is unique and strong.
- If you’re struggling or curious about how to get your stories published, Anna Bowen, Joanna Lillian Brown, Martha Johnson and Robert Zucker will be more than happy to help you out with recommendations.
- It’s hard these days to get noticed as a writer. Fortunately, Liz Bedell, Avital Norman Nathman, Hun Ohm and Ben Zackheim will share their advice and experiences on how to be a writer entrepreneur.
Panel Two
- Shelley Ettinger, Celine Keating, Ellen Meeropol and Susan Stinson will discuss the challenges of controversial issues in fiction, something that people have been debating about for hundreds of years and for many more afterwards.
- If you can keep a secret, Joan Axelrod Contrada, Cathi Hanauer, Pete Nelson and JoAnna Novak will gossip about what made them successful and help you be productive in your writing, too!
- Nearly everyone has had that one person in their life that gave them a critique that brought them down rather than help them do better. Liz Bedell, Cheryl Malandrinos, Ilya Parker and Darlene Smith-Ash will teach how to give constructive and honest critiques that’s sure to be more inspiring than disheartening. Members participating will be asked to submit a sample of their work to share with each other. Due to this exercise, this particular workshop is limited to 24 members.
- Concerned about the legalities of publishing your work? Attorney Hun Ohm from law firm Fierst, Kane & Bloomberg LLP, will give a free and private 20-minute session to help you out. Those participating in this panel need to give a brief description of their questions and concerns beforehand in order for the panelist to be prepared.
Panel Three
- For all the poets out there, Brett Averitt, Carol Edelstein and Jonathon Wright will help you figure out how to make your poem stronger and more defined using various strategies. Members who wish to share their pieces should bring 10 copies.
- Some people claim it’s the first line that draws them into reading a book, some the first paragraph, the first page or even the first chapter. Kaylee Davis, Kimiko Nakamura and Gina Panettieri will tell you the strengths and weaknesses of your “hook.” Participants will be able to submit up to 150 words of a story to read aloud.
Registration is $100; for seniors and full-time students, $80. Included in this one-day event is a continental breakfast, buffet lunch and free parking. Register at http://writeanglesconference.com.
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