Writers' World includes an Exhibit, open during Festival Exhibit hours; a series of Workshops, at scheduled times; and the associated Literary Arts Café.
A juried exhibit of
original, previously unpublished adult and student short fiction,
essays, and poetry. All accepted entries are available for public
reading. Award-winning entries are published in the Writers' World
booklet, A Collection of Winning Entries,
available for purchase at Writers' World and at the Logo
Store.
Marcia Littlehales
Doehner was an accomplished poet and an English teacher at Marblehead
High School. Her poem, Arachne, won the 1988 Best of Show
award in the Writers’ World poetry category. In 1989 and 1990,
she served as Co-Chairperson of Writers’ World. The following
year, the Marcia Doehner Writing Center at Marblehead High School
was dedicated in her honor.
Her poems, many of which were published in Marblehead Magazine,
are filled with vivid imagery and revolve around themes of childhood
and family, nature, and travel. They reveal a keen understanding
of human connections and an ever-present sense of humor. She died
in June of 1991 at the age of 53 from cancer. A collection of her
poems, A Season for Flying, was published posthumously.
The Marcia Doehner Award was founded by her parents, sister, and
friends as a lasting tribute to the beloved teacher and poet. It
was given first during the 1992 Festival of Arts and is now awarded
annually to a poet as part of the Writers’ World Exhibit.
The Caf é offers
a comfortable place where readers and writers may discuss works while
enjoying coffee, tea, and light fare. For details, visit the Café.
The goals of the Writers ’ World Conference at the Writers’ World Exhibit of the Marblehead Festival of Arts are to:
- Focus attention on Writers’ World workshops and events
- Provide a forum for local writers to meet and exchange ideas
- Encourage initiation of other local support activities for writers
- Provide quality workshops and events
- Extend a welcoming hand to new writers
9:30 am Registration
10:00 am Keynote Speaker Rishi Reddi
Rishi Reddi was born in Hyderabad, India, and grew up in Great Britain and the United States. She graduated from Swarthmore College and Northeastern University School of Law. Her work has appeared in The Best American Short Stories 2005 and received an honorable mention in Pushcart Prize 2004; she is also a recipient of an Artist Grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Her new short story collection, Karma and Other Stories, was released by Harper Perennial in 2007. She lives in
Brookline with her husband and daughter.
11:00 am Book signing and reception in the Literary Arts Café
2:00 pm Writing to Get Published Phyllis Karas
Learn about the art of collaboration, how to write a book with or about someone else. How to get an agent, get published, get determined, get going and get paid will also be covered. Phyllis Karas has published numerous fiction and non-fiction books, including in 2006, BRUTAL: The Untold Story of My Life Inside Whitey Bulger’s Irish Mob. She has been a stringer for People Magazine since 1998. She has received several literary awards including Young Adult Choices for 1997: The Hate Crime from the International Reading Association.
3:00 pm Book signing in the Literary Arts Café
2:00 PM Writing Marathon-Style Sue Anne Willis
Come with pen and pad and be prepared to write with an edge. This workshop is group inspired with each member supplying a word or phrase or subject to write about and writing is timed. Stories abound, plus sentiment and creativity are RICH!
Sue Anne Willis has belonged to a Women’s Writing Marathon group for over 10 years. The group meets monthly and writes all day. Inspired by Natalie Goldberg, the group’s experience has been life changing and life affirming.
10:00 am Poetry: Happy Accidents Amy Dengler
Fragments of conversations or sentences, an unlikely pairing of disparate ideas, can inspire the poet to write. Creation requires sticking with the initial twig, feeding it bits and scraps and whispering it into flame that we hope will catch. Amy Dengler is the author of a collection of poems, Between Leap and Landing, published by Folly Cove Books in 1999. Her work has appeared in The Atlanta Review, The Anthology of New England Writers, Ideals Magazine, and the Christian Science Monitor. She is the recipient of a Robert Penn Warren Award
2:00 pm Panel Discussion: Self-Publishing
Betsy Morris, Moderator
Panelists
Dennis Curtin has three decades of experience of editing, publishing and writing textbooks on photography. He was editor-in-chief of a division of Little Brown and Prentice-Hall. He is now a leading web-based publisher of photography and computer books.
Laura Plunkett is a columnist for diabetesincontrol.com and Diabetes health magazine. In 2006 she self-published her book The Challenge of Childhood Diabetes: Family Strategies for Raising a Healthy Child. Her family has been featured locally on the Parentto-Parent segment of Channel 7 News and on WBZ 1030 AM’s “Hometown Heros.” Dorothy Stephens co-authored the book Discovering Marblehead. She was a finalist in the 1997 Bakeless Creative Nonfiction competition and a semi-finalist in the 2006 Summer Literary Seminars. Her book, Kwa Heri Means Goodbye, was self-published by I-Universe in 2006
Linda Weltner wrote the weekly column, “Ever So Humble,” in the At Home section of The Boston Globe for nineteen years. She was awarded the Best Columnist Award by the New England Women’s Press Association, and given the Gold Award from National Mature Media Awards 2000 for best feature in a magazine. She co-authored the book The Challenge of Childhood Diabetes: Family Strategies for Raising a Healthy Child with her daughter, Laura Plunkett.
4:00 pm Book Signing Panelists
10:00 am Creative Non-Fiction Susan Butterworth
Creative nonfiction may be defined as the writing of true stories using techniques usually employed by fiction writers. Write a sketch in the workshop or bring a short piece to read. Susan Butterworth teaches English Composition at Salem State College and is a published writer of creative non-fiction.
2:00 pm Winning Entry Readings (in Sanctuary)
Mugford Street Players
As they have done since the earliest days of Writers’ World, members of the Mugford Street Players will read selections from the winning entries. The Players will read pieces from each of the categories. Please join us, along with the authors, to enjoy their contributions to Writers’ World, the Festival of the Arts, and the literary world.
Reception for Winning Writers
Festival attendees and readers are invited to a reception for the winning writers, at the Literary Arts Café, immediately following the reading of selections from the winning entries. |
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