Contact: Laurel Jones laurel.l.jones@gmail.com (615) 425-6031

MEACHAM WRITERS’ CONFERENCE RETURNS FOR FALL 2011

Offering free readings and workshops twice a year, the biannual conference connects local writers with award-winning authors.

 Chattanooga, Tennessee (September 16, 2011) – Since 1985 the Meacham Writers’ Workshop has been an opportunity for the Chattanooga community to improve their own writing, as well as appreciate the work of nationally and internationally acclaimed authors. Each conference includes public readings by the visiting authors, as well as workshops, individual conferences, and seminars for local writers to receive feedback and instruction from the published writers. Held October 27-29th, all events are free and open to the public.

Visiting writers this conference include New York Times best-selling author Kevin Wilson, Bradley Paul, Jane Bradley, Charles Fort, Gaylord Brewer, Mark Cox, William Pitt Root, Pamela Ushuck, and Chad Prevost.

 Readings, which are open to the public, will be held Thursday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m. at Chattanooga State, Health Science Center, HSC 1087, as well as a community reading/reception at 9 p.m. at the Hart Gallery, located at 110 East Main Street; Friday, October 28 at 12:00 p.m. at UTC, University Center, Raccoon Mountain room, and at 2 p.m. at UTC, University Center, Sequoyah and Fortwood Rooms for the Publishing Workshop and Songwriting Workshop, respectively; 7:00 p.m. at UTC, Grote building, room 129; Saturday, October 29 2:00 p.m. at the Chattanooga Theatre Center; and 5:00 p.m. at Winder Binder, located at 40 Frazier Avenue for a participant reading.

Participants are to choose between creative writing workshops which will be held on Saturday, October 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at UTC’s University Center or individual conferences which will be held Friday and Saturday.

All those who submit works for review may indicate their preference for an individual workshop or group workshop, and spaces will be assigned according to availability. There are limited spaces for individual conferences, and organizers will set priorities in filling those slots on a first come first served basis.

To participate, writers MUST submit their work by October 7^th. Up to three poems or up to twelve double-spaced pages of prose can be submitted. Please visit  http://meachamwriters.org/submissions.htm to submit online. Online submission is preferred, however, if absolutely necessary, participants may bring three copies each of their work in collated packets to Richard Jackson, Meacham Writers’ Workshop, UTC Engl. Department #2703, 203 Holt Hall. For detailed schedule information and directions to the events please see

http://www.meachamwriters.org/schedule.htm.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS OCTOBER 7TH!

The 8th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival will once again feature a star-studded faculty who will dedicate their talents as poets and teachers to participants. To help you become better acquainted with our faculty poets, we are sending along some links to a few of their interviews.

Last week’s, Poetry Daily prose feature was an Interview with Kim Addonizio by Susan Brown that first appeared in Five Points. The interview offers insights into how Kim works, thinks and feels about poetry. The Poetry Daily website includes an archive of poems and prose features. You’ll find poems by all our faculty poets in the archives.

David Kirby is a master of narrative, weaving stories into a cohesive whole that on the page looks like a record of a mind at work. And what a mind! His extraordinary knowledge of music, literature, arts, history combined with wit and insatiable curiosity make his poems unique. David was interviewed in the New York Times in May in A Poetic Job That Invites Conversation. Another in-depth interview, “Happy Accidents: An Interview with Poet David Kirby” appears in Flashpoint Journal.

Attendance in workshops is limited to 12 participants and those seats are in demand. [Read more...]

Many people talk about writing and publishing. Some actually sit down to write. Few take the steps needed to understand how the publishing industry works. Those few save themselves years of trial and error. Instead of looking at a list of job titles and names in a writer’s guide, they learn who actually does what at a publishing company. They get the inside scoop on which kind of editor will most likely read their manuscripts. They look for ways to advance their own careers. And they make connections in the publishing field, getting to know people who actually work in the industry. They believe in their work enough to invest in the success they envision.

If you’re determined to write for children—whether you’re just beginning to think about submitting your work or have been submitting hit-or-miss for years—A Crash Course in the Business of Children’s Publishing will tell you what you need to know to make informed decisions about how to advance your career.

Join seasoned children’s book pro Clay Winters for a weekend that could save you years of struggling to figure out how the industry works. Clay has served in almost every job imaginable connected with trade publishing. He has sold and marketed books as a retailer, wholesaler, and representative of trade publishing houses both giant and modest. He cofounded Boyds Mills Press with Kent Brown and Larry Rosler. Clay has developed many talented publishing people—including legendary Philomel editor Patricia Lee Gauch—and his upbeat personality makes him a favorite of writers. Now Clay is looking forward to mentoring you! [Read more...]

William R. Ferris to Keynote Seventh Annual Clarksville Writers Conference, July 13-15, 2011

CLARKSVILLE, TN — The Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council is pleased to announce the Seventh Annual Clarksville Writers Conference, being held July 13-15, 2011, on the campus of Austin Peay State University.

We are very honored to have as this year’s keynote speaker WILLIAM R. FERRIS, co-editor of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, chairman emeritus of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and author or editor of over ten books including Local Color and Images of the South: Visits with Eudora Weltyand Walker Evans. Ferris, who is currently the Joel R. Williamson Eminent Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the senior associate director of its Center for the Study of the American South, will speak at the conference banquet at the Clarksville Country Club on the evening of Wednesday, July 13. [Read more...]

Nashville, TN— Tennessee Repertory Theatre has announced its schedule for the Martha R. Ingram New Works Festival. The festival will be held June 1 – 11 at Vanderbilt University’s Neely Auditorium and will feature staged readings of new plays from seven local playwrights as well as Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winner John Patrick Shanley. Shanley is this year’s recipient of the Ingram New Works Fellowship. [Read more...]

Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts Residency Program

The KHN Center for the Arts offers an average of nineteen two- to eight-week long residencies to writers year round that include free lodging and studio space and a $100 per week stipend. Deadlines are March 1st for the following July–December and September 1st for the following January–June. Director of Development Julie Fisher tells TWA that several Tennessee writers have been through the program. See http://www.khncenterforthearts.org for more information.

August 11-13, 2011

Hosted by The Lodge at Sea Island

on St. Simons Island, Georgia

Bert Roughton

Managing Editor, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

Susan Percy

Editor, Georgia Trend Magazine

John DeDakis

CNN “Wolf Blitzer’s Situation Room”

Krista Reese

Food writer, covering Atlanta’s dining scene for two decades

Sandra Gurvis

Author, latest book “Country Club Wives”

Sherry Paprocki

Branding Yourself as a Writer

Kristi Sanders

Making a Living as a Travel Writer

Barbara Casey

Author and Literary Agent

Rick Maier

Three novels, ten-year Journey of a Macon Author

Conference includes:  “Meet & Greet Reception” and “Evening with the Author” cocktail reception and live music.

Call today to Register

www.scribblersretreatwritersconference.org 800-996-2904